Chapter 982

Maeve suddenly cupped his face, gently tracing his features with her fingers as if she were inspecting a piece of art.

For some reason, Layne felt like she was looking right through him, searching for someone else entirely.

He knew it sounded crazy, but his mind kept drifting there. Maeve didn't look like a girl who had just suffered a terrible shock; she looked like a heartbroken teenager whose first love had just rejected her.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he laughed at himself for being paranoid. She had been with him for the past two years, and he had looked into it— she rarely even left the house.

Her social media had zero trace of other men. For someone as pure as Maeve, Layne felt incredibly guilty for even suspecting she might be entangled with someone else.

"Alright, if you want me to drink with you, I will. But can you tell me why you're so heartbroken? Is it because of how your father used to punish you when you were little?"

If that was the case, Layne was more than ready to be the man standing firmly behind her. He would never let her suffer an ounce of pain ever again.

The Sterling family was nothing in Greenvale. They couldn't even hold a candle to the Everhart family's power.

Maeve ignored his question. Still holding his face, she demanded answers of her

own.

"You said you'd love me forever. Was that true? You won't leave me, right? But someone told me men are the biggest liars, so Layne, swear to me you meant it.

Don't lie to me. Because if you do, it'll break my heart. Tell me, if I suddenly disappeared from your life, would you find someone else?"

Layne didn't know if it was just the alcohol talking, but nothing she said made any sense tonight. Her words were disjointed, her behavior wildly out of sync with who she was.

He didn't know how to answer her. He had told her he would never leave her, that he would stay by her side forever He said it often and he meant every word. Ever since Maeve walked into his life, no other woman had even caught his eye.

Maeve was Layne's first love, the very first woman to make his heart race. Before her, he hadn't even had a schoolboy crush.

If it hadn't been for Leonie Everhart's disastrous romantic entanglements that dragged their family into a massive crisis, Layne would never have had a single doubt about Maeve.

He believed love should be pure and free of any hidden agendas. But Leonie's devastating lesson had made him paranoid, making him question if Maeve had ulterior motives.

Yet, he could swear on his life that his feelings for her were real. He had never once thought about deceiving her. As long as she was genuine and stayed by his side, he fully intended to marry her.

Maeve checked every box he ever wanted in a woman. He truly believed she was meant to be Mrs. Everhart.

"Okay... you said it yourself. So,

Layne, when are you going to marry me? I want a massive wedding

want the entirety of Greenvale to

know I'm Mrs. Everhart Can you

give me that?"

Layne wanted to say yes immediately, but looking at her flushed face, he knew she was just drunk. She probably wouldn't remember a word of this tomorrow.

He reached out and gently stroked her hair.

"I've proposed to you at least ten times over the last two years, and you've shot me down every single time. What made you suddenly change your mind?"