All Chapters of No Turning Back: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Charlie Anton probably hadn't expected Paige's older sister to be me.The black card in his hand hit the ground with a clatter. I stared at Charlie, too stunned to even notice another ember rolling against my foot.The last time we'd spoken was a month ago. Over the phone, he'd growled at me, barely holding back his anger."We got into the same university at the same time. We were supposed to graduate, get good jobs, and build a future together."Instead, you dropped out to support your sister and turned down the respectable job I found you, for five years of running a food stall."Your nails are stained with grease that won't wash out, and you reek of barbecue smoke no matter what you do. How am I supposed to get my parents to accept you like this?"I'd just wrenched myself free from a drunk customer's groping hands when he called. Choking back tears, I stubbornly shot back."After Mom and Dad died, my sister was the only family I had left," I said. "And I don't see anything

Chapter 2

The year I graduated high school, after finishing my college applications and SATs, I rushed home with my acceptance letter to Sterling Aviation University, eager to share the news with my parents. Instead, I got the call that they'd died in a plane crash.Back then, Charlie Anton, wealthy second-generation heir that he was, had once held out a black card to me too."Rachel, put away your pride and come to Sterling Aviation University with me."I hesitated for a long time, but in the end I pushed the card away."Forget it, Charlie. I have to set an example for my sister, who's still in middle school. I can't just take your money when I haven't earned it. If my choice bothers you, we can break up."He pulled me into his arms, his eyes full of tenderness."I won't, Rachel. Even if you turn into some wrinkled, rough-around-the-edges woman someday, I'll never leave you."But now, the same black card I'd once refused for Paige's sake had been shoved back into my pocket by her own h

Chapter 3

My steps faltered, a thick bitterness rising in my chest. The ring I'd never gotten to give him was still hanging on the barbecue cart. In my spare moments, I'd turned it over and over in my mind, trying to figure out how to apologize to him, how to humble myself before him.Turns out, as far as he was concerned, we'd already broken up a month ago.He stepped closer, caught my arm, and pulled me tightly into his chest."Rachel, I really wish you didn't have to be so tough all the time. I wish, just once, you'd cling to me and refuse to let go..."My eyes filled with tears in an instant.After my parents died, I'd been a girl fending for herself in the night market alone. Drunk men. Jealous women who splashed water on me out of spite. City inspectors who were always looking for a reason to move me along.Vendors who fought dirty to compete with me. A sister who got bullied by her classmates. Teachers' reminders and warnings.A sister going through her teenage years.

Chapter 4

I don't remember how I got home, or how I ended up lying on my narrow bed. Alone at last, the tears I could no longer hold back slid down my face.That was when the phone rang. I answered numbly, and heard a voice I couldn't believe."Is... is that Rachie?"It has to be her. Ask her again."The voices coming through were unmistakably my parents, the same parents who'd died in a plane crash. I confirmed it in a small voice, my own heartbeat pounding so loud I could hear it."Dad? Mom?"Hearing me answer, the voice on the other end finally settled, tinged with guilt."Rachie, our family went bankrupt out of nowhere back then, and we were buried in debt. Your mother and I had no choice but to fake our deaths and leave the country."But don't worry, we've gotten back on our feet these past ten years, and we're on our way to Willen City right now."Something in me snapped. Tears streaming down my face, I screamed at them."Do you have any idea what the last ten years have been

Chapter 5

The couple standing in front of them were complete strangers. Charlie's already sour mood turned darker still, and he didn't bother being polite about it."You've got the wrong room."My mother settled herself familiarly into the seat beside Paige."No, no, this is the right room. Isn't this Paige's engagement dinner? I'm Paige's mother."My father took the seat on Paige's other side."Rachie gave us this address herself, there's no way it's wrong. I'm Paige's father, and you two must be Paige's fiancé and..."He glanced at Mrs. Anton and extended a hand with a smile. She ignored him completely, and he withdrew it, embarrassed.Paige's eyes went wide, staring at them in disbelief."Weren't you two killed in a plane crash ten years ago? How is this possible?"My father let out an awkward laugh and explained quietly."Our family went bankrupt out of nowhere back then, and we were buried in debt. We really couldn't afford to raise the two of you, so faking our deaths was the o

Chapter 6

Charlie drove the whole way there without slowing down. He couldn't remember ever feeling this anxious in his life.Back in high school, my name had always sat right beside his on the ranking board. That was when he first grew curious about the name Rachel Boyce. He'd heard a classmate call out my name and followed the sound with his eyes, and saw me smiling at them, hugging my textbooks, dressed in a white skirt. That one bright, sunny image had struck something in his chest instantly.Using a question as an excuse, he'd slowly gotten to know me, and something unspoken had grown between the two of us. After the SATs ended, he confessed to me. The moment I nodded, he felt like his entire world had lit up.Then my family fell apart overnight. I gave up my own dreams and my future without hesitation, all for my sister's sake. After he started college, I was always too busy earning money. He waited every day for me to text him back, waited for me to call. When his roommates a

Chapter 7

Charlie ignored the strange looks from the neighbors and didn't spare a thought for whether Paige would ever forgive him. His head was full of nothing but me.Why wouldn't I answer his calls? Why wouldn't I reply to a single message?His gaze drifted to the table. Without meaning to, he stepped closer, reached into the bag sitting there, and pulled out an elegant box. He opened it. A diamond ring sat inside, the kind of brand he'd once mentioned to me in passing, the kind of limited-edition ring the brand only allowed each customer to purchase once.His hands trembling, he slid the ring onto his ring finger. It fit perfectly.Tucked inside the box was a note. He opened it and found my handwriting, every word carefully considered."Charlie, can we please stop fighting from now on? Trust me, I'm going to build my own business and make it a success, and then I'll stand beside you with nothing to be ashamed of."Something twisted painfully in Charlie's chest. All this time, whi

Chapter 8

Charlie answered Johnny coldly, "This has nothing to do with you. You're an illegitimate son. Mind your own business.""You," Johnny started. Before he could get another word out, he flared up, fists ready to swing. I stepped in and stopped him."This is between him and me. It doesn't concern you."He looked at me, uncertain."You're sure you don't need me to step in?"I gave him a grateful glance and watched him walk away.Once Johnny was gone, Charlie's face darkened as he confronted me."You came to Rivermont just to find him? When did you two even meet?"I answered flatly, "There's nothing between us anymore. Whatever I do isn't your concern."Charlie took a deep breath, working to hold his anger in check. He explained himself, his patience strained."Rachel, I told you, I didn't know Paige was your sister. And I didn't know about that ring you'd bought. I definitely didn't know your call for help that night was real."I stared back at him, unmoved."Finished?"He look

Chapter 9

Johnny jerked his chin at them, unimpressed."Those two have been out there waiting since early this morning."I frowned."Weren't we supposed to open a new shop in Bayner City? Let me handle it."As luck would have it, the two of them overheard exactly that. Charlie's face went dark."You're leaving again?"Paige's eyes reddened."Sis, you still won't forgive me?"I looked at the two of them and said, "The restaurant Johnny and I built is going to keep growing. If you two insist on interrupting my life like this over and over, I'll just keep running, city after city. Is that really what you want?"They watched the indifference on my face, and the color drained from both their faces at once.I was busy running the restaurant when I happened to glance out and see the two of them arguing fiercely outside. It escalated into a physical fight before I even knew what they were arguing about. Paige bit down hard on her lip and said nothing.Then, out of nowhere, she bolted into onc

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