Aurelia's POV
By evening, the doctor finally allowed me to leave.
Vincent had spent the entire day making sure I ate, drank enough water, and actually rested.
He behaved as though I had personally committed a crime by skipping breakfast.
"I told you I'm fine."
"You collapsed."
"Because of indigestion."
"Which happened because you didn't eat properly."
I rolled my eyes.
"You're becoming annoying."
"I've always been annoying."
"No. You're becoming more annoying."
He opened the car door for me.
"Get in."
I smiled.
"Yes, sir."
He shut the door.
Then walked around to the driver's side.
I watched him through the window.
Something about him felt different.
Quieter.
More thoughtful.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying."
"I'll tell you later."
I narrowed my eyes.
"Suspicious."
He smiled.
"Very."
We drove through the city.
Neither of us spoke for a few minutes.
I looked outside.
The sky was slowly turning darker.
Los Angeles looked different tonight.
Maybe because I felt different.
Yesterday, I had found the truth.
Today, I had almost fallen apart.
And somehow, Vincent had been there through both.
Not forcing me to speak.
Not demanding anything.
Just showing up.
I looked at him.
"Vincent?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you."
He glanced at me.
"For what?"
"For yesterday."
He understood immediately.
"You don't have to thank me."
"I do."
He looked back at the road.
"I told you I'd be there."
I smiled.
"You really did."
The car eventually stopped.
I looked outside.
A quiet place.
Away from the noise of the city.
Vincent got out and opened my door.
I stepped outside.
"Why did you bring me here?"
"You'll see."
He walked beside me.
We stopped beneath the evening sky.
For once, Vincent wasn't speaking.
That made me nervous.
"Vincent? Everything okay?"
He turned toward me.
His usual confidence was gone.
He looked almost nervous.
That surprised me.
"What?"
He took a breath.
"Aurelia…"
I waited.
He looked directly into my eyes.
"I've spent a long time trying to find the right moment to say this."
My heartbeat changed.
I somehow got a hint where it was going, my palpitations increased,
"I thought I needed some perfect speech."
He smiled faintly.
"But I don't."
He stepped a little closer.
"I love you, Vale."
I froze.
No clever response.
No sarcastic comment.
Nothing.
Just silence.
He continued.
"I don't know exactly when it happened."
His voice was quiet.
"Maybe it was the first time you challenged me."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Maybe it was when you started arguing with me about everything."
I laughed softly.
"Maybe."
"But somewhere between all of that…"
His expression became serious again.
"I realized that I don't want to imagine my life without you in it."
"The moment I met you under the bus stand in the rain, I knew it will be you all along, that was my first time ever after I met you, my boring life became more interesting, cases become so exciting because it gave me chance to talk to you, know you more..."
My eyes became wet.
"I don't want to control your life."
"I don't want to change you."
"I just want to be beside you."
He held out his hand.
"And I want to know if you'll let me."
He kneeled down on one leg, and opened the box with had ring,
"Could you give me chance to stay beside you every moment you need me? Could you give me a chance to hold your hands whenever you need me? Could you please let me be yours so that i don't spend nights dreaming about you being my wife ? Can you make my dream come true?"
I stared at his hand.
Then at him.
Tears fell from my eyes, I cupped his face with my hands, I let him stand first and said, "You already know the answer."
He smiled.
I extended my hand, with a bright smile and teary eyes, he put the ring on me, and the moment felt so like heaven like angles sent me a man who will stay with me no matter what...
"I want to hear it."
I took his hand.
"I LOVE YOU TOO VINCENT."
His smile grew.
I LOVE YOU TOO, MY LITTLE SWAN"
He said this with tears falling from his eyes,
I laughed through my tears.
"Yes, Vincent."
He exhaled as if he'd been holding his breath for an hour.
"So…"
I smiled.
"Congratulations."
"For what?"
"You finally caught me."
He laughed.
"No."
He gently squeezed my hand.
"You chose me."
And somehow, those four words meant more than any grand confession could have.
I smiled.
"I did."
For the first time, there was no chase.
No guessing.
No wondering.
Just us.
Together.
And somewhere in the middle of everything we had survived, Vincent Montclair finally became my boyfriend.
"Little Swan, umm can- can-"
"Can?"
"Can I hold your hands?"
The moment he asked this, I laughed , I took his hands and held him tight just like how couples do,
You can, and you have to, because I am no longer just Aurelia Vale. I am your Little Everything—the Fox, Cat, Swan, and everything else you've named me."
He laughed,
"Fox, Cat, Swan… everything that reminds me of you. After all, all I can think about now is you and us."