Sean York was also stunned for a moment, his eyes instinctively flicking to Evan Holland.

Evan Holland wasn’t as handsome as Sean, nor was he as tall. He looked to be about five-foot-nine, was slightly chubby, and had an honest, good-natured face. Right now, he was so nervous that his forehead was beaded with sweat, and the hand clutching the flowers was trembling. He was clearly worried about being rejected.

Sean instinctively glanced at Joanne Chase, wanting to know what was on her mind.

Just then, Joanne Chase looked up at him. Their eyes met, and for a moment, they were both silent.

Joanne Chase carefully considered how to respond.

But Sean York spoke first. "Sorry, she’s already seeing someone, so she won’t be able to say yes."

Evan Holland froze, and a flash of disappointment crossed his eyes. "Oh, is that so? It’s... it’s all right. Someone as wonderful as Joanne Chase is bound to have a partner. That’s perfectly normal."

With that, he turned to leave.

But Joanne Chase suddenly spoke up. "Wait. I’m not seeing anyone. I’m willing to accept your courtship, on the premise that we’d be dating with marriage in mind."

Sean York never expected Joanne Chase to give such a reply. He stared at her, completely taken aback.

Joanne, however, spoke with firm resolve. "I have no plans to leave Coronet. I intend to stay here, because I don’t want to be away from my family."

"And another thing, Sean York," she continued, "you left three years ago without a word. I may have liked you once, but that was three years ago. I don’t like you anymore. Please stop saying things that are misleading and cause people to get the wrong idea."

"Evan Holland, let’s go."

After saying her piece, Joanne Chase strode forward, took Evan Holland by the arm, and led him away.

Sean York instinctively moved to follow them, but Grace Winslow stepped in his way.

"She’s made her choice, so don’t pester her. Joy is a very strong-willed person; she won’t easily change her mind. Sean York, you were the one who chose to give up three years ago. No one is going to wait around forever for you to come back." Grace blocked Sean’s path, taking in his crestfallen expression as she reminded him with a stoic face.

Sean York gave a bitter smile and lowered his head. "If I hadn’t just disappeared back then... would she have given me a chance?"

"I can’t answer that question for you, because the fact is, you *did* just disappear. Back when she was in love with you, you vanished without a single word. Now that you’re back, what gives you the right to think she’d automatically choose you?" Grace shook her head, refusing to entertain such a hypothetical question.

Sean York looked like he was about to fall apart.

He had thought Joanne Chase would be waiting for him.

He had spent every day of the last three years thinking about her, wishing he could just fly back and see her. But in the end, all that waiting had led to this: she didn’t want him anymore.

’How could she not want me?’

Scenes from their past flashed before his eyes. He desperately wanted to ask Joanne, ’Were all those sweet moments we shared just a lie?’

’How could she accept someone else without batting an eye, yet reject me...?’

But seeing the calm, cold look in Grace Winslow’s eyes, he knew it would be pointless. Joanne had already given him her answer through her actions. Asking again would only be humiliating himself.

Crestfallen, Sean York walked away.

Grace watched him go and simply shook her head.

’Belated devotion is worthless.’

He hadn’t cherished her three years ago. Now, three years later, there was no chance to make amends, even if he wanted to.

Joanne Chase led Evan Holland quite a distance away before she let go of his arm, an apologetic look on her face. "I’m sorry, I..."

"I’m so happy you decided to accept me. You don’t have to apologize. You haven’t done anything wrong. Everyone has a past; it’s not a mistake to have loved him before. In fact, it’s incredibly brave of you to be able to face your past, let go of old feelings, and choose a fresh start." Evan Holland looked a bit shy, and the tips of his ears turned red as he spoke. "I like you. I’ve always liked you. I heard you weren’t planning on dating for a while because you wanted to focus on your studies, so I just kept waiting... waiting for you to graduate."

"Now that you’ve finally graduated, I’ve finally worked up the courage to confess my feelings."

"To be honest, before I came looking for you, I had already prepared myself for you to turn me down. I never expected you to say yes. I’m so happy, I really am."

His joy was plain to see. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Joanne Chase watched him for a long moment, then broke into a smile as well.

’Maybe accepting Evan Holland isn’t such a bad thing.’

’A man this optimistic and positive... we could have a good future together.’

As for Sean York, he was in the past.

Three years. Countless days and nights. She had given him so many chances. During those three years, if Sean York had sent her just one letter—even a single one—she would have kept waiting for him, without a second thought, without any hesitation.

She would have waited five years, even ten.

But he never did.

In three years, there wasn’t a single letter, not a single word. Her heart went from hopeful anticipation to slow, crushing disappointment.

She didn’t have another three years to waste waiting for an outcome that would never materialize.

So she chose to give up.

"Evan Holland, let’s start over. My name is Joanne Chase. I’m twenty-two, and I’m unmarried."

She smiled and held out her hand to Evan Holland.

Evan Holland’s heart leaped, and a deep blush spread from the base of his ears all the way down his neck. He reached out a trembling hand, but just as he was about to take Joanne’s, he snatched it back. He wiped it vigorously on his pants, making sure it was clean and free of sweat before reaching out again to grasp her hand. "Hello, Joanne Chase. My name is Evan Holland. I’m an only child, no brothers or sisters. My parents are really easy to get along with, so if we were to get married, you wouldn’t have to worry about any in-law drama. I will always, always be on your side, and I’ll never let you be wronged in any way."

They looked at each other and smiled, and it felt as if they could hear the frantic beating of each other’s hearts.

Grace Winslow watched the scene from a distance, an inexplicable sense of envy welling up inside her.

She’d always heard people say that if you don’t have at least one passionate, epic romance while you’re in school, you’re not doing your youth justice.

She’d been pretty unlucky.

In her last life, she’d wasted her years pining over Caleb Forrest and never had a proper relationship.

In this life, because of Caleb Forrest’s influence, she didn’t want to get involved with anyone. Now she was almost thirty and didn’t even have a boyfriend.

"Grace Winslow."

Grace sighed, only to hear a familiar voice call out from behind her.

She turned in astonishment and saw Archer Rhys, holding a large bouquet of roses.

In the sunlight, his face looked a little pale. He was dressed in a black suit, cradling a bouquet of red roses that bloomed with fiery brilliance. A faint, sweet scent of roses hung in the air.

Grace’s mouth fell open. She never imagined Archer Rhys would be here.

They hadn’t spoken or seen each other in two years.

It had been so long that she’d assumed he had given up long ago, deciding not to waste any more time on her.

She had even imagined that he’d found someone else, gotten married, and started a family, which would explain why he’d stopped pursuing her.

But now, at this very moment, he stood before her with a smile. And with just a single greeting, the walls she had built around her heart—walls she’d thought were indestructible—came crumbling down.