Chapter 25

Dad looked absolutely stunned, but he snapped into action fast–SMACK–he slapped Charlotte across the face, hard.

Charlotte stared at him in complete shock. “Dad… you hit me? You’ve never hit me before p>

Dad looked at her with pure disappointment. “Security! Take her to her room and lock the door. She doesn’t come out until I say so p>

“No… no, please! Dad, I’m sorry! Don’t do this to me p>

When Dad didn’t budge, Charlotte then turned to Mom for help.

But Mom just turned away, completely done with her too. “Charlotte, you need to cool off and think about what you’ve done p>

At that point, Charlotte gave up fighting and let the security guards drag her away.

I looked back and sure enough saw her staring at me with this creepy, vengeful look in her eyes.

Everyone slowly recovered from the shock. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on.net

Mr. Blackwood spoke first. “Let’s set a date for the engagement p>

“Ethan, why don’t you take Sophia out for a bit? Get some fresh air p>

Ethan nodded and took my hand.

“You okay p>

His voice was so gentle.

I nodded. I really had been scared for a second there.

But thankfully she didn’t actually touch me.

What shocked me was that none of this happened in my past life.

It seemed like my actions in this life were already changing things.

But I was still worried. Charlotte’s reaction was so extreme–who knows what crazy stuff she might try next.

I needed to stay on guard.

When I snapped back to reality, Ethan was still holding my hand.

I quickly pulled it back.

He looked a bit surprised, then smiled. “Feeling better now p>

I nodded shyly.

Even in my past life, I’d barely spent any time with him.

We ended up walking around downtown for a while.

Weirdly enough, he seemed to know exactly what I liked.

We set the wedding date for mid–next month.

And Charlotte got locked up for a full week.

The first three days, she was completely hysterical–screaming, crying, refusing to eat.

22:42

Chapter 7

Then she started begging for forgiveness, apologizing to everyone including me like a maniac.

The last two days, she went totally quiet but finally started eating again.

Mom felt had for her. “Charlotte’s already apologized, and she’s been locked up for a week. She’s probably learned her lesson. If we keep her in there much longer, we might really mess her up p>

Dad nodded. “Yeah, that’s probably enough p>

Only Marcus was still cold toward her. “Honestly? It’s been pretty peaceful around here these past few days p>

Ever since Charlotte’s stunt at the party, Marcus had been giving her the cold shoulder and being way nicer to me.

Dad shot him a look, then went to let Charlotte out.

The second the door opened, Mom rushed forward and hugged Charlotte tight.

“Oh, sweetheart, you’ve been through so much p>

Despite everything Charlotte had done, Mom still had years of maternal love for her and was willing to give her another chance.

“I’m so sorry, Mom.” Charlotte sobbed in Mom’s arms. “Dad, Marcus, Sophia… I was so wrong. I’ll never do anything like this again. Please forgive me p>

She was crying so hard she could barely get the words out, but the family totally fell for it.

Dad caved first. “We’re family, honey. As long as you recognize your mistakes, we’ll always forgive you p>

Even Marcus just rolled his eyes and didn’t say anything harsh.

“Sophia… I’m so sorry p>

I looked at her pathetic act with the same neutral expression.

“If you screw up, you face the consequences. Just try to use your brain next time p>

She nodded eagerly and wiped her tears. “I will, Sophia. Please believe me p>

I didn’t have time for her performance, so I left to start planning next month’s wedding.

Over the next few days, she actually seemed to behave herself. She’d say hi when she saw me and even helped out with little things.

I started thinking maybe I really had changed the timeline enough that she’d actually learned her lesson. I let my guard down.

Right up until the wedding day.

Sara Lili

Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.