Love Unspoken

Arabella's face twitched a bit, but she managed to keep a smile on.

Quinn went on, "Kyle's like family to us, so I really want him to be happy. Since you married him, I hope you two can make it work." Arabella's heart skipped a beat, and her smile felt forced. "Mrs. Kennedy, what are you getting at?"

Quinn gave her a look. "Exactly what I said. You're smart enough to get it."

Arabella's smile vanished completely.

Quinn's words were a clear warning. Since she couldn't change Kyle's mind, she was starting with Arabella.

She laid it out: Kyle was super important to them. If Arabella ever hurt him, there'd be hell to pay.

Even if Arabella was just pretending to be the woman Kyle liked, she had to keep up the act forever.

Arabella got the message loud and clear. Quinn had done her homework and knew everything about her.

With Quinn's warning, Arabella had to ditch any bad ideas.

She couldn't have fun when Kyle wasn't around, and she definitely couldn't flirt with other guys. Now, she was stuck in an empty house waiting for Kyle.

The thought alone was suffocating.

"What's wrong? You don't look so good," Quinn asked.

Arabella, a bit out of it, replied, "I get it."

Quinn smiled, "Don't be so tense. I really do hope you two will be happy."

Arabella forced a smile, "I know. Thanks for your concern, Mrs. Kennedy."

Just then, Briar came back with groceries, and Quinn went to help her. She had bought a ton, and they couldn't carry it all. Kyle came up to help and brought everything inside. When Kyle came out, he saw Arabella looking off. He walked over and asked, "What's up? What did you and Mrs. Kennedy talk about?"

Arabella forced another smile. "Nothing much. She just wished us well."

"Really?" Kyle smiled too. "I told you she's nice. You were worried she'd be tough on you, but see? No big deal."

Kyle always thought Quinn was the type who wouldn't make things hard for anyone. If anything, people made things hard for her.

Arabella couldn't tell Kyle that Quinn knew about her past. She couldn't risk Kyle finding out and being disgusted or asking for the money back.

You can't have it all. Between freedom and money, Arabella chose money.

She thought with Kyle always being away, she could have both freedom and money. But now, she knew she lost her freedom, and she didn't care for Kyle anymore. She even found him annoying.

Lunch was a big spread. Quinn invited them to eat. Sprout, wanting to join, stood on a chair and ate with a spoon.

Alexander came back. When he walked in, Quinn stood up, surprised. "I thought you weren't coming back."

Alexander said, "I came back as soon as I finished work."

Quinn said, "Perfect timing. Sit down and eat."

Alexander sat next to her. Arabella got even more nervous seeing him.

He seemed even tougher to deal with than Quinn.

Arabella felt trapped sitting there and wished the boring gathering would end already.

Alexander didn't say a word or even look at Arabella. He acted like he was invisible, doing his own thing like they weren't even there.

Kyle was used to it, but Arabella didn't dare make a sound the whole time.

After finally finishing the meal, Arabella nudged Kyle to leave quickly.

Kyle had no choice but to stand up and say, "Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy, we're heading out now."

Quinn replied, "Take it easy on the way."

Kyle took Arabella out of Regal Riverside and said, "Alright, we're out now. You can relax."

Arabella forced a smile. "I know, maybe it's just first-meeting jitters, like officially visiting the parents. I couldn't help but be nervous."

Kyle said, "It'll get better once you get to know them."

Arabella responded, "Yeah, let's head back."Quinn watched them leave, then turned back to cleaning the food off Sprout's clothes. Alexander asked, "So, you met them. Notice anything?"

Quinn replied, "Not much. Just had them over for a meal. But Arabella seemed really guilty. She definitely doesn't like Kyle." "Did you see if Kyle likes her?" Alexander asked.

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, he does. Kyle really cares about her. When I tried to dig a bit, he shut me down. Maybe he's hiding something."

Alexander chuckled. "Now that you've met them and had the meal, just chill and stop stressing about it."

Quinn declared, "I know. I'm not planning to keep tabs on them. Whether Arabella likes Kyle or not, she won't dare hurt him when he's not around." Alexander remarked, "You're something else."

Quinn glared at him. "I don't want to talk to you. You never care about anything, never ask or worry."

Alexander shook his head, helplessly.

It was just a brief interlude. They still had to head to the island for Christmas.

Everything was packed, and at dawn the next day, they were ready to go.

Kyle rushed over to help carry their stuff.

Quinn saw the happiness on his face and figured he had a good couple of days.novelbin

They started the routine of switching between different modes of transportation again. Quinn carried Brandy, and Alexander held Sprout.

When they arrived at the fishing village again, Quinn felt an odd sense of familiarity.

The first time she came, she was scared to death. This time, she wasn't scared at all.

She asked Brandy, "Are you scared?"

Brandy, still young and without a concept of fear, looked around curiously and shook her head.

Quinn said, "I hope they won't get lost this time."

Kyle laughed. "No way. They've been here so many times; it's impossible to get lost again. But it's already dark now. Let's find a room to rest. They should arrive tomorrow." Quinn nodded and went to the room they stayed in before. The room was still the same, with a coffin inside, but she knew it was empty, so she didn't mind.

Unfortunately, they weren't lucky, and it started raining that night.

Brandy covered her ears and curled up next to her. Quinn held her and patted her shoulder. "It's okay. Don't be afraid."

Sprout was a bit braver. He tilted his head to look at the roof when he heard the thunder, as if trying to see where the thunder was coming from.

Kyle said, "How are we so unlucky? It starts raining as soon as we get here!"

Quinn replied, "It's winter, and we're by the sea. Rainy days are normal. The rain will stop tomorrow."

But things didn't go as she expected. The rain continued the next day, with dark clouds looming over the sea, as if more rain was on the way. Moreover, Brandy either caught a cold or was too scared and developed a high fever.

Quinn used a fever patch, but it didn't help, and she started to panic. "What should we do? Her forehead is still so hot." Alexander frowned, picked Brandy up, and felt her forehead. "It might be acclimatization. She's always had a weak constitution." Quinn felt even more distressed; she had forgotten that Brandy had surgery before.

It was still raining outside, and there was no cell signal. They couldn't go back or leave. They were in big trouble.

"If I had known, we wouldn't have come." Quinn sat down, feeling powerless, the firelight flickering on her face, and she felt a bit guilty.

Alexander said, "Don't worry. Brandy will be fine. She hasn't had a fever much before. An occasional fever can actually boost her immunity." "Really?" Quinn asked.

Kyle chimed in, "Yeah, Mrs. Kennedy, so don't worry too much."

Besides, worrying wouldn't help. They couldn't see a doctor now. Fortunately, Quinn had packed a lot of medicine before they left. Alexander had complained about her bringing too much stuff, but now it was coming in handy.