The Night I Thought He’d Propose… He Played a Joke Instead—So I Gave Him One Back

I stared at it, confused.

Because I hadn’t gotten a promotion.

In fact, just weeks earlier, I’d been passed over for the role I’d worked toward for more than a year—given instead to a man I had personally trained. Office whispers suggested I was “about to settle down” and would be “too distracted” to lead.

Ryan knew all of this.

And yet, he leaned back in his chair, smiling.