bChapter /bb653 /b

    b29/bb% /b

    20

    As I stood there, dazed, Edward leaned in again, his lips pressed against mine, relentless and intoxicating.

    In the confined space, his cool, subtle scent filled the air between us, and I found myself getting lost in him. Edward was just too good at this–always leaving me wanting more, unable to pull away.

    I knew I couldn’t possibly win against him.

    If I really let things progress between us, I’d have no say in how it goes.

    For some reason, something in me snapped. As Edward leaned in and started kissing my neck, memories of my previous life shed before my eyes. A chill ran down my spine, snapping me back to my senses.

    Edward kept kissing me for a bit, but when he realized I waspletely still, not responding at all, ihe /iilooked /iup at me, startled.

    “What’s wrong?” Edward asked, his voice husky.

    I gently pulled down the shirt he’d lifted, fixed the messy hair by my ear, and said, “My roommate’s had too much to drink. I need to go take care of her.”

    Edward froze, like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water on him, instantly dousing the fire inside him.

    He looked at me, his eyes shadowed with disappointment. After a long moment, he nodded. “Alright. I’ll look for you tomorrow.”

    When I heard him say that, I bit my lip. “I’ll be pretty busy tomorrow. I have to tour a manor hotel with my professor.”

    Edward let out a soft “Oh.” “So, we’re not seeing each other tomorrow?”

    “Mm,” I said, pushing the car door open and stepping out.

    The chill outside made me even more clear–headed/

    I didn’t want to walk a tough road just for revenge.

    Just looking at Ryan, I could see how out of reach the Jennings family really was.

    If I couldn’t break into their circle, I wasn’t going to force it.

    I figured if I kept turning Edward down, he’d get bored of me sooner orter.

    Aren’t all guys like this? Mess around a few times, and once they think a girl’s not fun anymore, they just go off chasing

    someone new.

    The bnext /bmorning, the professor had a car sent over, but since there still weren’t enough seats, he asked some of bthe /bstudents to drive as well.

    Mr. bWace/bb, /bthe guy I’d turned downst time, seemed to see this as another chance to impress me.

    b1/2 /b

    b15:37 /bbThu/bb, /bb18 /bbSept /b

    E

    +28

    He hurried over to me with a big smile and said, “Victoria, why don’t you ride with me? I’m only taking three people, so it

    won’t be crowded.”

    I politely declined and quickly hopped into the van.

    I pulled out my phone and started snapping photos of the view outside, picked a few nice shots to send to Yvonne.

    When we got to the Manor Hotel, everyone followed the professor around as he showed us the ce and told us about its history and culture.

    While everyone else was listening and taking notes, I just stood there quietly, staring at the reliefs and murals on the walls. They felt so familiar, like the national treasures from back home–the Dunhuang murals.

    I remembered that the museums here in the United Kingdom have lots of precious artifacts from all over the world. Once I graduate, I’m definitely going to go see them for myself.

    The morning ss onlysted an hour before our professor gave us some free time to explore. One of the students even offered to treat everyone to lunch at the hotel restaurant.

    I found myself sitting in a quiet garden with a few like–minded women, sipping coffee and chatting away.

    Some were single, some married, but all of them were ambitious. Instead of talking about family gossip, we spent our time dreaming about our careers and nning for what’s next.

    Just talking with them, I picked up all kinds of new ideas.

    One of the single girls propped her chin on her hand and asked, “Ms. Murphy, do you have any marriage advice for me? My family’s been on my case nonstop, saying I have to find a guy and get married before the year’s out.”

    I took a sip of my coffee and smiled. “Honestly, I can’t really give you advice. Marriage is like water–only you know if it’s warm or cold once iyou /itaste it.”

    One of the older marrieddies nearby frowned and said, “If you ask me, as long as you stick to one rule, you’ll get by just

    fine.”

    We all turned to her, curious. “What rule?”

    She gave us a sly smile. “Never check your man’s phone.”

    AD