I met Carl on one of my business trips to Texas. After our first conversation, he told me he’d found his wife, that I was the one for him. I was surprised. I’d never met a man so handsome, so confident, yet bold enough to tell a total stranger she was his wife. Carl seemed to know exactly what he wanted from the start, and somehow, I let him lead the way. He was my type of man.
Six weeks later, after endless video calls, I decided to move from California to Texas so we could be closer. We started going on dates, and I spent most of my weekends in his mansion, preparing whatever meal he asked for. Carl was full of love, the kind that spilled over to everyone around him. He invested so much in my business that not a day passed without me thinking of how I could return even a fraction of it. He deserved all the love in the world, and I told myself I would give him everything I had.
Three months after I moved to Texas, Carl took me to his parents’ house in Dallas. There, I met his parents and his lovely little sister.
“You are so gorgeous, Sephine. Where are you from?” asked Carl’s father. His brows were neatly trimmed, and the right one formed a perfect arc whenever he smiled.
“Thank you, sir. I’m from Artherton,” I said, smiling.
“You’re a Black American?” asked Karen, Carl’s sister.
“Yes, dear,” I answered, smiling at her innocence.
“What do you do?” asked Carl’s mum.
Carl often talked about his mother, she is kind, but very protective and controlling of him.
“I’m an entrepreneur. I own a perfume brand,” I said. She didn’t seem satisfied, so I added, “I’m also an influencer for cosmetic brands.”
“No degrees?” she asked.
I noticed Carl getting uncomfortable, as were his dad and Karen. But I’ve always been confident, and I wasn’t going to lose that now.
“I have three degrees. First in Chemical Science, then Pharmaceutical Studies and Toxicology,” I said.
“That’s quite impressive at your age,” Carl’s dad said. I murmured my thanks with a small smile. Carl’s mum didn’t speak another word until we left.
“Don’t let my mum’s reception get to you. She can be like that sometimes, she’ll come around. I promise,” Carl said.
Life returned to its normal rhythm in Texas. I decided to focus more on brand influencing while planning to relocate a few of my staff. Carl paid all my bills, but I knew better than to become a housewife, being a stay-at-home girlfriend was already enough for now.
Exactly five months after settling in Texas, with my business finally gaining some visibility, I received a package from Carl. A silk red dress, gold heels and matching jewelry. It was a full outfit, including a handbag. It wasn’t new; he’d done this before. And yet, every time, my stomach still fluttered. Today, though, there was something different. I was very anxious. He asked me to meet him at a five-star hotel’s VIP lounge instead of a restaurant.
When I arrived, fireworks lit the sky. I loved fireworks. So i hurried to see what the celebration is about.
At the lounge, candles flickered and luxurious decorations surrounded the space. It looked like a proposal setting, and everyone seemed to be filming.I saw Carl’s friend and assumed this was for his girlfriend, Betty. Betty and I had grown close, so I smiled, ready to share in her surprise. I pulled out my phone to capture the moment too.
Then another round of fireworks exploded above. I looked up, and I froze.
Boldly written in the sky with drones, is a question, "Will You Marry Me, Sephine?"
I covered my mouth to stop a scream from escaping. I looked down to see Carl in the middle of the setup, walking toward me. He wore a patterned black tuxedo with a red pocket filler, smiling as if he owned the sky. I walked toward him slowly, it was as though I was floating on cloud nine.
He went down on one knee and held out a 2-carat diamond ring. I nodded, overwhelmed with joy, and hugged him before stretching out my hand. Fireworks exploded again, this time accompanied with: “She said yes. Sephine said yes to Carl.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks. I turned to my friends, showing them the ring on my finger. Who would have thought that the entire city of Texas would witness my engagement?
We returned home, still basking in the joy of proposal until I saw his mum sitting in the living room. Her expression didn’t match the moment.
“What did you just do, Carl?” she asked, ignoring my greeting.
“Mum, I just proposed to the love of my life. You should be happy for me.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not. I can’t watch you marry a gold digger,” she said.
“Mum…”
“Carl, I’m going home,” I said, and walked out.
He wanted to follow, but she called him back. I waited outside, hoping he’d come anyway but he didn’t. That night, I cried until my head ached.
I didn’t expect this kind of ending. Maybe everything happened too fast. We’d only known each other for five months. Carl didn’t know my past, that I had a baby at twenty and lost her months later, or that my dad was my mum’s third husband. We never talked about such things. Perhaps that’s why it all feels so fragile now.
“Do you think I should reconsider this?” I asked Lola. She blinked and climbed beside my neck, purring softly.
“Lola, how can one have both her highest and lowest moments on the same day, literally within twelve hours?”
She licked my face. I smiled weakly, rubbing her head.
I admired my 2-carat ring again, rubbed it a bit and slowly slid it off my finger. For the first time since we met, I opened my laptop and searched Carl Henderson.
The first thing I found was an old article: “Texas Businessman Cleared of Murder Allegation in 2019.” I froze. My eyes moved from the headline to the photo beside it, Carl’s face, but not quite him. His expression seemed colder and distant. I couldn’t connect this man to the one who holds me close and tell me I was the best thing that ever happened to him.
My chest tightened. What else don’t I know about him? What parts of his story did I never think to ask? I thought of all the nights we spent talking, yet never really talked beyond the surface. Maybe we were both too eager to live the fantasy.
I closed the laptop and buried my face in my palms. Tears came trickling down my cheeks, blurring the room, the memories, and even the fireworks that had once painted my name across the sky. Lola purred, rubbing her head on my face.
I picked up my phone and saw congratulatory messages and missed calls from Carl. I can't call back, so I typed “Carl, I think we should take a break. I need some time.”
I didn’t wait for his reply.
I don’t know if I’ll call him tomorrow. Maybe he’ll call first. Or maybe we’ll both wait, silently hoping the other will take the first step.
But tonight, as I sit with Lola and the echo of fireworks fading in my chest, I understand what it means to live between the highs and the lows; to love, to lose, and still be brave enough to hope again.
Images generated with Meta AI
