The Billionaire’s Secret Quartet novel Chapter 1994

The moment Alaric dropped to one knee, the room went dead silent, including Hertha, who was so caught off guard that her eyes widened in sheer disbelief. There Alaric was, on one knee, with a ring in hand, proposing to her right in the middle of what was supposed to be a joyful and straightforward event.

This whole scenario was far beyond anything Hertha had anticipated. She was already taken aback by Alaric's sudden appearance, never mind his dramatic gesture of proposing to her then and there! Hertha was momentarily at a loss for words. Just moments before, she had openly admitted that Alaric was the father of her two kids, aiming to smooth over the tensions between Spencer and Emmeline. The last thing she wanted was for their beautiful wedding to end on a sour note because of her. Nor did she wish for Spencer to lose Emmeline, given how hard it was for him to find someone he truly loved and wanted to marry, especially with Spencer's parents watching from the audience. They had waited three long years to see their son get married. The thought of disappointing them again was unbearable; after all, how many "three years" could they possibly have left?

As Hertha's gaze met Alaric's earnest and deep eyes, her heart skipped a beat. For a brief moment, she felt overwhelmed by his intense look, knowing that if she stared too long, her heart might just give in to the chaos and panic those feelings stirred within her. It scared her, the thought of falling back into the tumultuous pit of love from which it had taken her three years to crawl out of. The idea of going through that pain again made her want to run away more than anything else in that moment.

Her instinct wasn't to run away from problems, but the situation she found herself in wasn't something she could handle with her usual resolve. If she were to lash out at Alaric, telling him to get lost, everyone in attendance, watching and waiting for her reaction, would take it as confirmation that the rumors about her and Spencer were true. That would inevitably ruin Spencer and Emmeline's wedding.

Yet, accepting Alaric's proposal was beyond her emotional capacity. The unresolved issues between Alaric and Georgia were a chasm too wide for Hertha to cross.

Hertha's eyes darted around the room, desperately looking for an escape as she felt the weight of everyone's expectations on her. Emmeline's anxious and tearful eyes were particularly piercing, reflecting the tension and turmoil of the moment. Emmeline's father, gripping her arm tightly, seemed ready to whisk his daughter away at the slightest hint of rejection from Hertha.

No father who loved his daughter would let her marry a man whose heart belonged to another woman. That would be like throwing her into the fire.

From the nervous look in Emmeline's eyes and her father's protective stance, Hertha realized the gravity of the decision before her.