There was a narrow path down the middle for the two of us.

With my hand in his, he guided me forward, approaching the pyramid made of glass.

My eyes surveyed the sea of candles around us. They flickered as we passed. Flickered again when a summer breeze moved through. The fountain was the only audible backdrop. All the entrances to the area were blocked off by ropes.

I looked at him, waiting for an explanation for the most beautiful sight I’d ever witnessed.

He ignored me and took me to the base of the pyramid, a wider area that was open in the field of candles.

I looked at it close-up, felt the wind ruffle my hair, felt the heat lick my skin. My heart raced now, pounded in my chest because something was about to happen. “It’s beautiful. But…what’s it for?”

He pulled his fingers away from mine and slid both of his hands into his pockets. He looked up at the structure before us, his gaze casual, like arranging this was no big deal. He could do anything—because he owned everything and everyone.

“I’ve always wanted to come here… It just never worked out.”

He turned to look at me, hands still in his pockets.

I went still, paralyzed by that stare.

He pivoted to face me head on. Drew close. Stared into my eyes like he hadn’t gazed at me over dinner.

Something was about to happen. I could feel it in the air around us. I could breathe it in, and every time it reached my lungs, it burned.

He pulled his left hand from his pocket, and within his fingers was the biggest diamond ring I’d ever seen.

I sucked in a breath. My heart did a weird somersault. My stomach dropped to my feet.

He stared at it in his fingertips for a moment, turning it slightly so the diamond reflected the array of candles around us. “This belonged to Countess Baudelaire—my great-grandmother.” He continued to admire it, the enormous rock made small by his big hand. “I tracked it down. Paid a fortune. But it’s a family heirloom—and it should stay in the family.”

Oh my god.

He lifted his gaze to me. With a hard stare and a depth to his eyes, he grabbed my left hand and slid the ring on to my finger. “Now you’ll be Countess Baudelaire—my countess.”

The ring was snug on my finger, and the second it was in place, it held a weight I could barely carry.

He pulled his hands away and waited for my reaction.