Chapter 43 Birthday

• Oliver had noticed Annabel’s sudden coldness. She barely acknowledged him in class; her once warm and teasing remarks were replaced by curt responses or complete silence. But he didn’t let it get to him. He understood the situation and figured out that her engagement to Bernard was more than just a formality so it would make no sense to let him shake her.
• It was an unspoken boundary and a reminder of the impossibility of what he wanted. He respected that, even if it hurt badly.
• He tried to keep his interactions with her light, as if her coldness was nothing more than a passing mood. Every time she ignored him, he reminded himself of her obligations and of the weight she carried as her father’s heiress.