All Chapters of When Fate Faltered: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“Helen Xanders, I really wish you hadn’t survived that day when you were nine. It would have been better if you were dead.”The moment Joel finished saying that, everyone in the room was in an uproar.“Damn, Joel, you’re savage!”“Next time, say it right into Helen’s ear once her deafness is cured. I’m curious whether she’d cry when she hears it. Maybe she will act all meek and pitiful like an angelic b*tch.”“So, what if she hears it? Who wants a crippled girl anyway? Only Joel is kind enough to keep her around, right?”I froze where I stood.I held onto the hearing test report in my bag, feeling lost.After the college entrance exam had ended, my parents took me to another city for treatment. My ear condition got better, and I did not need the hearing aid anymore.Today was my birthday party.I had a surprise planned for Joel. I wanted to tell him that my ears had healed, and I would not be a burden to him anymore.Yet, I never imagined that my well-thought-out surprise wou

Joel’s arm froze there in midair.After a long moment, he finally lowered the arm that had gone numb from being held up and questioned me impatiently, “What the hell is wrong with you today?”“You were in tears when you agreed to my confession. How can you change like this in the blink of an eye?”“Helen, do you even remember how obedient and well-behaved you used to be?”My chest felt tight.I did not even want to respond to him.I had been immersed in a beautiful dream for so long, believing that I was the only one in his heart. I thought we would go to college together in Eidolon City, live and eat together, and, after graduation, smoothly get engaged, get married, and have children.Until today, when the truth was torn open.Only then did I finally understand the fact that he never loved me.To him, I was nothing more than a burden who had saved his life as a child. I was just an insignificant person.I took a deep breath and repeated calmly, “I’m not making a scene. I’m

“I was really eaten up with guilt yesterday. I never expected you to have such a bad temper. I’ve always treated Joel like a brother. Don’t be mad anymore, okay?”Mandy said, wiping at tears that were not there. “It’s still my fault though…”“If I’d known my limits, you wouldn’t have left. Mrs. Xanders, even though I was so guilty I almost jumped off the rooftop, please don’t blame…”“Are you done?” my mother cut her off with a sneer. “Girls these days really don’t learn anything good at such a young age. You just constantly put on an act that you’re a pure and innocent girl among the boys.“My daughter doesn’t bother arguing with you because she was raised to know boundaries and not casually spew foul language. But what about your parents?“All you do every day is dive into groups of boys. Do you even know what the boundaries between girls and boys should be? If your parents didn’t teach you, then I’ll teach you."Behavior like yours is... What was that phrase on the internet? O

My parents smiled when I mentioned that.“She went to another city for treatment. Her hearing has fully recovered now.”Joel’s mother was overjoyed, yet she still was not ready to give up.“Helen, why don’t you wait until Joel comes back before deciding? He has the right to know, too.”“You followed him around every day when you were little, and you even saved his life. How could feelings like that just disappear?”I looked at the rippling surface of the tea on the coffee table.In the end, I held firm. “Mrs. Yorks, neither of us loves the other anymore. There’s no need to keep hurting each other.”Joel’s father sighed. Clearly understanding our family’s stance, he stopped Joel’s mother from further persuading us and instructed the housekeeper to bring out the engagement documents.I finally let out a breath of relief, watching the two copies of the engagement contract be torn apart, burned, and reduced to ashes.I made one last request. “Mr. and Mrs. Yorks, please don’t annou

At the time, all his attention was on comforting Mandy.He never noticed that I was not wearing my hearing aid that day.Through mutual friends, I learned that Joel was looking for me.I was not surprised one bit.Perhaps he had finally found out that my hearing had been cured, and only then belatedly realized that I had already heard every one of those cruel words he said in the private room that day.However, none of that mattered anymore.My life in the Capital City was fulfilling and busy. Although sports training was exhausting, I was dead tired every day and got several shades darker, but I had never felt so light and free.I joined many clubs and made lots of new friends.I even attended a mixer organized by an upper-class student and exchanged numbers with a few guys.So, when I saw that familiar figure downstairs at the women’s dorm, I was genuinely surprised.I intended to take a detour and leave.However, Joel spotted me first and strode over.His tone carried a