Chapter 476

When Theresa Carlisle stepped out of the Carlisle estate, she wasn’t surprised to find Victor Lockridge wasn’t there.

Instead, a handsome, unfamiliar young man with a gentle and refined air stood at the door. The warm noon sun cast a soft golden halo around him.

For some reason, Theresa’s heart skipped a beat.

A strange feeling washed over her.

Evangeline Whitmore would later recall something Theresa had told her.

“A blind person doesn’t realize the darkness is abnormal until they see the light,” Theresa had said calmly.

From a young age, her father, Kearney Carlisle, had told her she was destined to marry into the Lockridge family, and she had accepted it. Among the eligible young men in the Lockridge family, only Victor had truly captured her fancy.

He was handsome.

And he was good to her.

Because of this, she had never doubted that she liked Victor and would one day be his wife. But the moment she saw Jason, her world was turned upside down.

It wasn’t just her feelings; it was her entire life.

Theresa had always known she had a rebellious streak, but because of her brother, Glenn Carlisle, it had been firmly suppressed before it could ever surface.

Unlike Theresa, Glenn was openly rebellious, constantly clashing with Kearney, who would often be left fuming. Back then, Theresa still admired her father, and knowing he disliked Glenn’s behavior, she pushed her own rebellious thoughts down.

But suppressed feelings always have a way of returning with a vengeance.

The skipped heartbeat she felt when she saw Jason made her question her love for Victor.

At first, she wondered if she was just being fickle.

She had plenty of other suitors, many of them quite impressive, but when she tried spending time with them, she never felt the same strange flutter she experienced with Jason.

That day, she didn’t dare approach Jason. The moment she realized it was him and not Victor, she turned and went back inside.

It was Kearney who welcomed Jason in and accepted the jewelry box Victor had sent as an apology.

“Whether Victor came himself or not, the thought alone puts him ahead of most men.”

“Stop throwing a fit. You need to know when to back down.”

Later that day, Kearney urged her to visit the Lockridge estate.

Unexpectedly, Theresa felt a strong sense of resistance for the first time, but the thought of Jason made her agree.

Theresa realized things were starting to feel wrong.

She was going to the Lockridge estate not because she wanted to see Victor, but

because she hoped to see a stranger she had only met once.

Feeling deeply conflicted, Theresa went to see Evangeline.

She spoke carefully, beating around the bush as she described the situation, asking Evangeline under what circumstances one might constantly want to see a man they didn’t even know.

She never dared to admit she was talking about herself.

After she finished, Evangeline’s face turned a faint shade of red. She rested her chin

on her hand, her voice a little weak. “It’s probably love.”

“But they’ve only met once. They don’t even know each other.”

Theresa was so desperate for an answer that she didn’t notice Evangeline’s blush deepening. “Love isn’t about how many times you “Sometimes,

meet, Evangeline said

someone just has to appear and

that’s enough to capture your heart.”

Theresa felt that made a strange sort of sense, but then she noticed something was off. As if discovering a new continent, she stared ar Evangeline in astonishment.

Her gaze was sharp. “Evangeline, you’re acting strange.”

Evangeline waved her hands frantically. “No… it’s not me… I was just…”

Her stammering and blushing said it all. Finally, with her face beet red, Evangeline

confessed. “Okay, I admit it. I found him… the guy who saved me before.”

“But I was too late. He has a girlfriend now. It’s impossible for us.

Evangeline picked at her fingers, looking dejected.

Theresa put an arm around her, comforting her softly while sighing inwardly.

Breaking up a couple was immoral, and she couldn’t bring herself to abandon Victor

for another man. Theresa decided to forget about Jason.

But it seemed fate was playing a cruel joke on her.

The more she tried to forget, the more destiny pushed them together, to a point she could never have imagined.