His eyes widened, glassy with unshed tears. He reached across the table, grabbed my hands, and kissed my knuckles. “Are you serious? Candice, this is everything! With this, I can finally register the company, get the equipment, hire people—”
“And make it real,” I whispered, smiling through the nerves. “I believe in you, Oliver.”
He pulled me into his arms, burying his face in my hair. “You won’t regret this, I swear. I’ll make you proud. One day, when this business takes off, we won’t live like this anymore. We’ll have a real home, travel the world, see Paris, the Caribbean, everywhere you’ve always dreamed of.”
I laughed softly, pressing my cheek against his chest. “Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything.”
“When we’re rich, when everything is finally stable… you’ll take care of me. You won’t forget me, right?”
He leaned back, cupped my face, and kissed me gently. “Forget you? Candice, you’ll be the queen of my world. I’ll give you the life you deserve. No matter how high I go, it’ll always be because of you.”
I believed him. I believed every word.
And years later, he had built everything he promised. But not for me.
Never for me.