Everything was hard to talk about.
Just as M was struggling to find the words, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She quickly fished it out-it was Miranda calling. After signaling to Forrest, she answered.
"M, about that favor-you know, the thing you asked me to check on? I''ve got news."
"About Giselle-she and Lysander never really had an engagement. It was just something their families joked about when they were kids, nothing official. There was never a formal engagement party, and I haven''t heard anything about them being together for real."
"But I can''t say for sure. They both went abroad for school, right? Maybe when they''re back home, something will happen between them."
No engagement. No real rtionship.
A heavy weight lifted off M''s chest, and for the first time in a while, her thoughts settled. If that was the case, then she wasn''t exactly the viin here.
And honestly, she''d been tricked and pushed into this mess-Lysander was the real jerk.
Suddenly, it all seemed a little clearer.
When she hung up, Forrest noticed how M''s face seemed to light up again, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him.
"It''s all good now. I''m fine," she said.
Forrest, who''d always admired her resilience, couldn''t help but be impressed once more. "You really are... just the same as ever."
M tilted her head, a little confused, but her eyes crinkled in a genuine smile.
After that, M shoved all the drama to the back of her mind. She bounced back quickly, and she and Forrest grew close again.
Back at school, they worked on projects together, and Forrest''s drive pushed M to improve at lightning speed. The old spark returned to her eyes.
As they got to know each other better, they discovered a mutual love for good food and exploring new ces. Whenever they had free time, they''d go out together-hunting for the best restaurants, snapping photos, chasing sunsets. They saw breathtaking views, tasted incredible dishes, and met all kinds of interesting people.
For a moment, M felt like she''d been transported back to that perfect summer of her youth the same people, the same joy.
But good times neverst forever.
After a year studying in America, Lysander suddenly returned home.
The Zionia Grand Hotel.
In the hotel lobby, Archie sat listlessly, nursing a cup of herbal tea. The altitude sickness had killed his appetite, and he cast an envious nce at M, who looked positively radiant across the table.
She was happily digging into a slice of creamy cheesecake, a bowl of tangy yogurt beside her.
A bite of cake, then a spoonful of yogurt.
Her appetite was enviable-she looked like she hadn''t a care in the world.
"Cousin, you''re in a great mood today. Something good happen?" Archie couldn''t help but ask.
M nodded. "Yeah, you could say that."
She nced at the untouched roast beef sandwich in front of Archie and asked, "Still not feeling well?"
Archie nodded meekly, took a sip of tea, and inhaled a bit of oxygen from a portable canister.
He couldn''t figure it out.
He was supposed to be the athletic one-so how was it that his cousin, who always seemed so delicate, was doing just fine up here on the teau, while he was falling apart? All those years of working out, wasted?
The thought made him even more breathless. He took another hit of oxygen.
The color returned to his cheeks, and he perked up. "Cousin, didn''t youe to Sris City to see some religious sites? There''s a church nearby. Want to check it out?"
They''d driven all day yesterday, and Archie''s altitude sickness had forced them to take a half-day break.
Archie felt bad for holding her back.
Not wanting to admit how miserable he felt, he''d gotten up early, researched local sights, and found ces he thought M might like—he didn''t want her to be bored.
M knew what he was trying to do and didn''t refuse. Truthfully, she did want to see the church, and with some free time after breakfast, she set out, leaving Archie to rest at the hotel.
But in the end, she never made it inside.
Because just outside the church, she ran into a strange blind priest in a crimson robe.