Part 15
The summer evening faded into a beautiful twilight,
painting the sky in shades of purple.
The guests eventually said their goodbyes,
leaving the lake house in its peaceful quietness once more.
Lena stayed behind to help clear the dishes from the wooden deck tables.
"Go sit down,
Lena,"
Ava insisted,
taking a tray of glasses from her hands gently.
"You have worked hard all week at the office,
you need to rest."
"I enjoy helping around here,
it feels like home,"
Lena replied,
smiling warmly.
"It is your home,
always,"
Ethan said,
joining them with a clean dry towel.
They finished cleaning the kitchen together,
working with the ease of a real family.
Afterward,
Ethan and Ava walked down the wooden steps leading directly to the sandy beach.
The water was perfectly calm,
reflecting the early stars appearing in the darkening sky above.
Ava slipped her sandals off,
letting her bare feet sink into the cool,
soft sand.
She took a deep breath of the fresh lake air,
feeling completely free from anxiety.
Ethan walked beside her,
holding her hand tightly,
matching his pace to her careful steps.
"Do you remember when we first arrived here?"
Ava asked,
looking out at the water.
"I was in that wheelchair,
scared of my own shadow and unable to sleep."
"I thought my life was completely over,
that I would always be a burden."
Ethan stopped walking,
turning her to face him directly on the quiet shore.
"You were never a burden,
Ava,
not for a single second,"
he said earnestly.
"You were the reason I kept fighting against my mother's madness every day."
"Your strength gave me the courage to stand up to everything she threw at us."
Ava looked down at her legs,
moving them slowly in the sand without any pain.
"We proved them wrong,
Ethan,"
she whispered,
a tear of pure gratitude escaping her eye.
"The doctors,
my mother-in-law,
everyone who said I would never walk again."
"You did that,
Ava,"
Ethan corrected her gently,
wiping the tear away with his thumb.
"Your determination was stronger than their cruelty and their powerful drugs."
He reached into his pocket,
pulling out a small,
velvet box he had hidden all evening.
Ava gasped softly,
her hands flying to her mouth as he knelt in the sand.
The ring inside was simple,
featuring a flawless blue sapphire that matched the lake.
"We got married under a dark cloud of manipulation and family pressure,"
Ethan said.
"But tonight,
I want to ask you to marry me for real,
under the stars."
"Will you renew your vows with me,
Ava,
and build a life based on true love?"
"Yes,
Ethan,
a thousand times yes,"
May you like
she cried,
throwing her arms around his neck.
