Grim

55

A/N: Look at me posting right on time 🤣 This is a lengthy chapter, basically 2 in 1. Enjoy 🎀✨

"Congratulations!" were the screams of joy thrown at us as I entered the house behind Sapphire. We had come home much earlier than I had planned. We didn't even make it past the appetizers because the rest of the date felt very uncomfortable. Even during our ride back, we avoided eye contact and didn't speak to each other.

Hurt wasn't even a strong enough word to explain how I felt. I didn't even get an explanation why she turned my proposal down. Was it the ring? Was it me? Had she been joking all along when she said she liked the idea of us getting married? She just left me with a whole bunch of questions and a hole in my heart. I was too numb to even feel it. Everything felt so unreal, like I was living a nightmare and couldn't wake up. The pain was there, I was just too in shock to process it.

Now, we had arrived home, and it appeared to me that Ace decided to surprise Sapphire and me with whatever the hell this was. A mini party? Emory had been holding a cake that I could tell was freshly bought, Ace had been stretching champagne glasses out to Saph and me, Marco had Pharaoh wearing a party hat, and Rose had been holding balloons.

It just became apparent to me that surprises and I did not go well together.

Had Sapphire said yes, it would have been a great surprise for us both, but given the fact that she didn't, the surprise only made me feel worse. I felt like an idiot, especially because our family had put together all of this not knowing that I was turned down.

"I gotta be the first to see the ring!" Rose eagerly exclaimed as she reached for Sapphire's hand. Upon not finding it there, she asked, "Where is it?"

"I...uh..." Sapphire struggled.

Letting the reality of the situation finally process in my mind, I answered for her, "She said no."

I then pushed pass the crowd and to my room where I immediately began undoing the buttons on my shirt. I then flung my suit and shirt off and grabbed a white tee. I jumped out of my pants next and instead into some sweats. With my sneakers now on, I left the room and made my way to the door.

I desperately needed to get away for a while. I needed time not only to clear my head, but to also get over the huge embarrassment I was feeling. I felt as if everyone were watching me and calling me an idiot in their minds, even though I knew that they weren't. I just couldn't help myself from thinking that way. That was why I needed to be alone for a bit.

As I reached for the door, I was stopped in my tracks by Sapphire, who rushed in front of me to stop me from leaving.

"Excuse me," I said, hoping she'd let me leave.

"You can't go."

"I need to."

"I recognized the voice of the security guard," she let me know, and everyone paused. "It sounded familiar, but I couldn't put a face to it. That's because I never saw the person's face."

I frowned, "What do you mean?"

"The guy that shot and killed my father on the Boss' behalf," she answered. "It was him."

Rose frowned, "Are you sure?"

Emory worriedly asked, "How can you be if you never saw the face?"

"Because while I was getting dressed to go out tonight I got a call from an unknown caller," she informed everyone.

What the fuck?!

"What did the person say?" Marco frowned.

"That he was surprised we found the masked man. The person asked how we found the security guard, which is very similar to what the guard asked me right before Azias took care of him," she answered.