Chapter 2

When I woke up, I was back in my room. I had no idea who had saved me, but I soon learned Terrence had taken care of the situation.

After the cruise docked, he personally escorted Anna back to the Stone residence.

When I arrived, I overheard Terrence declare, "Annie performed CPR on me and saved my life, so naturally I should repay her. Let's proceed with making the engagement official."

My steps faltered. Even though I had already made up my mind to give up on Terrence in this lifetime, hearing those words still stung.

He viewed Anna as his savior. But if it had been me, he would have thought that I had ulterior motives.

In my previous life, words that I saved his life had eventually reached my parents, Benjamin Stone and Elizabeth Carver. They had taken it upon themselves to approach the Fletcher family, and only then had Terrence reluctantly agreed to marry me.

When I walked in, Anna gave me a troubled look. "I don't know if this is a good idea, Uncle Benjamin, Aunt Elizabeth," she said softly. "Terrence is the one Mabel likes. I saved Terrence without expecting anything in return, but… I'd hate to see Mabel get hurt."

Terrence walked toward the doorway, blocking me. Before my parents could reply, he said, "Since you've heard everything, I might as well make it clear. Mabel, I don't like you. No matter how hard you try, it's pointless. The sooner you give up, the better for both of us."

"Mm, don't worry," I replied softly. "I won't bother you or Anna again. I hope you're happy together."

Terrence narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing me with an intense and probing gaze.

Mom sighed behind me. "Oh, you silly girl! If only you had come around sooner. When your dad and I start setting you up on dates, you better not reject them again."

I tried my best to ignore Terrence's penetrating gaze and smiled as I nodded. "Alright."

Ever since the engagement was set, Terrence had been visiting the Stone residence more often.

In the past, just catching a glimpse of him had been next to impossible. I had to rely on his friends to figure out where he might be. Even when they had made fun of me for being so desperate, I had stayed silent.

Now, I'd seen him more in these past couple of weeks than I had all of last year. However, I couldn't feel the slightest bit happy about it.

Anna always pretended to be generous, but she was clearly boasting when she said, "Mabel, these roses are from Terrence. Would you like one?

"This necklace as well. He had it custom-made overseas. Want to borrow it for a while? He's given me so many things that I can't possibly wear them all."

I couldn't help but recall that in my previous life, even our wedding rings were bought by me. As I drifted off in thought, Anna suddenly yanked the necklace.

It snapped. The pearls scattered across the floor, rolling to a stop at the edge of a pair of black leather shoes.

"Terrence!" she cried out, throwing herself at him with a wounded look.

Then she glanced at me and said, "Mabel didn't mean to do it. I'm sure it was an accident. Please don't blame her. It's my fault for not taking better care of your gift…"

Terrence was visibly upset. "Mabel, you always act so well-behaved in front of your parents. But now that they're away on a business trip, the real you comes out, huh?"

He added, "You've been picking on Annie since you were kids. Are you still not tired of it?"

A bitter taste filled my mouth. "I didn't do it," I retorted slowly.

Anna immediately lowered her head. "Terrence, it's all my fault. I was wrong."

Terrence stepped protectively in front of her. He said in a warning tone, "I used to stay out of the Stone family's affairs, but Annie is now my fiancée. I'll be staying here until your parents return."

In the past, I would have been thrilled to live under the same roof as him.

Seeing that I stayed silent, Terrence paused, then reminded me, "Watch yourself. Keep your distance from me. I don't want Annie to get the wrong idea."

That night, Anna playfully asked him to dry her hair, deliberately making a big show of it so I'd notice. As I walked past, I didn't so much as pause. Terrence didn't react, either.

But the next day, when he saw I'd cut my hair short, he looked at me with a mix of amusement and teasing. "Did you cut it because of me?"