For a long moment, she didn't move. The room was silent except for the soft flick of candlelight and the faint music coming from the next room.
Aaron was still kneeling, head tilted up toward her, the ring catching the light in his unsteady hand. His heart hammered so hard he could hear it.
Mina reached for him slowly, brushing her thumb over his cheek. His breath hitched at the touch. "Aaron…" Her voice was steady, low. "You remember what you were like before all of this? Before us?"
He swallowed. "I remember."
"You made me afraid of you," she said quietly. "You made me doubt myself. You made me regret exiting." Her eyes softened, but they didn't look away. " You forced me to stay. Even when I drank the poison at my mother's funeral. You did everything to bring me back to life. Then, you brought Naarah into my life. I hated you and I still do."
Aaron closed his eyes, guilt twisting through him. "Mina—"
She pressed a finger to his lips. "No. Let me finish." She leaned forward, her forehead resting against his. "But deep down, you've wrecked the wall I built to guide my heart. You've broken down the iron gate around it. And I love you for it. I love Aaron Veterico. If I say yes, you're not getting the version of me who was scared to speak. You're getting the woman who survived you. You're getting someone who will fight you when you're wrong and walk away if you ever forget who I am."
He breathed out, shaking. "I don't ever want to forget."
"Then promise me," she whispered, her voice trembling but fierce. "Promise you'll never treat me the way you did before. Not with control, not with silence, not with anger. Promise me, or walk away now."
Aaron's throat tightened. He took her hands in both of his, bringing them to his lips. "I promise. On everything I am, I promise. No more cages, no more fear. Only choice. Only you."
Mina searched his eyes, the truth of his words reflected in them. Slowly, finally, she smiled—a small, trembling smile that reached her eyes. "Then yes," she said softly. "You can ask me now."
Aaron laughed through a breath that came out half-choked. He slipped the ring onto her finger with shaking hands, then rose and pulled her into his arms. She rested her head against his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heartbeat.
"Don't make me regret this," she murmured against him.
He kissed her hair, voice a quiet vow. "Never again."
Outside, the city lights shimmered against the window, and for the first time, the future didn't look like a battlefield—it looked like home.