Chapter 73. One Step at a Time

As she brushed her fingers over it, the anklet still held the warmth of his touch. Emerald found herself admiring both the anklet's elegance and the meaning behind his gift.

In the past, Ethan had tried to give her gifts as well—mostly luxurious, impersonal things that, while beautiful, lacked meaning. She accepted them politely but kept her distance. But Alaric's gift was different, something she genuinely wanted to accept.

It wasn't just the rarity of the jade anklet; it was the beauty and intention behind the design. As a designer and a painter of rock art, Emerald worked with stones daily but had never seen jade this pure, this exquisite. The memory of Lance's words returned to her: accepting a gift could mean a subtle shift, a step closer to acknowledging a deeper connection. And if that connection became a relationship, the path could lead all the way to marriage.

She'd brushed off Lance's words at the time, but now they weighed on her. Was she ready to let A