Chapter 5
“What?” I watched as Quentin tensed up out of nowhere.
He’d spoken way too loud by accident, which caught everyone’s attention. But he didn’t care. His voice was getting unsteady as he demanded, “What’d you say?”
His colleague paused at the other end of the line, then pressed on, stressing each word. ” Quentin, the deceased’s info matches Sharon’s exactly. The name, ID number, address- everything’s the same.”
Quentin looked like all the strength had just drained out of him, and he crumpled to the floor. His phone slipped from his hand, clattering beside him. His custom suit was a mess, all wrinkled and disheveled.
He stared ahead, his eyes lost and empty.
“Quent, what’s going on?” Taylor could see he was completely falling apart. She ignored the murmurs from the guests and bent down to help him up.
“Quent, can you keep up the act a bit longer, just for me?” she whispered in his ear, her voice as sweet as ever.
But Quentin didn’t go along with her like she thought he would. He pushed himself up with her help, his steps unsteady.
He looked at Taylor, still as beautiful as he remembered.
But the way he looked at her had changed. It wasn’t filled with the sweetness it once had. It was replaced with suspicion and scrutiny, showing just how unfamiliar she had become to him.
Taylor looked uncomfortable under his stare. She shook off the awkwardness, took his hand, and forced a smile.
“Quentin, if you don’t want to kiss me, then don’t. Let’s just finish the ceremony, okay?” Her voice had slipped into a desperate tone without her realizing it.
But Quentin disappointed her. He fixed his gaze on her, slowly pulled her hand forced a strained smile that hurt more than tears.
away,
and
“Tay, the person who just called said there’s an issue with your case. I need to head over now,” he explained.
I was in shock. This was the first time Quentin chose to leave Taylor because of me. No matter what I was dealing with in the past, it always felt small next to even the smallest problem Taylor faced.
Taylor was obviously going through this for the first time, too. She reached out to Quentin,
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Chapter 5
looking at him with desperation.
“Quentin, Quent, I’m sorry. We won’t keep going if you’re not into it. Please don’t leave, okay? It’s my birthday today–let’s just have some cake, alright?”
But Quentin, looking like a shell of himself, paid no attention to her. He ignored the surprised stares from the guests and stumbled out of the hall, his eyes empty.
I watched Taylor standing there, looking lost–just like how I felt when left alone at the
engagement party.
After a moment of hesitation, I chose to follow Quentin. He’d always been so calm and composed with me. This was the first time I saw tears welling up in his eyes.
He sped down the road, ignoring the warning from the dashcam. He was driving so fast, and I couldn’t help but worry he might crash, just like I did.
Finally, he pulled up to the law firm’s entrance.
Quentin didn’t even bother parking properly. He simply left the car at the entrance and rushed into his colleague’s office.
His colleague was about to greet him when he noticed Quentin’s bloodshot eyes.
Quentin grabbed the judgment off the desk like someone out of his mind. He read through it word by word, muttering to himself at times.
“Quentin, I’ve checked it a few times already-
“No way!” Quentin cut him off, his face strangely calm. “How could Sharon have died in a car accident? She doesn’t even know how to drive! When Ruby had a fever before, she couldn’t even get to the hospital without me!”
My heart, which had been numb for so long, was suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow.
So, Quentin knew everything.
He knew I couldn’t drive, and Ruby needed medical help for her high fever. But after weighing his options, he still chose Taylor and turned his back on me and Ruby.
Back then, I couldn’t resist his constant pleas and ended up having our first child without getting married. But after I died, he painted me as someone who never cared about herself.
Quentin was just used to ignoring me.
Suddenly, a thought struck him. He grabbed his colleague’s hand and demanded, “What’s going on here? Why is Sharon’s name on the judgment? Why am I just seeing the deceased’s details now? Where were the important details?”
“Quentin, take a deep breath,” his colleague said, backing up a little. Then, he added. weakly, “You’re the one who took on this case.”
Chapter 6
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Chapter 6
