Chapter 14
Winter’s heart raced as she walked into the café where Jeno had asked to meet. The atmosphere felt heavy, the low hum of conversation doing little to ease her nerves. She spotted Jeno at a table near the window, his confident demeanor unshaken as he sipped a cup of coffee.
“Thanks for coming,” Jeno said as Winter sat across from him.
Winter leaned back, crossing her arms. “What do you want? How did you know me? Where did you get my number?”
Jeno’s smile didn’t waver. “Straight to the point. I like that. Look, I’m not here to fight. I just wanted to clear the air and to answer all your questions, Background check.”
“Clear the air about what?” Winter asked, her tone sharp.
“About Karina,” Jeno said, his expression growing more serious. “I know you two have… something. But I think you deserve to know the truth about where she stands.”
Winter’s chest tightened. “What are you talking about?”
Jeno sighed, setting his cup down. “Karina and I… we’re not just old friends. We’re connected by something bigger. Our families have an arrangement, one that’s been in place for years. And as much as she might try to fight it, Karina knows what’s expected of her.”
Winter clenched her fists under the table. “An arrangement? You mean an arranged marriage?”
Jeno nodded. “Exactly. And her dad is very clear about wanting her to honor it. I’m not saying this to hurt you, Winter. I’m saying it because I think it’s better you know now, before you get more involved.”
Winter’s mind spun. She thought about Karina’s recent distance, the cryptic messages, and the tension that had been building between them. It all made a painful kind of sense now.
“If she didn’t want this,” Winter said, her voice trembling with restrained anger, “why would she agree to it?”
Jeno shrugged. “Family is complicated. Sometimes we have to make sacrifices for the people we love.”
Winter pushed her chair back, standing abruptly. “I think we’re done here.”
Jeno called after her, his tone uncharacteristically soft. “I’m sorry, Winter. Truly.”
But Winter didn’t look back. She walked out of the café, her chest tight with anger and hurt.
That evening, Karina’s phone buzzed with a new message. She opened it, expecting a reminder from Jeno or her parents. Instead, it was from Winter.
We need to talk.
Karina’s heart sank. She could feel the weight of Winter’s words, the unspoken tension lurking behind them. She typed a quick reply.
Okay. Where?
Winter’s response came quickly. The park. Tonight.
Karina arrived at the park just as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting a golden glow over the trees. She spotted Winter sitting on a bench, her posture rigid and her expression unreadable.
“Winter,” Karina said softly as she approached.
Winter stood, her hands clenched at her sides. “How long were you planning to keep it from me?”
Karina’s brows furrowed. “Keep what from you?”
“The arrangement,” Winter said, her voice cold. “You and Jeno. Your dad. All of it.”
Karina’s heart dropped. “I… I was going to tell you. I just didn’t know how.”
“You didn’t know how?” Winter repeated, her voice rising. “You’ve been dragging me along, making me feel like there was something real between us, and all this time you’ve been keeping this huge secret?”
“It’s not like that,” Karina said, tears welling in her eyes. “I never wanted this arrangement. I’ve been trying to fight it for years.”
“And yet, here we are,” Winter said bitterly. “You’re still tied to him, to your family’s expectations. And where does that leave me? Just another casualty of your complicated life?”
Karina stepped closer, reaching for Winter’s hand. “Please, Winter. You mean so much to me. I—”
Winter pulled away, shaking her head. “Don’t. Don’t say things you can’t back up. I can’t keep doing this, Karina. I can’t keep hoping for something that’s never going to happen.”
“It can happen,” Karina said desperately. “I just need more time.”
“Time won’t change the fact that you’re still bound to him,” Winter said. Her voice broke as she added, “And I can’t compete with that.”
Karina watched helplessly as Winter turned and walked away, her figure disappearing into the darkness. The ache in her chest was unbearable, and for the first time, she felt truly powerless to fix what had been broken.
Later that night, Karina sat in her room, staring at her phone. Her dad’s message replayed in her mind: Don’t let me down this time.
Tears streamed down her face as she whispered to herself, “What am I supposed to do?”