All Chapters of The Moment I Looked Back, I Won: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

The deck fell silent, leaving only the sound of waves against the yacht.Keith Sterling said nothing under my stare.Anna Foster was the first to speak."Natalie, I'm sorry. I did have feelings for Keith."I gave a short laugh."Then why didn't you get together with him?""They weren't a good match," my brother, Julian Quinn, cut in. "You know what kind of family Keith comes from, and you know Anna's background."He was already making excuses for her."Back then, Anna didn't think she was good enough for him. Keith chased her for four years, and she never said yes."My own brother had known about Anna all along.When Keith was at his craziest trying to win her over, Julian had lent him his private jet and even arranged for a celebrity to perform a private concert just for her.I was the only one who hadn't been part of that grand pursuit.My gaze moved from my brother to the man I was supposed to marry, then to my close friend."Was that fun? Watching me spend four years guessing like

The next morning, I woke up with a fever of 102.2°F.Mom came in to get me for breakfast. The moment she touched my forehead, her expression changed."You're burning up."There was a doctor on board.He took my temperature, checked my throat, and gave me some medicine."Looks like you got a little chilled last night. Get plenty of rest."Dad handed me a glass of water."You heard the doctor. Stay in bed and get some rest."I nodded, took the medicine, and fell asleep again.When I woke up, the cabin felt stuffy, and my throat felt like I'd swallowed razor blades.I put on a mask and stepped outside for some air.As soon as I reached the hallway, I saw Julian coming downstairs with a gift bag in his hand.There were two wrapped boxes beside my parents, and even Charles and Laura had people carrying gifts out onto the deck.It took me a few seconds to remember.Today was Anna's birthday.I'd bought her a gift too.A vintage watch.We'd gone shopping together last month, and she'd stood o

After Vivian brought me back to Mariner's Key, the first thing she did was call a doctor.It took two full days for my fever to finally break.Keith kept texting me the entire time.Keith: [Has your fever broken? Remember to take your medicine.]Keith: [Go easy on the canned peaches. Your throat's inflamed, and too much won't help.]It was the same familiar tone he'd always used, as if nothing between us had changed.On the third day, another text came in.Keith: [Let me know when you're done having fun. I'll come get you.]Done having fun...So that was how he saw it.I'd packed my suitcase, broken up with him, and left on Vivian's yacht for another island.And somehow, to Keith, I was just off having fun for a few days.Vivian leaned over and glanced at my screen."Does he seriously think you're just out here clearing your head and you'll go back when you're done?""Probably."She scoffed."Then let him wait."I turned off my phone.Once my fever was gone, Vivian convinced me to stay

After I brought Biscuit home, my parents finally realized I wasn't bluffing.Our fights never lasted more than two days.By the third day, he'd show up with something I liked to eat, Mom would say a few words to smooth things over, and that would be the end of it.But this time, the engagement party was canceled. I'd moved everything out of the house in Southcrest. Even Biscuit had come home with me.That evening, Dad called me downstairs."The Sterlings will be here in a bit."I was wiping Biscuit's paws."What for?""To sort this out."Charles and Laura arrived at seven, with Keith following behind them.Laura let out a sigh."Natalie, everyone's had a few days to cool off."What happened on the yacht was Keith's fault."And he's promised us it won't happen again."Keith looked at me."I'm sorry."Dad got straight to the point."If Anna's the problem, then we'll deal with the problem."Keith frowned.Dad continued, "From now on, she stays away from all of you."If her job has any tie

After the door closed, the house fell quiet again.That night, Mom knocked on my door."Natalie, your father and I really were wrong this time."Her eyes were a little red."We always thought you and Keith had known each other for so many years, and we'd watched him grow up."No matter what happened, we never thought he'd truly hurt you."So even when you told us how much you were hurting, our first instinct was still to tell you to put up with it."I'm sorry."My throat tightened, but in the end, all I said was, "I know."Some hurts didn't disappear the moment someone said sorry.But at least someone was finally willing to admit that I'd really been hurt.A few months later, Vivian was heading back to Alderwyn.Before she left, she asked me, "Want to come with me for a while? Stay as long as you want."I'd turned her down plenty of times before so I could stay with Keith."Sure."We booked our tickets for two weeks later.The night before we left, I still got a message from Keith.Kei