Chapter 9
Zachary had come today to settle one thing.
He wanted Quinlyn to call his grandpa, Logan, and bring up breaking off the engagement-tonight, if possible.
To keep her from overthinking it, he planned to have her say they didn’t know each other, didn’t have any feelings, and now that she was back, they might as well call off this ridiculous arrangement.
In her previous life, Quinlyn had made that call.
Logan picked up but turned her down. He even showed her some kindness and gave her and Zachary a chance to be alone.
That chance was what made Quinlyn fall for Zachary-the young man who seemed like a prince living in a castle.
Thinking about that, Quinlyn cursed Zachary in her head, then couldn’t help but call herself an idiot, too.
Only idiots ignored the truth staring them in the face and came up with a dozen lame excuses to fool themselves.
Graham and Evelyn looked a little awkward seeing the look on Quinlyn’s face. Especially Graham, who had just made a big speech last night.
But then he remembered what Evelyn had told him earlier. “Quinlyn’s never even met Zachary. But Yalena grew up him. She has real feelings for him.
“If we break off Quinlyn and Zachary’s engagement over something this small, everyone’s going to end up unhappy.
with
“And since Quinlyn and Zachary haven’t met, let’s just act like there was never an engagement in the first place. We can find someone better for her later. You really think our daughter can’t find a good man?”
It sounded okay at first, but the more Graham thought about it, the more off it felt.
Quinlyn had just come home. She was still sensitive, still worried her parents might favor someone else. If she found out she was losing her fiancé, she’d feel hurt for sure.
Evelyn kept going. “Don’t say I’m being unfair. The Fletcher family is a big clan, with a lot of rules and relatives. Quinlyn doesn’t know how to deal with that. If she really marries Zachary, she’s going to suffer.
“And Zachary likes Yalena. If we tear them apart, what if he holds it against Quinlyn later?”
That was how Graham ended up convinced. Even though there were bits of what Evelyn said that didn’t sit right with him, he didn’t think too hard about it.
Meanwhile, Zachary, sitting on the couch, saw Quinlyn too.
She walked in from outside, wearing a light-colored dress. Her long hair was loosely tied back.
Even though her clothes were plain and she wasn’t wearing any eye-catching accessories, the moment she looked up, her bright, shining eyes made her whole presence stand out.
But just a second later, that light in her eyes turned cold-like snow falling in spring. She only gave Zachary a quick glance, then looked away.
Seeing him reminded her of the last phone call she made from her hospital bed in her previous life, and it instantly ruined
her mood.
Evelyn spoke first. “Quinlyn, you’re back? Come here, I need to talk to you.”
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Chapter 9
She pulled Quinlyn aside, ready to discuss breaking off the engagement.
Evelyn gently explained the general idea, then looked at Quinlyn hopefully. “You need to make a call… to the Fletcher family.”
“I refuse,” Quinlyn said without thinking.
“Quinlyn, I know you’re upset, but you and Zachary don’t really have feelings-” Evelyn tried to explain.
“Wait.” Quinlyn stopped her before she could go on.
“Why don’t you just say Zachary wants to marry Yalena? Maybe if you said that, I wouldn’t have said no.” She smiled as she looked at Evelyn.
Evelyn didn’t know how to respond.
Quinlyn went on, “Alright, this isn’t a big deal. Let’s get back to what we were talking about.
“I didn’t say no because I was upset. I just think that, as a man, Zachary should take some responsibility for this. Why should I be the one to call his family and break off the engagement? Can’t he talk?
“Why do I have to be the one to make enemies? Is his love so fragile that someone else has to clear the path for him?”
Quinlyn wasn’t speaking loudly, but she wasn’t whispering either. Even though Zachary was sitting on the other side of a decorative wall, he heard every word loud and clear.
He was immediately livid. He was a proud young man, raised with strict rules, but no one had ever talked about him like that before.
He stood up right away, face dark with fury. Quinlyn’s words felt like a slap across his handsome face. He could barely keep up the act of being polite.
Evelyn quickly tried to stop Quinlyn. “How can you talk like that? You’re a girl—”
But Quinlyn felt she’d been polite enough. At least she hadn’t cursed.
All she did was quietly change the plot the Narrator had set-from [Quinlyn agreed to call Logan] to [she refused to call the Fletcher family].
She didn’t even take it further and make the plot [she not only refused, but punched Zachary in the face so hard she broke his nose].
Quinlyn was very pleased with how polite she’d been. And when she heard the Narrator say, Fate Change Progress +5, she felt even better.
She stood up happily. Even the sharp look in her eyes had softened. With a gentle smile, she turned to Evelyn. “Mom, I’m really tired from shopping today. Can I go upstairs and rest?”
Her calm and friendly face made Evelyn pause for a second, but she nodded.
“Okay, go rest,” Evelyn said. “Your room’s ready. It’s right next to Yancy’s.”
“Alright. Thanks, Mom,” Quinlyn said.
Evelyn stayed quiet.
Quinlyn walked past the decorative wall and greeted Zachary, whose eyes were red with anger. “Hello, Zachary.”
Zachary was so furious that he couldn’t even speak. There were so many emotions in his beautiful big eyes. Quinlyn thought
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Chapter 9
that if it weren’t for his strong sense of manners, he probably would’ve jumped up by now.
Beatrice and Yarden stared at her in shock, like they didn’t even know who she was. They forgot to yell at her. They couldn’t believe the usually timid Quinlyn could say something like that.
After greeting Zachary, Quinlyn gave a small bow, then turned and went upstairs, ignoring the eyes following her every
move.
Graham hesitated, then called out to her.
Quinlyn paused, turned her head, and looked at him. She gave him a polite but distant smile. Her eyes were empty, calm like still water-yet they reflected everything, like a mirror showing all his false kindness.
It was as if she were saying, “See? I wasn’t wrong, was I?”
Quinlyn’s new room wasn’t bad. It looked like someone had put some thought into decorating it. Soft beige and pink were layered together, filling the space with a warm, sweet feeling.
She touched the bedding and lowered her eyes. Her fate change progress had reached 20%. Still 80% to go.
She planned to finish rewriting the ending that belonged to her, then leave this place-for everyone’s sake. No more hurt, no more drama.
If being around people always meant someone had to give in, then she’d rather stay alone. At least that way, she could live in
peace.
