Flora’s Guide to a Second Chance at Love and Life novel Chapter 1979

She’d spent two whole months pinching pennies just to buy that leather jacket—skipping snacks, counting every cent, emptying out her piggy bank. When she finally handed over her hard-earned cash, it felt like a huge, painful victory.

And she hadn’t even worn it anywhere special yet. This was only the third day she’d had it on.

Now Amy had just used her precious jacket to wipe down a chair?

Was she seriously out of her mind?

“Amy, I’m done with you!” she snapped, practically flying at Amy in a burst of rage.

Amy, thin and a little pale, was obviously smaller than the girl picking a fight. Anyone could see she’d be an easy target.

The troublemaker noticed it too, which only made her push harder.

“Let me teach you a lesson!” she shouted, shoving Amy. She didn’t mean to use much force—Amy looked so fragile that if anything happened, she didn’t want to be responsible.

Still, even a little shove sent Amy stumbling back, crashing hard into the wall.

People always root for the underdog.

Sure, the old “fake Amy” had done some pretty awful stuff, but that wasn’t this Amy. The crowd had hated the imposter, but with this girl, their feelings were more complicated—suspicion at first, but now, after watching her get hurt, mostly sympathy.

Amy struggled to sit up, gingerly touching her forehead. She winced, eyebrows drawn tight with pain.

Her whole face scrunched up, and the way she trembled showed just how much it hurt.

“Are you crazy? Amy didn’t do anything wrong! You knocked the water over on purpose, and instead of apologizing, you insult her? What are you even proud of?” someone called out.

“If your jacket’s really that important, why’d you spill water on my chair in the first place?” Amy shot back, her voice trembling as she was helped to her feet, hand still pressed to her bruised forehead. The hurt and anger in her eyes was all too real.

Even Fiona, who usually kept her distance, glanced over with interest.

She didn’t care much about Amy herself, but she had to admit, she respected how Amy handled things.

“Tyler, when you brought her back, did you notice anything weird?” Fiona asked quietly.

Tyler thought about it, then shook his head. “No, not really.”

“Actually—she doesn’t seem scared of strangers,” he added.

Fiona’s lips curled into a faint, thoughtful smile. Someone kept locked in a basement for years, who barely ever saw anyone except Grace and, sometimes, Amy’s parents...