Chapter 38: Life After Storm

BLISSFUL EUPHORIA

After a week had passed, Tim had made some progress in his recovery, but he was still weak. Despite this, he took charge of his gang members and directed them in cleaning up the mess left behind by the fight with Kendrick. The fallout from the altercation had repercussions for Tim's gang, as many of Kendrick's deals were intertwined with theirs in some way or another. Because Tim had assisted the authorities in bringing down the mafia gang, they exerted their influence to help clear Tim's gang's name.

Meanwhile, Jay, Aria, and Cathy returned to their usual routines. The past week had been incredibly chaotic, so they were relieved to settle back into their normal lives. Jay's friend, Ethan, inquired about Jay's plans to propose, but Jay let out a sigh and responded, "It hasn't been a good week, man. I need to find the right moment to propose to her." Despite Jay and Aria being on good terms, he was hesitant to make such a significant decision while she was at her weakest. Therefore, he decided to wait until the storm had passed before sharing this overwhelming moment with Aria.

During Aria's week off, she suggested to Jay that they should go on a trip, and Jay was all for it, needing a bit of a break himself. Together, they planned a trip to a nearby destination and researched the places they wanted to visit. Jay decided to install tracking apps on both of their phones because he didn't want to experience the anxiety of getting lost like last time.

Upon reaching the villa they had booked, they freshened up and prepared to head out to the places they had planned to visit. As Aria reached into her bag to grab a coat, a ring fell out and rolled towards Jay, landing at his feet. Jay picked it up and, assuming it was Aria's, pointed it out to her, saying, "Your ring fell down, take it."

To his surprise, Aria looked at the ring, then walked over to Jay, took the ring from him, and knelt down. "Actually, this ring belongs to you, my dear," she said, catching Jay completely off guard. Then, looking up at him, she asked, "Will you marry me, Jay?"

Jay stood there in shock, like a statue, taking a long breath and not immediately responding to Aria's question. Confused, Aria called out, "Jay! Are you okay?"