Todos los capítulos de Five Years of Marriage to Mr. Bradford: Capítulo 691 - Capítulo 700

The news that Vance and Catherine would be representing the school in the French speech contest hadn't been officially announced, but it had already spread like wildfire among the seniors.Some didn't care. Others said Vance was the top student, so it made sense. A few questioned the fairness of the selection.The controversy eventually blew up on the school forum, causing a major stir. In the end, the school authorities denied the rumor and announced they would hold a proper school-wide competition that Friday.Each class could enter up to two students. The top two overall would represent the school.Rebecca signed up without hesitation, determined to be one of the selected participants.To be honest, not many students, especially seniors, were enthusiastic about a speech competition with no real stakes or benefits. If there were a prestigious award or college admission advantages, they might have shown interest.Alternatively, if it were an art or sports-related competition, so

This time, Rebecca was taking a gamble.If she lost, she'd switch up her strategy on the spot. Right now, it was hard to tell if she'd come out on top, but there was zero chance she'd lose.After a long stare-down, Vance asked, "Why did you suddenly sign up for the speech contest?""Aren't you going to ask what happened in the cafeteria?" Rebecca asked back.He stayed silent and finally wavered under her constant stare. "It doesn't matter.""Doesn't matter?""You've never cried like that before. What's going on with you lately?"Rebecca thought back. In all the time they had known each other, she had always been calm and reserved. No extreme highs or breakdowns."What if I said I don't like Catherine and don't want her near you?" she said bluntly.That wasn't the kind of thing a girl her age would say out loud.Vance looked amused and skeptical. "Rebecca, we haven't spoken in a whole year."He pointed that out again, like it was some unspoken rule that two people who haven't

Her mother got transferred to work at the hospital in this district, so Catherine smoothly transferred to the local high school.Rebecca didn't know if it had anything to do with her younger self ignoring Vance for a whole year. If that was the case, she understood it completely.She had walked the same painful path before, and after one too many disappointments, walking away had been the only right call.On the day of the speech contest, Rebecca and Darren represented their class in the competitor drawing area.Rebecca drew the last slot, while Catherine drew the third."You ready?" Darren sat down next to her. He'd drawn the seventh.Rebecca nodded with a smile.At that moment, Vance, who had drawn the second slot, was on stage giving his speech. His French was fluent and pleasant, carrying the natural cadence of a gifted student.Though he was usually aloof, his delivery was passionate and inspiring. He had a way of getting the crowd fired up. That was why he could build suc

Rebecca spoke with the same long-term expat accent as Darren, even with the same Paris lilt and fluency that made Vance frown deeply.He knew Rebecca had relatives living in France, but it had only been a year. How could her spoken French have become this fluent?Her speech, titled "If I Lose My Leg Someday", wasn't hypothetical. She was speaking from lived experience.There were no flowery phrases or fancy vocabulary, no melodramatic self-pity, and no empty slogans—just plain, straightforward language that dissected the experience of losing a leg in raw, meticulous detail.No one could quite pinpoint what moved them so deeply; they only knew that the entire hall fell completely silent, with only Rebecca's voice echoing through the space.Halfway through, many people had tears in their eyes. By the latter half, the passion, defiance against fate, refusal to surrender, and forward-driving power in her words set everyone's blood on fire.Thunderous applause erupted. Many people, th

By then, most students had already entered their classrooms, and the building was quiet. Just as Rebecca and Jenny were about to run upstairs, they heard familiar voices coming from behind the staircase on the first floor.Both girls stopped in their tracks as they recognized the voice of Catherine, who was sobbing uncontrollably."This competition was really important to me. Actually, every competition is crucial... If my mom didn't know I had qualified, it would have been fine. But now she knows, and I can't go. I'll be in serious trouble. I had to participate no matter what. That's why I was so scared Rebecca would beat me."Vance's calm voice sounded next. "You knew her French was very good?""I-I guessed. She was so insistent on signing up, and she has relatives abroad, so I thought she must be good. Maybe her speech was even written by them." Catherine sobbed so hard she could barely speak coherently."No, it wasn't.""What?""She wrote it herself.""I-I was just saying.