Chapter 2

Quinn scoffed when she heard the hard edge in my voice. After all, she had always believed that as long as I was living off her dime, there was no way I would ever actually divorce her. "You ought to think this through. Once you leave me, you won't even be able to feed yourself!"

I smiled and shook my head. She clearly didn't want me to leave, yet she still acted as though she were above me. "Don't waste your time worrying about me. Go enjoy your perfect life with Oliver."

Quinn and I were high school classmates. We didn't have some grand or cinematic love story.

She told me that she felt an instant connection the moment she first laid eyes on me. I, on the other hand, found her cute.

After graduating, I gave up the opportunity to further my studies at Cedarbourne and enrolled in an ordinary university with her. I had a huge fight with my family over it and eventually cut ties with them.

Back then, she was thoughtful and understanding; she worked herself to the bone to earn money to support me through graduate school. Perhaps it was all those late nights that eventually left her with chronic insomnia.

I'd searched high and low for a way to treat her insomnia, racking my brain until I finally came up with a special treatment. I prepared medicinal baths for her to soak in and help her sleep.

Quinn had smiled, wrapped her arms around me, and kissed me passionately. At the time, she was touched, yet her heart also went out to me.

Once she entered the workforce, I did everything I could to support her career. Aside from pulling strings and calling in favors to help her build connections, I spent the rest of my time holed up in herbal medicine shops, refining and improving the formula for her treatment.

Once, I suffered such a severe asthma attack that I went into hypoxic shock. I only survived after spending three days in the hospital on oxygen.

Quinn had bawled her eyes out beside my bed, swearing that from then on, she would always stay by my side and never let me put myself in danger again. She had told me that my health was what mattered most.

Following that incident, we walked down the aisle and got married. Now, she had probably even forgotten that I had asthma and allergies.

…

After leaving Quinn's villa, I headed straight to the hospital for a checkup. Even though asthma was difficult to treat, I could still live a healthy life as long as I stayed away from medicinal herbs.

The doctor prescribed me some medication to prevent further allergic reactions and expressed his gratitude. "You are far too generous, Mr. Heathcliff. The treatment formula you provided for neurogenic insomnia has been remarkably effective!"

I smiled. That was only to be expected. I'd personally tested the treatment on myself for seven years to help Quinn. How could it possibly have been ineffective?

After picking up my medication, I was about to leave when I ran into Oliver in the lobby. He looked at me with an eerie, contemptuous smile, sneering that I had fallen so far that I looked like a beggar, yet I still wasn't satisfied with a wife as wonderful as Quinn.

I couldn't even be bothered to waste my breath on him. Deep down, I thought that if someone like him had lived in ancient times, the whole village would've tied him up and thrown him into the river. The modern justice system was the only reason he was still breathing.

"What are you doing here, Julian?"

Unsurprisingly, where Oliver goes, Quinn follows. She looked haggard, yet she forced herself to put on a stern expression as she questioned me. I wondered when I'd get to see that exaggerated expression of hers with Oliver around.

"How much longer are you planning to keep this up before you move back home?"

In Quinn's mind, I was an errant child, and her word was law. I hid my medication and test reports behind my back. I was in no mood to entertain her.

Her face was flushed with anger, her brows knit together. For a fleeting second, I thought I caught a hint of concern in her eyes.

"What are you doing at the hospital? Have you fallen ill? Why didn't you tell me? Are you giving me the cold shoulder? What on earth is going through your head, Julian?"

At this point, she still didn't understand; she assumed I'd left her simply to force her to give in. She assumed I'd come to the hospital because I'd followed her there, unable to bear the thought of letting her go, and had deliberately made sure she saw me.

I was exasperated at how self-centered she was. I shook my head and turned to leave. "I wish you two a happy life together and hope you grow old together!"

Quinn, however, acted as if I'd betrayed her. She chased after me and bellowed, "You're so petty, Julian. You'll never measure up to Oliver in that regard!"

My gaze was ice-cold. I had zero desire to waste another breath on this brainless woman. Clutching my bag of medication, I stormed off.

Just then, Oliver pointed to the sign above the pharmacy counter, motioning for Quinn to drop the argument. "Q—Ms. White, look. The hospital has just come up with a new treatment for neurogenic insomnia."

He was well-mannered, and his tone was gentle. "Look, you haven't been sleeping well lately, right? The hospital claims this treatment has been very effective. You should give it a shot."

When I hailed a cab outside the hospital, I happened to catch sight of Oliver and Quinn. He was pointing at something and chattering away, while she stood rooted to the spot, staring blankly at the sign.