blogombal Chapter 390 The Night Before Parting
Chapter 390 The Night Before Parting
Chapter 388 The Night Before Parting
The atmosphere of the barbecue party reached its peak as people envisioned the future of their dream ship.
The celebration didn't end until late at night, when all the beer and rum bottles in the yard were empty.
"I can't take it anymore, I've had a bit too much to drink." Kayla swayed as she stood up, clearly the happiest person today. "Brother, I'm not going back tonight, I'll sleep in your guest room!"
"Whatever." Mike shook his head helplessly and began to clean up the mess on the table.
"Then—I'll go collect it for you—" Raven was stopped by Kayla before she could finish speaking.
"What are you packing? I can pack myself!" Kayla winked at her. "Lin drank and can't drive. You're responsible for getting him safely back to the hotel!"
"I----"
"Go! Go!" Kayla didn't give Raven any chance to object, then forcefully pushed her and Lin Yu'an out of the courtyard gate, humming a little tune as she went back into the house, satisfied.
W Hotel, Fort Lauderdale
Raven drove her Raptor to the hotel.
"Alright, I'm here. You should go home and get some rest." Lin Yu'an unbuckled his seatbelt and prepared to get out of the car.
"I'll take you up." Raven turned off the engine, her tone calm, but her eyes left no room for doubt.
Lin Yu'an looked at her but didn't say anything more.
The two remained silent as they took the elevator to the door of the penthouse suite.
When Lin Yu'an swiped open the door, the familiar floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the dazzling night view of Fort Lauderdale reappeared before her eyes. Before she could even turn on the lights, a fragrant breeze wafted from behind her.
Raven hugged him tightly from behind.
(omitted here)
An hour later, everything returned to calm, and the lights in the room remained off.
Only the city lights outside the window, like a diamond galaxy, streamed through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting beautiful, undulating shadows on my sweaty body.
Raven lay on her side in Lin Yu'an's arms, gently drawing circles on his firm chest with her fingers.
"Are you leaving?" she suddenly asked, her voice sounding somewhat ethereal in the quiet night.
Lin Yu'an paused for a moment as he stroked her smooth, soft heart. After a brief silence, he finally gave the answer that could not be avoided.
"Yes."
"—Will you come back?" Raven's voice trembled slightly, a tremor she herself was unaware of.
"I definitely will," Lin Yu'an replied with unwavering determination.
Raven fell silent. She turned over to face him, her blue eyes shining brightly in the darkness.
"Lin, you know," she said slowly, "I can't live without the ocean, without surfing, without diving. The Florida sun and beaches are a part of my life."
Lin Yu'an nodded, and reached out to tuck a stray strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.
"I know." His voice was gentle and sincere. "You're as captivating as the Florida sun, dazzling and free. Away from the sea and the beach, you might—not be yourself anymore. Raven, don't give up your life for anyone."
Upon hearing this, Raven's heart tightened!
She thought this was both a gentle and the cruelest declaration of breakup. She thought Lin Yu'an would then say something like, "We both enjoyed this time, but it was just an interlude in the journey, let us—"
She was even prepared to hold back her tears and smile as she said, "I understand."
However, Lin Yu'an's next move completely exceeded her expectations.
He fumbled in the dark and pulled out a small box from somewhere. In the almost completely dark room, Raven couldn't even see what it was.
Then, through Raven's slightly parted red lips, which were trembling with confusion, she saw Lin Yu'an open the box with a click.
In an instant, an extremely bright and pure white light, like a spotlight on a stage, suddenly shot out from inside the box, instantly illuminating the faces of the two people who were so close to each other!
Raven squinted her eyes subconsciously.
"ah----"
When Raven opened her eyes again, she instinctively let out a short gasp and covered her mouth tightly!
Her eyes widened in disbelief and utter shock at the sudden, intense light and the unreal, dazzling sight before her.
Because of her exaggerated gesture of covering her mouth, the silky thin blanket that was already loosely covering her could no longer hold her smooth shoulders and, like a white tide, it slid down her beautiful curves with a whoosh.
In an instant, from her delicate collarbone, to her full, snow-white breasts still faintly flushed from the recent passion, and then to her flat, firm abdomen—
Everything was exposed without reservation to the cold, pure white light emanating from the diamond ring box.
However, at this moment, Raven was completely unaware of this.
Her entire mind and soul had been completely absorbed by the "shine" at the center of that beam of light!
In the center of that dazzling light, a sparkling diamond ring lay quietly on the black velvet, illuminated by the built-in miniature LED light on the top of the box!
That enormous radiant-cut diamond, a deep, ocean-blue color, bursts forth with dazzling brilliance under precisely focused light!
Countless blue, white, and even rainbow-colored rays of light danced and swirled in the eyes of the two people as the box in Lin Yu'an's hand swayed slightly.
Lin Yu'an's gaze slowly moved from the ring to Raven's face, and then involuntarily glanced down.
He gazed at the spring scenery, which appeared even more dazzling and alluring under the brilliance of the diamonds, and his Adam's apple bobbed once more.
But he quickly looked away, refocusing all his attention on Raven's stunningly beautiful eyes.
"Raven," Lin Yu'an's voice became extremely solemn, "if you are willing to accept it—you understand what it represents."
Raven was still immersed in the dazzling blue light when she heard those words, and her brain seemed to start working again.
She slowly shifted her gaze from the diamond, which was enough to make any woman lose her mind, back to Lin Yu'an's face.
"What does it mean?" Her voice was a little hoarse. "You mean—a marriage proposal?"
Even the way she said the word made it feel unreal.
"Yes and no." Lin Yu'an's answer surprised her.
He looked into her eyes and began his brutally honest confession.
"I must emphasize this to you again," he said, emphasizing each word, "that I already have three wives."
"I don't know if God will punish me for my greed, making my future journey full of storms. But I'm not afraid of Him. What I'm afraid of is deceiving you."
These words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the dreamlike flame that had just ignited in Raven's heart.
She wasn't unaware that he was married, but in such an extremely romantic atmosphere, his blunt and unforgiving reminder still stung her.
"So—" she chuckled self-deprecatingly, "you pulled this out to remind me that I'm just one of your many 'trophies'?"
"No." Lin Yu'an shook his head, his eyes showing no evasion. "I took this out to tell you that I have never treated you as a trophy."
"I respect you, I respect your independence, your freedom, and everything about you. Therefore, I must make you see everything behind me before making any decisions."
He pushed the velvet box a little closer to her.
"If you accept this ring today, it signifies a commitment. A two-way commitment."
"It means that I promise you that as long as you don't return it to me with your own hands, one day we will fulfill that sacred covenant under the watchful eye of the priest."
"However," his tone turned somewhat helpless, "that might be many years from now. Because there are still three ahead of you in line, and that's a fact I can't change."
Raven was completely stunned.
She stared at the unreal, dazzling diamond ring, her mind blank. She had never imagined she would experience such a bizarre "proposal."
There were no flowers, no kneeling, and not even a single "I love you."
Yes, there is only a man's cruelest confession and a seemingly absurd, distant promise.
The ring was the perfect size, neither too big nor too small, just the right size for her finger. He—he even knew that. This discovery was like a warm current, stirring a ripple in her somewhat cold heart once more.
It took her a long time to recover from the shock of this massive information overload.
She did not immediately answer "Yes" or "No".
She slowly pulled up the silk quilt that had slipped down and covered herself again. Then she leaned against the headboard and looked at Lin Yu'an with a scrutinizing, even slightly provocative, gaze.
She winked playfully, a sly smile curving her lips.
"So, you mean," she concluded slowly, "that you want to use this beautiful ring to reserve my schedule for many years to come, but I'll be on a long waiting list, and—we don't even have a specific date?"
"—You can understand it that way," Lin Yu'an admitted somewhat awkwardly.
"And," Raven continued, "among all this long waiting period, do I have to remain celibate for you?"
"I didn't say that."
"But that's exactly what you mean!" Raven chuckled. "Aren't you afraid I'll find other men? You told me not to give up on my life. There are plenty of handsome men on Miami Beach. They don't have three wives in line."
Lin Yu'an looked at her, and his blue eyes gave the most honest answer.
"Afraid."
This one word is more powerful than any love words.
"I'm terrified," he added. "But I hope that if you really do make that decision, you'll give the ring back to me before doing anything else. That way, I'll understand what you mean."
This answer was full of respect. He completely returned the choice to her.
Raven fell silent.
She looked at the man in front of her, at his eyes that remained utterly sincere even in the darkness.
This man is like a deep, treasure-filled yet turbulent ocean—dangerous, yet captivating, making one want to plunge in and explore all his secrets.
"Lin," she finally spoke, her voice filled with unprecedented seriousness, "Do you know, you are the most outstanding and unique man I have ever met in my 22 years of life. You are also—my first man."
"I'm not sure what the future holds, and nobody can be sure of the future. Maybe one day I'll get tired of waiting; maybe one day you'll meet a fourth, or a fifth, person who's even more interesting than me—"
"But right now, at this moment, I'm absolutely certain that I've fallen in love with you. Completely and irrevocably."
Her voice carried a hint of self-deprecating laughter, "Your excellence, your strength, your mystery—it's hard for any normal woman to remain calm in your presence."
"So, I'm willing to gamble on the future and wait in Florida." Her eyes became incredibly determined.
"Then...darling."
She extended her left hand in front of Lin Yu'an.
"Help me put it on."
At that moment, Lin Yu'an's heart was filled with an immense tenderness.
He picked up the cold diamond ring, preparing to place it, according to Western engagement customs, on Raven's middle finger, which symbolized "passion" and "commitment."
"No," Raven gently shook her head.
She withdrew her middle finger, then firmly extended her ring finger.
Lin Yu'an's movements froze instantly.
He paused for a moment, then realized that behind her action was Raven Montgomery's declaration.
The middle finger represents the fiancé's engagement.
The ring finger, in the whole world, has only one meaning: marriage.
She didn't want that distant, uncertain promise. What she wanted was absolute identity in this moment.
With this gesture, she silently, yet with unparalleled clarity, told him: From this moment on, I am your fourth wife, no matter how many years the ceremony may take.
Looking into her stubborn eyes that showed no sign of backing down, Lin Yu'an didn't say another word. He simply and solemnly placed the diamond ring, symbolizing an eternal contract, onto her ring finger.
A perfect match.
Raven raised her left hand, placing it in the hazy city light filtering through the window. The deep blue diamond on her ring finger shimmered with a tranquil light.
An unprecedented sense of satisfaction and belonging filled her heart.
Just then, an untimely cell phone ring broke the tender and sacred tranquility of the room.
Raven glanced at her phone on the bedside table; the screen was displaying the name "Dad".
Her heart skipped a beat, and a panicked feeling, like that of someone who had done something wrong, washed away all her previous emotions.
"What should I do?" she asked in a low voice, looking at Lin Yu'an for help like a child who had done something wrong.
Lin Yu'an suppressed a laugh and mouthed "answer quickly" to her.
Raven took a deep breath, trying to make her voice sound as normal as possible, and then pressed the answer button.
"Feed? Daddy?"
"Sweetheart," came Mike's slightly intoxicated voice from the other end of the phone, "I'm just calling to confirm if you got Lin safely to the hotel."
"Mmm—" she murmured unconsciously, drawing out the sound, not daring to look at Lin Yu'an beside her.
"—It's delivered, it's delivered," she quickly added, trying to make her answer sound more believable. "He's already inside the room, and I was just about to drive back."
"Oh, that's good." Mike responded on the other end of the phone, seemingly without suspicion. "Then drive carefully on the road, don't go too fast."
"Dad, I'm not coming home tonight! Melissa heard I was back and invited me to stay at her house!"
"You know, Melissa's mother is often away on business trips—she's home alone and scared. I'm going to keep her company." She spoke very quickly, fabricating a reason that even she herself found full of holes.
A suffocating silence fell over the other end of the phone.
Raven could even hear Mike on the other end of the line picking up the bottle and pouring himself another drink.
Her heart was in her throat.
"————Alright then." After a long while, Mike's voice rang out again, sounding a little tired, but seemingly without suspicion. "Then you————be careful, sweetheart."
"Okay! Goodnight, Dad!"
"Good night."
Raven hung up the phone as if she had received a pardon, then let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed onto the soft bed, as if she had just fought a tough battle.
"Phew—that scared me to death!"
She turned over, looked at Lin Yu'an who was smiling at her beside her, and said somewhat shyly, "For now—it's best not to let Dad know."
"As for the ring," she said, shaking her hand adorned with the diamond ring, "I'll think of an explanation—"
Looking at her adorable appearance as she racked her brains to cover up their "secret relationship," Lin Yu-an's heart was filled with tenderness.
Just as he was about to say something, Raven suddenly rolled over and pinned him down again.
She looked down at him, and the flame of provocation and desire that had been burning within her blue eyes reignited.
She lowered her head, her lips brushing against his ear, the warm breath sending a shiver down his spine.
"Captain," her voice held a languid, fatal allure, "the first half of the celebratory voyage is over."
"—Can we proceed with the second half of the night flight now?"
Lin Yu'an smiled. "Of course."
Raven let out a sweet, slightly nasal laugh, then slowly and deliberately slipped into the warm blankets.
Meanwhile, Mike, having hung up the phone, silently downed the remaining half-glass of rum in one gulp. The pungent liquid burned from his throat all the way down to his stomach.
He looked up at the dazzling lights of downtown Miami in the distance, a bitter smile on his face that was a mixture of helplessness, disappointment, and a hint of indulgence.
"Sigh—" He sighed deeply, muttering to himself, "My daughter has finally grown up—but she's still the same as when she was little; whenever she lies, she always likes to start with an 'um—' sound, drawing out the syllable."
He shook his head and poured himself another glass of wine.
There was no anger, nor the urge to catch them in the act. He simply felt a faint sense of loss that a father inevitably experiences at such an important moment in his daughter's life.
"Damn it—" he muttered under his breath, unsure whether he was cursing Lin Yu'an or talking to himself.
"Sigh, I hope everyone knows to be careful."