Chapter 48

Maya’s POV

I watch Adrian up on that stage, fully aware of him in the present moment—and somehow, I feel calm. Strangely, I even feel like I could stride right up there and kick him in the balls, but of course, I know I can’t. I’m here for Hart. I shift my gaze toward the one who gave me the courage to come tonight, and I find him smiling at me, proud. His eyes remain on the stage, but I know he’s really looking at me, finding comfort in the little relaxation I’ve managed to achieve.

But my peace doesn’t last long. Adrian clears his throat and presses on. “I wanted to take this opportunity to make you, my good friends, and the world as witnesses to one of the greatest moments in my life. Not as an entrepreneur, but as a man.”

My heart skips a beat, flooded with sudden anxiety—I don’t know exactly why. Then he continues, and in those next words I