However, I still heard the sound of my own heart skipping a beat when Quinn looked at me.

"Mr. Green, aren't you bothered by how average I am?" I asked hesitantly.

Quinn smiled. "I think you're wonderful, Ms. Caswell."

For the next few days, Sadie did not come to see me. She was probably busy romancing Henry.

I could not be bothered to ask about them and instead focused all of my energy on dating Quinn.

In this era, love was not rushed like fast food. Dates were simple—just strolling through the streets and chatting about life and dreams.

One day, while talking about how I had to drop out of school to support my younger brother, I mentioned how much I regretted it. He suddenly interrupted me.

"Take the exams again, Ren," he said.

"What… what did you say?"

"Take the SATs again. Education will only become more important in the future."

He was right!

I had been so focused on avoiding the mess with Henry and Sadie that I had not even considered this possibility.

Then again, after having spent an entire lifetime as a housewife, I knew nothing about academics anymore.

Doubt crept in. "Can I really do it?"

He took my hand and said firmly, "Trust me, Ren. You can."

When I got home and sat down, I heard someone shouting from the doorway. I went to check and found Sadie standing there, her face filled with anger.

"Renee Caswell, why are you trying to steal Quinn from me?"

What?

Unlike me, who had grown prematurely weary from raising my siblings, Sadie was a lively and romantic girl. She had always dreamed of dramatic, fairy-tale love stories.

That was why I had always assumed her growing distance from Quinn happened only after they got married.

After I married Henry, I had been busy with my own life and rarely interacted with them too much.

Henry was a skilled laborer with a decent income. He was not the stereotypical macho type and was generally considerate.

He would finish work early to cook dinner when I was pregnant. If I felt unwell, he would massage my feet and chat with me about our day.

Sadie had once seen this when she visited and said enviously, "Your Henry is so sweet."

Her words made me happy, but I thought Quinn was likely just as caring. So, I said, "Quinn is an intellectual. I'm sure he's even sweeter when he wants to be."

She frowned and shook her head. "Don't even get me started. He's just a boring bookworm. Everything about him annoys me.”

"Do you know what happened on our wedding day? He didn't say a single word, and he thought he could touch me then at night? Dream on!"

I was shocked. "So, you two never…"

"Exactly!" Sadie said, lifting her chin with pride. "A woman's body and mind must align to feel joy. Otherwise, how are we any different from animals?"

At the time, I did not know she had forced Quinn to live like a monk his entire life.

It was not until Quinn passed away from stomach cancer that Sadie cried to me about how unfairly she had been treated.

I clearly remembered how much she seemed to hate him, so why was she now acting like I had stolen the love of her life?

I furrowed my brow and asked, "Do you like Quinn?"

If so, what did that make Henry?

She opened her mouth, but did not speak. Still, I could see the truth.

"Oh, I get it. You're upset because I beat you to him. It doesn't matter who it is—as long as I choose someone, you suddenly want them too, right?"

Her face flushed red. "You're spouting nonsense! How could you say that about me?"

"Then what exactly did you mean by what you just said?"

When she realized she could not win the argument, she resorted to throwing a tantrum.

"I don't care! I like Quinn now, so you have to give him to me."

I let out a laugh, feeling both angry and amused.

"I'm not your mother. Why should I give you anything?"

I would not let this ungrateful brat ruin Quinn's life again, not in a million years.

My refusal made her stomp her feet in frustration. Just as she was about to say something else, a cool voice interrupted.

"Even if she were willing to let go, I wouldn't agree to it."

Quinn had returned and was now standing beneath the willow tree. His gaze was icy and resolute.

Quinn looked at Sadie with mockery in his eyes.

"And who do you think you are? Trying to decide my life? Do you even deserve that?"

Sadie's face turned crimson. She looked at Quinn with a pitiful expression, but he was completely unmoved.

Quinn walked over and handed me a stack of books.

"I thought it might be inconvenient for you, so I went ahead and bought them for you."

His thoughtfulness only fueled Sadie's jealousy, which burned brighter in her eyes. She turned her gaze to me with an aggrieved look.

"Renee, we grew up together. I've always seen you as an older sister. Why are you taking Mr. Green from me?"

She clasped her hands together, tears streaming down her face like a tragic heroine.

"I really want to be with Mr. Green. Please, I'm begging you—could you let me have him?"

Quinn let out a cold laugh.

"Do you not speak the same language? I already said, even if she let me go, I still wouldn't get together with you!"

His tone carried undisguised contempt, and I instinctively glanced at him. It was odd—at this point in time, he should not have known Sadie very well.

Before I could dwell on it, Sadie stomped off in frustration.

Quinn turned back to me. "Don't even think about letting her have me, got it?"

I nodded. "Alright."

I carried the books home, but I was struck on the back of my head before I could set them down.

"Where did you get the money to buy books, you little brat?" my mom, Kate Summers, yelled out. Her face was stormy with anger.

"A friend gave them to me," I replied.

"What friend? You're lying! Did you steal money from the house?" she accused.

Her expression darkened further.

"Are you insane? That money was for your brother's health supplements. He finally has a weekend to rest, and I wanted to prepare a nice meal for him. How could you spend it instead?"

Everything was so chaotic that day, and the details were a blur. All I remembered was how embarrassed I felt the next day when Quinn saw my bruised face.

"Sorry, the books you bought for me... my mom returned them," I said awkwardly.

His face turned grim.

"Don't worry, I'll pay you back."

"It's not about the money," he said with a sigh, but did not press further.

That evening, Quinn showed up at my house with several bags of fruit. I had no idea what he discussed with my mom, but after he left, she was all smiles and told me to prepare for marriage.

"Oh, my! I didn't realize my daughter had such good taste. You managed to find a teacher! Ren, when you're successful, don't forget to take care of your brother!"

I said nothing and watched as she cheerfully headed to the kitchen. It did not matter—once I got into college, I would leave anyway.

…

Soon, I married Quinn.

The day when he brought the fruit to my mom, it was to formally propose. The wedding was rushed, but every necessary ritual was properly observed.

I sent invitations to both Sadie and Henry, but neither of them attended.

During the reception, my mother-in-law, Jill Appleton, suddenly asked me to honor the family tradition by kneeling and bowing to their ancestors.

It reminded me of Sadie's stories about her in-laws creating unnecessary hurdles for her. I hesitated, but chose to go along with it.

I knelt and lowered my head three times, trying to appear composed, even though my knees ached on the hardwood floor.

Jill laughed softly at my seriousness. She then leaned forward with a warm smile and clasped a delicate emerald bracelet around my wrist.

What?

Was this the "deliberate humiliation" Sadie had complained about?

I looked at the verdant bracelet, and there was a mix of emotions stirring in my heart.

Quinn took my hand and said softly, "Since Mom gave it to you, just accept it."

After the guests left and the house quieted down, I sat on the wooden bed, feeling a rare sense of shyness.

It was absurd to think about, but Henry barely touched me anymore after my miscarriage. The few times he did, he would sit against the headboard afterward, smoking silently for what felt like hours.

I only learned after my death that the miscarriage had been caused by medicine Sadie gave me—something to "improve blood circulation".

Quinn came out of the bathroom, now in his pajamas while holding a towel. He walked over to me and gently began wiping my hands.

Quinn had been drinking quite a bit. His lips and the corners of his eyes were flushed, giving him an alluring, almost irresistible charm.

"What's wrong? What are you thinking? Are you afraid of me?" he asked.

I shook my head, brushing away the swirl of emotions clouding my mind. Not having children was not such a bad thing—it meant fewer attachments.

"I'm more afraid that I won't be able to control myself," I replied.

Quinn smiled faintly. "Go take a bath. I've already prepared hot water for you."

Blushing, I slowly made my way to the bathroom. The lights suddenly went out halfway through my bath.

I gasped as I stood up in the darkness, when Quinn appeared holding a candle.

He paused in the doorway, his expression briefly stunned.

His voice was husky as he spoke. "My wife… is full of surprises."

What followed felt natural, like it was inevitable. His passionate embrace made me melt like water in his arms.

In the peak of bliss, when I felt like I might faint, the lights abruptly came back on. Quinn's deep, dark eyes locked onto mine as if I were his entire world.

In my previous life, I had not spent much time with Quinn. I only remembered him as cold and aloof.

Sadie had told me that after their marriage, he was always busy with work, often staying overnight at the university.

He climbed the academic ladder from teacher to professor, and he would give his entire paycheck to her.

Sadie was dressed in finery, and she spent her days sipping coffee and shopping, while he lived with just two worn-out work uniforms until the day he died.

The thought left a bittersweet ache in my chest.

Quinn noticed the shift in my mood and leaned down to kiss me. "Ren… what's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

I clung to him tighter. "You're perfect, honey. From now on, I'll treat you so well. So very well."

He kissed me deeply, murmuring something against my lips, but when I tried to listen, all I could hear was a soft sigh.

It was no surprise I could not get up the next morning.

Blushing, I crawled out of bed on all fours, only to be pulled back by Quinn.

"What are you doing so early in the morning?" he asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.

"I'm going to make breakfast…"

He held me close for a moment before finally getting up. "You're tired from last night. Sleep a bit more—I'll handle it."

As I watched him leave, I saw how his back was marked with faint red scratches. I buried my face in the blanket, feeling my cheeks burning.

Maybe being married to Quinn was not such a bad thing after all.

…

Life with Quinn was so sweet and peaceful that I nearly forgot about Sadie. That was until one day when Henry showed up unexpectedly.

To be honest, I rarely got angry with Henry in both of my lives.

He was not a bad husband for the era we were in—a responsible father who, aside from not loving me, did not have any major faults.

However, when he stood before me and told me to give Quinn back to Sadie, I felt a rage so intense it was almost uncontrollable.

"And what about me?" I asked coldly.

He seemed caught off guard by my question, opening and closing his mouth a few times before mumbling, "I'll marry you."

As he spoke, his tone grew more confident.

"You can divorce him, and I'll marry you. We'll live a good life together," he added. "Don't worry—I won't hold it against you for being divorced."

If God had X-ray vision, He would have seen the giant question marks flooding my mind.

I stared at Henry in disbelief.

"Do you think you're better than Quinn? Why should I choose you?"

He blurted out, "Because you owe Sadie."

"What?"

"That day at the mixer, Sadie clearly had her eye on Quinn. You're her best friend—how could you steal him from her?”

"Now she's at home crying every day, and she’s so upset she's fallen ill. If something happens to her, it'll all be your fault!"