But she was afraid.
This man came from another universe, after all.
Did any of this truly belong to her? Was it all just a dream?
She was afraid that the moment she said yes, she would wake up, left with nothing but deeper pain.
"What a touching moment." Mordo coughed beside them, breaking the silence. He glanced at his watch and urged, "Christine, say yes. We're short on time, and the Illuminati are waiting. Accept his proposal, then I'll put the cuffs on him. Everyone wins."
Mordo was eager to finish his task.
He didn't care about love. He only cared about sealing away this dangerous variant's magic as soon as possible.
Christine ignored Mordo and simply gazed at Strange, kneeling on one knee before her.
She saw the hope in his eyes and the slight tremor in his hands.
Fuck the Multiverse.
Fuck variants.
Christine told herself that in her heart.
In that moment, the man before her was her Stephen.
He had finally made the promise she had waited years to hear.
Christine bit her lower lip and nodded firmly.
"I do," she whispered, her voice a little nasal.
Strange smiled in relief, tears glinting at the corners of his eyes.
He carefully took out the diamond ring and gently slipped it onto Christine's ring finger.
The moment the band touched her skin, Christine's tears finally spilled over.
She took the bouquet of red roses and held it tight against her chest, as though embracing all the years she had lost.
"All right, romance time is over." Mordo strode forward. "Time to get down to business, Stephen. Hands out."
Strange stood and looked deeply at Christine. Then he calmly held out both hands.
Mordo swiftly fastened the Anti-Magic Cuffs around Strange's wrists.
Click. The runes on the