Chapter 4: An Unexpected Beginning

The drive back from the Chapman Estate was surprisingly peaceful.

Nathaniel kept both hands on the steering wheel as the city lights reflected across the windshield. Unlike George, he didn't feel the need to fill every moment with conversation. The silence wasn't awkward. It was comfortable.

Beatrice looked out the window, watching the familiar streets pass by.

For the first time since waking up in this second life, she felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

"Thank you for driving me home," she said after several minutes.

Nathaniel smiled faintly.

"It's the least I could do."

"After all, we're engaged now."

His calm tone made Beatrice laugh softly.

"You're taking this rather well."

"Shouldn't I?"

"Most people would have been shocked."

"I was shocked," Nathaniel admitted.

"But that doesn't mean I'm unhappy."

She turned to look at him.

"You're not?"

"No."

"Grandfather has spoken highly of you for years."

"Anyone he respects must have earned it."

His answer caught her completely off guard.

There wasn't a trace of calculation behind his words.

Only honesty.

"You don't even know me," Beatrice said.

"Perhaps not."

"Then why agree so quickly?"

Nathaniel kept his eyes on the road.

"Because marriage shouldn't begin with suspicion."

"It should begin with trust."

"I decided to trust your choice."

Beatrice lowered her eyes.

In her previous life, George had begun their engagement by setting conditions.

Nathaniel had begun theirs with trust.

The difference couldn't have been clearer.

When the car stopped outside the Layton residence, Nathaniel stepped out first and opened her door.

"Tomorrow I'll visit your parents officially," he said.

"I'd like to ask for their blessing properly."

Beatrice smiled.

"They'll appreciate that."

"Good night, Miss Layton."

"Good night... Nathaniel."

For the first time, she spoke his name without hesitation.

Nathaniel watched until she safely entered the house before quietly driving away.

Inside the Layton residence, the atmosphere couldn't have been more different.

The moment Beatrice entered, her parents hurried toward her.

"Is it true?" her mother asked.

"You really chose Nathaniel?"

"Yes."

"Not George?"

"Not George."

Her father looked genuinely confused.

"But you've loved that boy since childhood."

"People change," Beatrice answered gently.

"Sometimes growing up means realizing you've been chasing the wrong dream."

Neither parent fully understood her explanation.

Still...

Seeing the calm confidence in their daughter's eyes, they decided not to question her further.

"If this is truly what you want," her father said, "then your mother and I will support you."

"Always."

Beatrice hugged both of them tightly.

She had forgotten how comforting unconditional love could feel.

In her previous life, she had been too consumed by George to appreciate the family who genuinely cared about her.

This time would be different.

Meanwhile, back at the Chapman Estate...

George remained standing alone on the balcony long after every guest had gone home.

The cold evening breeze swept across the gardens, yet he barely noticed.

His thoughts refused to settle.

"She actually chose Nathaniel..."

"Why?"

"Why would she do that?"

Footsteps approached behind him.

"Still thinking about Beatrice?"

George turned.

It was Isabella.

She wrapped a light shawl around her shoulders before joining him.

"I thought you'd be celebrating tonight," she said.

"Instead you're standing out here by yourself."

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

George looked away.

"She's playing games."

"Eventually she'll admit she only did it to make me jealous."

Isabella studied him carefully.

"Would that bother you?"

"Of course not."

"Then why keep talking about her?"

George had no answer.

The silence between them grew uncomfortable.

Suddenly...

Another strange memory flashed before his eyes.

A wedding ring.

A woman crying silently beside a hospital bed.

His own voice saying cruel words he couldn't quite hear.

George staggered backward, gripping the balcony railing.

"George!" Isabella exclaimed.

"Are you alright?"

"I... I don't know."

"I've been seeing strange things all day."

"Dreams?"

"No."

"They feel real."

Isabella frowned.

"Maybe you're just tired."

"You should get some rest."

George nodded absentmindedly.

But deep inside...

He knew those weren't ordinary dreams.

They felt like memories.

Elsewhere in the mansion, Mr. Chapman Senior sat quietly inside his study.

Nathaniel entered after knocking gently.

"You wanted to see me, Grandfather?"

"Sit down."

Nathaniel obeyed.

"Tell me honestly," the elderly man said.

"What do you think of Beatrice?"

Nathaniel considered the question carefully.

"She seems different from how everyone describes her."

"Different how?"

"Everyone says she's impulsive."

"Today... she was calm."

"Thoughtful."

"Almost as though she'd lived through experiences most people never could."

Mr. Chapman Senior smiled knowingly.

"Interesting observation."

"Do you regret accepting her choice?"

"Not at all."

"Then treasure her."

"Some people spend their entire lives searching for someone they can trust."

"Don't waste that opportunity."

"I won't," Nathaniel promised.

The elderly man nodded with satisfaction.

After Nathaniel left, he opened an old wooden drawer.

Inside rested a faded photograph taken decades earlier.

It showed himself standing beside Beatrice's late grandfather during the war.

"Old friend," he whispered.

"Your granddaughter has grown into an extraordinary young woman."

"I only hope I've helped her find the happiness she deserves."

Late that night, Beatrice stood beside her bedroom window unable to sleep.

The moonlight illuminated the quiet garden below.

Everything had changed in a single day.

She had broken free from the future that once destroyed her.

Yet something still troubled her.

George's strange reaction.

His unusual words.

The way he had looked at her after she chose Nathaniel.

"Could he really remember our previous life?" she wondered.

"Or am I simply imagining it?"

She closed the curtains and quietly climbed into bed.

Whatever the answer...

She had already made her decision.

This lifetime belonged to her.

And no matter what memories returned...

She would never again allow the past to decide her future.