Found forever

The air in the Hayes family ballroom was thick with money and expectation. Five years. It had been five years since Ethan Miller, a man on the cover of tech magazines, had last stood in a room like this, surrounded by the same welcoming, curious faces.

Then he saw her. Chloe Hayes, weaving through the crowd, a vision in silver. She stopped before him and got down on one knee, producing a ring from a small, velvet box.

"Ethan Miller," Chloe announced, her voice ringing with confidence. "I was a fool to let you go. Marry me." Everyone stared at him, their faces glowing with anticipation, recalling the boy who loved Chloe with a desperate, all-consuming passion.

But Ethan's gaze was flat. His mind drifted back to their engagement party five years ago, the night she stood on a stage and accused him of being a fraud, claiming he stole the technology meant to make his name-all to protect another man.

The memory didn't sting anymore; it was just a fact. He finally broke the silence. "I'm sorry, Chloe. I can't accept."