?Chapter 996:


    “This is…” Corrine stared at the sparkling diamond on her finger, at a loss for words.


    “I’ve been preparing for this moment for a while,” Nate confessed. “I nned to propose tonight, but…” He hesitated. “Well, it’s just as well that the ring is on your finger now.”


    Corrine’s eyes stayed fixed on the diamond, her thoughts tangled with emotion. After a long silence, she spoke quietly. “What if I hadn’t woken up tonight?”


    Would that ring still belong to her?


    The thought of missing this proposal, and the ring with it, made her heart ache.


    Like every other girl, she had always dreamed of this moment with Nate—waiting for the day he would ask her to marry him and make it unforgettable.


    “If I hadn’t woken up, would you not have given me this ring?” Corrine asked.


    Nate took her hand and kissed it softly. “If you woke up, I’d ask for your blessing. If not, I’d slip it on your finger myself.”


    He had already imagined what he’d do if Corrine never woke up. He would have married her right then and there.


    “I love you,” Nate said, his eyes deep and full of feeling. “From the first time I saw you, I knew you were the one for me.”


    Corrine was taken aback, her longshes fluttering in surprise.


    “Now it’s your turn,” he said, urging her softly.


    For a moment, his words felt tender, but just as quickly, they becameced with expectation.


    Corrine blurted out without thinking, “What?”


    Nate replied, “You should tell me you love me…”


    Before he could say more, Corrine grabbed his tie and pulled him into a kiss.


    ???????? ???? ?????????????????????


    It was a quick kiss, light and soft, yet somehow more thrilling than any passionate embrace.


    She pulled back slightly, her eyes sparkling, a yful smile dancing on her lips.


    “I prefer showing my love through actions,” she said.


    “Same here,” Nate replied.


    With that, he leaned in for another kiss.


    Just then, a loud knock on the door broke the moment, followed by Jules’ voice from outside. “Hey, you two, keep it down. This is a hospital.”


    “Why are you back here?” Corrine asked, ncing at Jules.


    Jules shot her a look. “Ungrateful! If I hadn’t sent Grandpa and the others away, he’d still be out there waiting!”


    Even though they had a marriage agreement, Carl still wasn’t ready to ept this arrangement, much less let Nate be with Corrine. For the three days Corrine had been unconscious, Nate had been stuck waiting outside the hospital.


    If not for the experts at the research base provided by Nate, Jules wouldn’t have taken his side.


    Corrine softly brushed her fingers over Nate’s cheek, noticing the dark circles beneath his eyes. “You’ve been waiting out there this whole time?”


    .


    .


    .