“I said those things in a fit of anger… I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth… really… Honestly, deep down, I almost wished you were that kind of woman. That way, I could lay all my wealth at your feet…
“All for just a glance from you. I never hated you. I was just running away from the fact that you didn’t love me.”
I burst into laughter through my tears and wrapped my arms around his neck, coming to a firm conclusion.
“Ryan, so you’ve been in love with me all along.”
The next time I saw Quentin was at a shopping mall.
I was out with friends, shopping for baby supplies, and my belly was already showing.
Quentin stood in the distance, watching me for a long time. When I finally noticed him, he walked up, his gaze falling on my stomach as he murmured in a daze, “Weren’t we just pretending all along? Natalie, how could you be pregnant?”
I instinctively cradled my belly, eyeing him warily.
His expression darkened, his eyes full of unspoken words. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, the words
never came.
Before he could, my friend, who was frightened, grabbed my arm and pulled me away.
“Let’s go! He looks mentally unstable! What if he tries to hurt you?”
When our baby turned a month old, Ryan finally told me that Quentin was dead.
I was momentarily stunned.
“How did he die?”
1/2
Chapter 10
Ryan held our daughter in his arms and explained in detail.
+15 Bonus
“Quentin poured a huge amount of money into real estate speculation, but due to market adjustments, the housing market crashed, and his capital chain broke. After his company went bankrupt, he got addicted to gambling and racked up enormous debts. In the end, he jumped from the unfinished eighteenth floor of the Norman Group Tower. The safety air cushion didn’t
catch him… He died on the spot.”
I thought of his past vows, and a chill ran down my spine. “Honey, we should start doing more charity work.”
Ryan rocked our daughter gently in his arms and smiled. “Alright, let’s do it for our baby girl’s good fortune.”
**********
Late at night, a cold wind howled through the streets.
Olivia hugged herself tightly, listening to people discuss Quentin’s death. A mocking smile appeared on her lips as she whispered,
“Pathetic.”
A drunken man beside her suddenly slapped her across the face and cursed, “You b*tch! Who are you calling pathetic?!”
From the dark alleyway, muffled sobs echoed through the night.
