He Proposed… Three Years Too Late

On New Year's Eve, I returned home.

At the welcome party, my boyfriend, Grayson Caldwell, suddenly appeared, holding a bouquet of red roses and a diamond ring, dropping to one knee.

"Although this proposal comes a full three years late, our love will never be late," he said. "Alexa, marry me!"

Friends cheered from the sidelines, all expecting me to nod through tears and say yes.

But they had forgotten that three years ago, on New Year's Eve, he had promised to propose.

That night, I dressed to the nines and waited until dawn—but he never showed up. Instead, there was only a cold phone call. "Tanya is sick. I'm busy taking care of her. You'll have to wait a little longer for the proposal."

And so, on New Year's Day, I left the country alone, bound by a family-arranged marriage.

I had already married someone else three years ago.

I stepped back subtly, keeping my expression calm, and tilted the wine glass in my hand.

"Grayson," I asked with a faint smile, "are you proposing to the wrong person? Isn't your proposal supposed to be for Tanya?"

"I knew you were still jealous of Tanya." Grayson Caldwell's expression shifted slightly at my words. "It's been three years. You still haven't gotten over it? How many times have I told you…"

"You only see Tanya as a sister. There's nothing between you two," I finished the sentence for him, my voice steady.

There was no other reason—I had heard this line a hundred times before.

Every time Grayson left me, his official girlfriend, for this so-called "sister," he would say the exact same thing.

He paused, caught off guard by my words, then softened his tone.

"Three years ago… I wasn't in a good state. Didn't I explain it to you? Tanya was seriously ill. She needed someone to care for her, and I was afraid our marriage would upset her.

"Who knew that the very next day, you'd throw a tantrum and leave without a word, making me wait three long years?

"But thankfully, today, you came back for me.

"This time, marry me and stay. Be my wife, officially, in the Caldwell family."

He spoke with such certainty that it almost made me laugh.

"When did I ever say I came back for you?" I replied. "I will not marry you."

Grayson froze, disbelief flashing in his eyes before giving way to a look of stubborn certainty—he clearly didn't believe me.

"You're still angry, aren't you?" He stood, reaching for my hand, but I lightly pulled away.

My friends quickly stepped in, trying to reason with me.

"Alexa, just forgive him. He had his reasons back then."

"Yeah, these past years, Grayson has been looking for you. When he heard you were coming back, he prepared this proposal as a surprise."

Buoyed by their support, Grayson smiled with that determined look and lifted the ring toward my hand.

I let a cold smile tug at my lips and,