Rhett’s POV
I know better than anyone.
There’s a barrier in Aria’s heart. She’s avoiding it.
She thinks she hides it well. But I can see it.
She doesn’t truly have expectations for the future. She doesn’t even dare to hope.
After her medical checkup, the doctor’s words are still ringing in my ears.
“The situation isn’t optimistic.”
“Based on the current indicators… at most five years.”
Five years.
I’ve calculated that number in my head countless times.
Too short. Like a summer firefly, gone in a fleeting instant.
So whether she’s willing or not, whether she’s used to it or not,
I will make the days she has ahead a little easier. A little more indulgent.
The proposal at the hotel was something I prepared in haste.
At the hotel under her name—she clearly cared a great deal abou
