Soft morning sunlight poured into the room through the window. Anaya opened her eyes, but her thoughts were already racing. For three days, she had been waiting for one thing: the evaluation results of her WebNovel.
Every morning when she woke up, she checked her phone first and then turned on her laptop.
But each time, her inbox was empty... and the wait continued.
Today was no different as she reached for her phone.
No new emails.
She set the phone down slowly.
"Maybe we just need to be patient a little longer..." she thought.
However, today wasn't only about waiting.
The boy's family would visit again in the evening.
Last night, her uncle had called her with some news.
"This time, we might finalize everything," he said.
Those words made Anaya's heart flutter in a peculiar way. It felt like two paths lay before her.
On one side was her dream...
And on the other side was marriage.
Her mother called from the kitchen:
"Anaya, are you wake up?"
"Yes, Mom," she answered as she got out of bed and went to the kitchen. Her mom was already preparing tea.
"Get ready a bit earlier today," her mother said. "We have guests coming in the evening."
Anaya stayed quiet. Her mother looked at her closely.
"Are you feeling nervous?" her mother asked gently.
Anaya managed a small smile.
"I'm not nervous... I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"What if my dream comes true one day… will they understand it?"
After a moment of silence, Mother replied:
"All dreams seem strange at first, dear. Until they become real."
It was now afternoon.
Dad returned home early from work.
Small preparations began at their house. They cleaned the hall and set sweets on the table.
Anaya sat in her room with her laptop open but couldn't focus on the screen.
She kept thinking—
What if today was the day for evaluation results?
What if they finalized everything that very day?
She shook off those thoughts and told herself, "Whatever happens, we'll deal with it."
Around five in the evening, the doorbell rang.
Mother answered it.
The boy's family had arrived—his parents and older brother came inside with warm greetings and polite smiles filling the room.
Anaya was called to join them.
Taking a deep breath, she walked into the hall and greeted everyone warmly.
The boy's mother smiled and asked, "How are you doing, dear?"
"I'm fine," Anaya replied politely as they chatted casually for a bit before moving to serious topics.
The boy's father commented, "We find your daughter very smart; such clear thinking is rare these days."
Papa nodded slightly in agreement.
"But…" he added after a pause, "we want household duties to come first after marriage."
A hush fell over everyone in the room.
"If you want to work later on, that's fine," he continued. "But writing should stay as a hobby."
Anaya felt a sharp pain in her heart at his words. Yet instead of looking down or staying quiet this time, she spoke up boldly: "What if writing becomes my job?"
The boy's father looked taken aback.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I mean… what if it's more than just a hobby? What if it turns into my career?"
Everyone's attention shifted toward him now.
With a light chuckle, the boy's mother said, "Dear son, such dreams are lovely… but life tends to be practical."
Dad glanced at Anaya with concern; he feared that their conversation might shift unexpectedly.
Just then,
Anaya's phone buzzed. She accidentally took a look at it. A notification appeared on the screen—
WebNovel—New Email Received.
Her heart started to race. Her hand shook a little.
Could this be the email?
"Is it something important?" her mother asked.
"No... it's just an email," Anaya replied quietly.
But inside, she felt a whirlwind of emotions.
"I'll be back in two minutes," she said politely.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
She hurried to her room, took a deep breath as she shut the door, and opened her phone. The email was right there.
Subject: Contract Evaluation Result
Her fingers hesitated over the screen.
"Should I open it or not?"
For a few seconds, she just stared at the screen before mustering up her courage to click on it.
Her eyes widened as she read the first line: "Congratulations! Your novel has passed the evaluation…"
For a moment, it felt like time had frozen. Her heart raced, and disbelief turned into a smile.
She read again; WebNovel wanted to offer her a contract for her story. This meant her writing could become more than just a hobby—it might actually turn into a career.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she whispered, "It's done…"
All the hard work from months past—the sleepless nights and doubts—suddenly made sense.
---
A few minutes later, she walked back into the hall where everyone looked at her expectantly.
"Is everything okay?" her mother asked.
Anaya glanced at her father, who had questions in his eyes.
"Dad…" she began softly.
"What happened?" he asked.
With a small smile, she announced, "I've received a contract offer."
The room went silent all at once.
Uncle broke the silence first, asking, "Which contract?"
"WebNovel," she answered. "They've approved my story."
Her father stared at her for a moment before gently asking, "What do you mean... can this really work now?"
"Yes, Dad," Anaya replied confidently but calmly.
The boy's parents exchanged looks. His mother said cautiously, "That's great... but handling this after marriage won't be simple."
Anaya quickly responded without hesitation, "I know it won't be easy. But if I get this chance... I don't want to let it slip away."
No one spoke for several moments until Dad smiled slowly, pride shining clearly in his eyes for the first time.
"It seems our daughter has found her path," he remarked.
Anaya felt lighter inside. For the first time that day, she realized—
"Fate doesn't change by just waiting."
Today marked the start of Anaya's dream...
But would the boy's family embrace this new direction?
Or would this relationship come to an end?
Stay tuned until we reach the conclusion of this story to discover what happens next!
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