Santorini, Greece – Leah's Perspective
From the moment their plane descended over the Aegean, Leah had felt it.
That this trip was different.
She had traveled before, seen luxury, experienced retreats. But this—this was personal. Intentional. Ryan had planned it with a precision that told her it wasn't just about rest. It was about them.
Day One
When she stepped into the villa, she exhaled in a way she hadn't realized she was holding her breath. The space was warm and elegant, its whitewashed walls glowing in the golden afternoon light. The infinity pool looked out over the caldera, and the scent of citrus and ocean drifted in through the open windows.
Leah (thinking): He thinks of everything. Every detail, every moment. I don't know how someone so forward-driven can be so present.
That night, they sat beside the pool with glasses of wine, their feet in the warm water, the horizon painted in gold and orange. The sunset wasn't just beautiful, it was grounding.
She watched him, wine glass in hand, silhouetted by the fire of the horizon, and thought: I could do forever with him.
This life is one of the better ones. Fewer regrets. More light. Less loss. And Ryan... he is unlike the others. Stronger. Kinder. Sharper. He listens. He really listens.
She had lived through timelines where partners were selfish, manipulative, or coldly transactional. Where she had settled because success came with compromise. But not this one. Not this man.
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Day Two
In Fira, Leah felt herself coming undone in the best way. The winding streets, the warmth of the locals, the laughter echoing off old walls—it cracked something open in her.
They stopped at a bakery, and he bought her loukoumades drizzled in honey. He didn't even like sweets, but he indulged her, watching with amused affection as she devoured them.
Leah (thinking): He lets me be silly. He lets me be small, and strong, and everything in between. And he makes me feel safe in all of it.
At lunch, he described a fish dish in ridiculous metaphor—calling it a "culinary sonnet of the sea."
She laughed so hard she cried.
Leah (thinking): Of all the timelines I've walked, this one glows.
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Day Three
The catamaran sliced across blue so pure it almost hurt. Leah stood at the bow, wind wild in her hair, salt drying on her skin, and felt more alive than she had in years.
She had seen this moment in dreams. In flashes of alternate lives.
But this time, it was real.
Leah (thinking): I don't want to just build a business with him. I want to build a life.
When he caught her mid-float and pulled her close in the hot springs, the world blurred. Everything disappeared but the warmth of his hands and the sincerity in his eyes.
Leah (thinking): There is no backup plan. It's Ryan or nothing.
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Day Four
Walking through Akrotiri, Leah was struck by how time could preserve and erase at the same time. Millennia-old frescoes and walls stood beside dust and rubble. There was poetry in the ruins.
Leah (thinking): Is that how we live? Hoping some part of us gets remembered?
She watched Ryan run his fingers over a stone relic and look not at the past, but through it. He was always building forward. But with her, he paused.
And that pause made her feel infinite.
He told her she would be remembered.
She didn't laugh.
She believed him.
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Day Five
The cliff hike tested her legs but cleared her mind. Every step beside Ryan felt purposeful. She didn't mind the burn in her calves or the sweat on her brow. She felt light.
At the summit, he took a photo of her looking out over the sea. She didn't ask to see it.
She trusted the way he saw her.
Leah (thinking): He sees who I am, not just what I do. And that... that changes everything.
This version of life has a softness I never thought possible. And he's the reason why.
In so many lives, she'd worn masks. Here, she was whole.
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Day Six – The Dinner
When she arrived at the restaurant and saw what he had arranged—the table perched above the world, the lanterns, the musicians, the wine chilled to her favorite temperature—her breath caught.
The air felt different. Charged.
Leah (thinking): Oh my God. He's going to propose.
She hadn't known. Not truly. But in that moment, she felt it down to her bones.
Dinner was exquisite. Every course, every glance, every unspoken word.
But what made her tremble wasn't the food, or the view.
It was the weight of what was coming.
Leah (thinking): Am I ready? I think I am. But am I ready for what it means to belong to someone this deeply?
In too many lives, I said yes too soon. In too many lives, I watched it all fall apart before the foundation was set. One engagement ended with a business partner's betrayal. Another after a scandal shattered our reputation. A third... he simply stopped seeing me. Success blinded him. Or maybe it blinded me. Can this one be different if I just hold steady?
Then he stood.
Her breath hitched.
He knelt.
Her heart split open.
His words hit her like waves: peace, partner, pulse.
The ring sparkled.
He asked.
And in the moment before her answer, Leah's entire world stood still.
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