Lahat ng Kabanata ng Not in Our Stars: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

This was the last time Shirley would talk about her marriage in front of the heads of the four major families.Everyone held their breath, watching her.Across from her, Oscar sat with a dark expression. "Ms. Shirley, please think about what I just told you. Make sure you're sure before you decide."Shirley's chest tightened when she looked at his anxious face, and a sharp pain hit her heart.It seemed that he really didn't want to marry her. He'd rather let his family lose the Bishops as their big support.George Tucker, seeing Oscar like that, got flustered. "Oscar, you already knew Shirley was gonna choose you. What did you tell her in private?"Meanwhile, Theo Foster yawned. "Exactly. We never had a chance anyway. Right, Jamie?"Shirley glanced at Jamie Watson. Out of the four, he was the only one she never considered as a match.He had been the first to bully her as a kid—tearing her books, even putting a snake in her backpack. Shirley had always hated him and secretly wis

The huge living room was silent under the massive crystal chandelier. Oscar kneeled perfectly still in the center of the hall.His back had been slashed by Dominic earlier, and the blood slowly spread over his white suit.Myra stood beside him, biting her lip so hard that it almost drew blood as she stared at his wound.George and Theo were nearby, uneasy."Ms. Shirley, we're your bodyguards, too. It's our fault you got hurt. You can't just punish Oscar," George said."Yeah. We should be punished too," Theo added.Shirley sat on the sofa as the family doctor disinfected her wound.The cut had gone deep into her flesh. As the doctor cleaned it, waves of sharp pain shot through her body.But the pain wasn't nearly as bad as what she felt in her heart.She lifted her eyes casually toward the man kneeling before her.Her voice was calm, almost indifferent. "When this happened, you two weren't around. So no punishment for you. But Oscar was here. He's the reason I got hurt, so I'm

Oscar stayed at the hospital with Myra for three days, and during that whole time, Shirley didn't see him at all.It wasn't until the fourth day, while she was discussing the wedding details with Daniel, that Oscar suddenly barged in."Mr. Bishop, Ms. Shirley, I have something to say."Shirley didn't even look up. "We're eating. Say it after dinner.""No. It can't wait." Oscar's face was cold. "Ms. Shirley, I don't love you. I won't marry you in seven days."Daniel froze. "Oscar, Shirley actually—"Shirley cut him off, raising an eyebrow at Oscar. "I don't care whether you love me or not. All I care about is that you show up on time in seven days."Oscar straightened his back. "I won't show up. I told you: I'm not marrying you.""Fine." Shirley let out a bitter laugh. "Since you love Myra so much, I'll have Dad marry her to someone else! Seven days from now, she'll have a wedding at the same time as mine. I want you to watch her marry another man!"Oscar panicked, his face dar

Jamie stepped out slowly from the corner. Seeing the names on the poster, he raised an eyebrow, a sly smile tugging at his lips."Are you serious, Ms. Shirley?" he asked.Shirley walked up to him and, with steady hands, pinned the other groom's boutonnière onto his chest."Call me Shirley," she said, her eyes firm. "I'm serious. I'm marrying you today."The whole hall fell completely silent. The only sound was the faint rustle of breathing.Jamie stared at her, those deep, almost icy eyes narrowing slightly. "You sure you won't regret this?""Absolutely not." Shirley looped her arm through his. "I chose you as my groom on my birthday. I won't regret it.""What did you say?" Oscar's eyes flickered, his face darkening. "Do you know what you're talking about? Didn't you pick me as your groom? Marriage is serious—you can't joke about this! Everyone in Anteford is watching. If you keep this up, things could get ugly!""Oscar, when did I ever say I wanted to marry you?" Shirley looke

Daniel, whose daughters were getting married today, was in high spirits, and he had a few drinks too many.He grabbed Jamie's hand and kept reminding him, "Kid, I'm trusting you with my daughter, so you'd better treat her right. Don't ever let her get hurt, and don't go bullying her like you did when you were kids.""Don't worry. I won't."Jamie's lips curved slightly, and his gaze softened as he looked at Shirley."The only reason I teased her back then was because I couldn't stand how biased she was.""I was biased?" Shirley frowned. "How?""Think about it. Out of the four of us, you only ever showed Oscar special treatment. You barely looked my way." Jamie leaned down, his warm breath brushing her ear. "And if you ever think about him again, I'll do more than get jealous."Shirley laughed softly. "So you're saying all that teasing when we were kids was out of jealousy?""Yeah." Jamie smiled and wrapped his arms around her slim waist. "Now you know."Shirley had never realiz