A duel of hearts

Chapter 15

Over the next few days, Jasmine tried her best to keep her distance from Nathaniel. It wasn't easy, not with him staying in her home. She found herself slipping into rooms where she knew he wouldn't be, avoiding the spaces they'd once shared. It was as though the very air around him pulled her in, and she needed to fight against that magnetic force. Her heart was a battlefield, torn between the confusion of her feelings and the walls she'd worked so hard to build. She had to try to stay away, to protect herself from the uncertainty that Nathaniel brought into her life.

Nathaniel wasn't oblivious to her avoidance. He could see the way she flinched when he entered a room, the way she turned away just before their eyes could meet. It stung, more than he cared to admit, but he understood. He'd been working to change, to shed the spoiled, self-absorbed persona he'd worn for so long, but old habits die hard. Yet, he found himself trying, pushing against the boundaries he'd once embraced so fully. He was determined to show her that he was different, that he could be the man she deserved.

One quiet afternoon, the house was unusually still. The staff moved silently through their tasks, leaving Nathaniel and Jasmine largely alone in the grand space. Jasmine had retreated to the library, seeking solace among the rows of books, their familiar scent a comfort as she tried to lose herself in the pages. But the quiet didn't last. She heard the soft creak of the door and glanced up, her pulse quickening at the sight of Nathaniel stepping into the room.

Jasmine's instinct was to leave, to escape before the situation could become too charged with the tension she was trying so hard to avoid. She moved quickly, heading toward the door, but before she could reach it, it swung shut with a decisive click. Her heart leaped into her throat as she turned to face him, her hand still hovering near the doorknob. The frown on her face deepened, her eyes narrowing in confusion and a touch of apprehension.

Nathaniel didn't give her a chance to speak and didn't offer any preamble. His voice was steady, but there was an intensity in his gaze that made her breath catch. "Marry me," he said, the words hanging in the air between them, heavy and electric.

Jasmine stared at him, her mind reeling. For a moment, she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. The shock of his proposal hit her like a physical force, and the book she had been holding slipped from her hands, thudding to the floor with a dull echo. Her wide eyes locked onto his, searching for some hint of jest, some sign that he wasn't serious. But all she saw was sincerity, raw and unguarded, in a way she had never seen from him before. "What...?" she finally managed to whisper, her voice barely audible as her mind struggled to catch up with her heart, which was now racing uncontrollably. The idea of marriage had never crossed her mind, not like this, not so suddenly, and certainly not with someone like Nathaniel.

Nathaniel took a step closer, closing the distance between them. "Marry me, Jasmine," he repeated, his voice softer this time, but no less determined. There was a plea in his eyes, a vulnerability she hadn't expected. "I know I haven't been the man you deserve, but I want to be. I'm trying to be. I need you to believe that, to give me a chance."

Jasmine's thoughts spun in a whirlwind, her heart pounding as she struggled to process what he was asking. This wasn't the Nathaniel she had known—the spoiled, arrogant man who had breezed through life expecting everything to fall into place. This was someone different, someone who was willing to bare his soul to her, to ask for something more than just her company or her affection. He was asking for her trust, her future.

But could she give it to him? Could she take that leap of faith into the unknown, risking everything she had carefully guarded for so long? Her voice trembled as she finally spoke, the words barely more than a whisper. "Nathaniel... why now? Why me?"

He looked at her, his expression earnest, the walls he had once kept so firmly in place now gone. "Because you're the only person who's ever made me want to be better. You're the only one who's ever seen through the mask I wear, and I can't imagine my life without you in it. I know I'm asking for a lot, but I promise, I'll spend the rest of my life proving that I'm worth it."