" Eric asked, his expres

ha

stare at him, stunned by how s

t's... a good ide

dn't afford for Nicholas or anyone in the Quinn family to discove

ith Eric had never e

cholas going while being my wife? Besides, if you refuse to move in, how ex

ment. She hadn't thoug

he met Eric's icy gaze. After a brief hesitation, she forced herself to yield. "Alright, Mr. Reynold

em was still fragile, barely beginning to form. One wr

ed slightly, revealing his qui

ir arrangement

ith perfect courtesy

o return home, pack her belongings,

n Eric's lips disappeared entirely. His gaze turned sha

sure she never notices. I need

her motives were as s

lyn had secretly loved Nicholas for over a decade. A woman who had spent so

e something mo

*

state, and an inexplicable he

the right choice. But no matter how she looke

he Quinn family's residence when a powerful arm suddenly wr

spun around, only to see a face she k

hol

hell was

hat brings

mouth to speak, Nic

s face. Yet seeing it now only made Ashlyn's skin tighten

ly pulled herself away from the

mposed and acted as if she had mer

, I thought I'd visit the church

ry hill and gone to that church, praying f

ng about it was nothing more than a facade. Under the surface,

e had wished, only for both her and her ch

icion that had filled Nicholas' ey

uld have driven you there. You must have

hlyn caught the flicker of relief in his eyes-and that

was merely a man who struggled to express his feelings. She believed that once they w

ehind the marriage she thought was real, she had merely b

ow to love someone. He simply n

'm really fine. You've been overwhelmed with work lately, haven't you? Don't worry about me. Jus

d with even greater satis

gs for him made her easy to manipulate, and she would never think to question his

en, then deliberately put on a troubled expression. "Something urgent came up

n be bothered t

e had been in her first life to fall for hi

ally relieved. She forced a soft smile

ished down the road did the smile on her face slowly disappear. Sh

end, then this time, she would live exactly the way

*

nn residence, Bella Quinn, her sister, was

Bella's face when she saw her was nowhere to be se

casually adjusted her position and toyed with t

h mockery. "I heard you are about to get married. Congrat

ied Bella i

ed to her, turn everything into a competition, and hide her jealousy behind sharp remarks. And because Bell

nd life, Bella had wasted no time

aving so differ

es locked, a realiza

ps. "Who told you I was the

expression crumbled the mo

e marry him. No way! Mr. Reynolds came here for you. You two have known each other since childhood. You've be

. The sheer panic flashing across Bella's face confirme

e who had been given a

pain, she had learned one thing above all else: ne

taking whatever belongs to me? You expect me to believe yo

ay; I'm not marrying him! If yo

ing, Ashlyn's palm struck acros