It was as if the evening simply hadn't happened.

Rose stared at her husband as he worked around the kitchen, making her dinner. Food sizzled on the stove, filling the room with a delicious, buttery smell. He had pulled her off the floor earlier, peppering her skin with soft kisses before painstakingly removing every single crushed rose petal from her skin. Then, he had put his shirt on her, before disappearing to freshen up.

She now sat on a chair by the kitchen island, a leg propped up on the chair. Her chin rested on her knee as she watched him work, trying to shake off the strange sensation that clung to her.

This was normal. This was fine.

If her husband had walked in sporting the telltale marks of some other woman, Rose was sure she would have reacted similarly. Of course he was upset, he had every right to be. If she talked to Naina about it, she was sure her friend would tell her that it was romantic how possessive her new husband seemed to be.

So yes. This was fine. Everything was fine.

Her gaze drifted down to the ring on her finger—something she had been almost entirely ignoring since her wedding day. It had felt fake, then. An empty piece of jewellery. But now, sitting in Sebastian's shirt in his kitchen, the marks of the evening still on her skin, the ring felt heavier. Much more real, like it finally meant something.

Her mind floated back, drifting along the memories of the last few months. Sebastian had been so sweet, so patient, from the very first day. When was the last time someone had gone so far out of their way to help her? He didn't need to do any of that, he could have simply let her rot away in the guest room. But he hadn't. He had pulled her close, he had restarted her life.

Maybe the ring had been real all along. She had just been too blind to see it.

Rose got up off the chair, walking around the kitchen island to get to Sebastian. He was all freshened up from his shower and in his penguin themed apron, eyes not leaving the many dishes he had going at once. Rose eyed him quietly; she liked watching him work.

"Hey, Seb?"

He looked up at her questioningly, spatula in hand. Rose smiled at the sight as she walked up to him. Going up on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Thank you. For everything."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows, a smile mirrored on his face. "Where is this coming from? Surely the food doesn't smell that good?"

Rose rolled her eyes, the smile not leaving her face. "No, no. The food smells entirely average."

Sebastian's eyes twinkled. "Oh, is that so?"

Rose pressed her lips together, looking up at him. "I mean it, though. Thank you for being so kind to me. So nice. I think... I think you sort of changed my life, Seb."

Sebastian's smile was soft as he leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. "I think you sort of changed my life too, Rose."

Rose closed her eyes as she tilted her face up, a smile on her lips as she pressed them against his. She heard the soft click of him turning the stove off before wrapping his arms around her, kissing her softly.

Yes.

Everything was just fine.

-🥀-

The morning light filtered through the window of the guest room as Rose sat in front of her mirror, finishing up her hair. Dark red ringlets pulled back into a sleek ponytail, she was almost ready for work. In the reflection of the mirror, her eyes caught on her bed, still pristine and untouched. She had been spending all her nights in Sebastian's room upstairs, only coming down here to get changed. It felt strange. Rose hadn't realised it, but in her few months in this house, she had gotten attached to the room.

The door swinging open pulled her out of her thoughts. Pinning back a stray curl that seemed intent on falling over her face, she turned to look at Sebastian. Her eyebrows instantly rose up, her eyes taking in the extremely casual outfit he had on. He, strangely enough, looked equally surprised.

"You're going to work?" he asked.

Rose was confused. "You're not?"

"We have a whole workforce, Rose," he chuckled, walking towards her bed to take a seat. "I'm sure they can handle the daily work. I thought we could go out today, make the most of the last few cold days of the year."

Rose frowned. He wasn't wrong, of course. But, Malachi's words were ringing in her head.

The project has just started, and we're already lagging behind.

"Are you sure?" she asked slowly, swiveling around in her vanity chair to fully face him. "The project has just started, shouldn't we be more involved?"

Seb waved his hand dismissively. "You don't have to worry so much, Rose. It's all handled, I promise. Now come on, I have a wonderful day planned, which will be much better than work."

Rose took a few moments to nod. "Should I... get changed, then?"

"Wear something warm," Sebastian suggested with an excited gleam in his eyes.

Rose smiled, trying to match his enthusiasm. But, as she took her hair out of its ponytail, she couldn't help but feel the weight that seemed to have descended in her stomach; a feeling that persisted all through her car ride to the location with Sebastian. It was only once she had stepped out to take in the surroundings that the weight seemed to lift.

"What is this?" she breathed, scanning the place. 

Tall trees rose up around them, their drooping branches heavy with snow—the same snow that covered the ground completely. A lake meandered before them, the entire top of it frozen over. The small wooden bridge that arched over it looked like it had been pulled right out of a fantasy book. Rose felt as if she had walked onto a cake that someone had just finished frosting with vanilla and dusting with powdered sugar. If she picked up some snow and tasted it, she was sure it'd taste sweet.

"I bought this land some years ago," Sebastian said softly, walking up behind her. "I fell in love with this place the moment I laid eyes on it, and I knew, I just knew, I had to have it."

"You have a good eye." Rose said quietly. The place was so serene, so silent, that going any louder than a whisper felt wrong. Forbidden.

"I knew this place was special from the moment I laid eyes on it. I just never knew why." Sebastian's arms were warm as they wrapped around her waist, his strong chest pressing against her back. Rose sighed softly, leaning against him with a small smile dancing on her face. His voice was barely above a whisper as he said, "but now I do."

Rose tilted her face up, trying to catch a glimpse of his face. "And why is it? Special?"

She could feel Sebastian's chest move with his breathy chuckle. "You can't guess?"

Rose gasped as he twirled her around, one hand coming to a rest against her back, the other ever so gently cupping her face.

"It's for you, my Rose. This place was waiting for you."

—🥀—

A/N: The next chapter is something you all are Not prepared for, I promise you 🤭

Aaand, as promised, new shout out! This one's for KennaRamirez159, another one of my readers who has supported me from the very beginning! She is on a bit of a hiatus right now, but she has an entire finished book already! Check out the 'Dark Ride', it's a wonderful read! It'll be such a treat for her to come back to her account bursting with notifications, so do show her book(s) TONS of love!!

I'll be back with a chapter (and another awesome author rec!) on Tuesday. Take much care, and have loads of fun <3

Love,
Mimia