LOGINHenry's smile was bitter and full of resignation, and as he looked at Quentin, his eyes were filled with envy.After a long while, he gave a wry smile. "If none of this had happened, I think I would have given it a shot no matter what, even if she still ended up choosing you."Quentin's lips curved slightly, but he didn't say anything.Henry let out a long sigh and went on. "Quentin, Talia's afraid of being alone, so make sure you spend plenty of time with her. She also tends to keep things bottled up, so you need to make the effort to understand what she's thinking."She may not be working right now, but she's an incredibly capable person. All through college, she was always at the top of her class, and she has a lot of great ideas of her own. Her marriage just held her back. No matter what, though, she's still herself."He paused deliberately there, then quickly continued, "She's a neat freak, so you'd better shower often. She loves ribs, especially in a hearty stew. Her favorit
Quentin had almost believed all the cruel things Talia had said to him. Yet when she had been with him, she had been so happy.So she had been keeping another secret all along, and she had carried it alone for this long. If Henry hadn't told him, Quentin had no idea when he would have found out the truth. He had even started wondering whether he should let her go.Quentin looked up toward the second floor and fought back his tears, but his chest still felt inexplicably tight.After a long while, he let out a deep sigh. "I never realized she could be this foolish."His words were tangled with too many conflicting emotions.Henry said, "If I'd known sooner, I never would have let any of this happen."Quentin slowly turned back and met Henry's gaze. After a moment, he said, "If you'd found out sooner, she wouldn't be Talia."Henry fell silent because he knew that Quentin wasn't wrong.Eventually, Henry got to his feet. "Take care of her. I'm heading out."Quentin gave a faint smi
The moment Quentin heard a noise at the door, all his exhaustion vanished in an instant.He looked toward the door on instinct, only to find Henry standing there. And the person lying in Henry's arms was none other than the woman he had been thinking about day and night.Quentin sprang to his feet and hurried over to Henry, too surprised to think twice. "What happened?"Henry held Talia out toward him. "Here, take her."Quentin didn't hesitate and took her into his arms.Talia's eyes were closed, and she was sleeping soundly. Quentin looked down at her, and his heart nearly melted.Henry knew Quentin loved Talia no less than he did, so he only said in a low voice, "Take good care of her."Quentin looked up at Henry and was about to agree, but then something occurred to him. "How did you end up bringing her back here?"Henry grew a little angry when Quentin responded with a question. "Quentin, answer me first."Quentin froze for a second, then quickly replied, "Okay. I promise
Behind him, Christian's footsteps drew closer, each one heavy and oppressive.Startled by the gunshot, Jane had ducked behind the refrigerator.As for Henry, he didn't take another step toward the door, but he didn't turn around either.When Christian reached him, he raised the gun and aimed its black muzzle at the back of Henry's head. "Put her down."Henry didn't show the slightest hint of panic, and his voice was cold. "She doesn't belong here."Christian found that laughable. He lowered the gun and slowly moved around to stand in front of Henry, blocking his way.He laughed mockingly, his voice full of contempt. "If you don't care about staying alive, go ahead and take her."Henry's eyes locked with Christian's. After a moment, he said dismissively, "Then I'd rather die."Without a moment's hesitation, he carried Talia toward the door.Christian hadn't expected him to make that choice, and it caught him a little off guard when Henry kept walking. In that instant, a flood o
After Christian left the kitchen, Talia remained seated on the floor, the cold tiles beneath her leaching warmth from her body.For a brief moment, she even thought about ending this mess in the most extreme way possible, but it was only a passing thought.She didn't know how much time had gone by. Her body had nearly gone numb when Jane's startled voice came from the living room. "W-Who are you?"Talia's first thought was that Quentin had arrived.She tried to push herself up off the floor, but her arms and legs were so weak that she had no strength left. She was afraid it was Quentin, though, and she didn't want him to see her like this, so she gritted her teeth and forced herself up in one go.The moment she stood, everything went black, and she collapsed to the floor. After that, Talia lost consciousness completely. Just before she blacked out, the sound of approaching footsteps reached her.Jane turned at the noise from the kitchen. When she saw that Talia had fainted, she p
Talia slammed her hand on the table and stood. "Fine. Then I'm leaving."She turned and headed for the door without a moment's hesitation.Just then, Christian let out a cold laugh. "Go ahead and leave. The second you walk out that door, saving Henry becomes even more of a pipe dream."Talia turned back around and stared at Christian's back, close to breaking down. "Then tell me. What exactly do you want me to do?"Christian didn't even turn around, and his voice dripped with contempt. "Please me the way you pleased Quentin."Talia shouted, "I can't do that!"Christian rose from his seat and spun toward her, his eyes blazing with anger. "Then get the hell out! What are you still doing here?"Talia was so furious that she laughed, but tears spilled from her eyes even as she did. Unable to take it anymore, she stepped forward and slapped Christian across the face as hard as she could.The blow knocked Christian's head to the side, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Talia surely couldn't bear to refuse to participate in Yvonne's kindergarten activity. Although it wasn't the first time, Christian still couldn't believe that Talia would do this.After dinner, Talia took Yvonne upstairs to wash up. After finishing, Yvonne wore pink pajamas and hugged her teddy be
Talia answered truthfully, "It should be from Quentin."Hearing this, Garrett immediately got angry. "Do you know how much this bracelet is worth?"Talia looked at Garrett and shook her head."I went to a fashion show with Paige yesterday. After the show ended, they held an auction. This bracelet
Talia looked down at her daughter, who was rushing toward her. Her heart stirred, but because her hands were full of bags, she only coaxed gently, "Alright. I'll go make you something to eat."Although Yvonne had hurt her more than once, the bond between mother and daughter couldn't be erased.Aft
Christian frowned. "What caused it?"Talia replied, "Spicy food, snacks, cold food or drinks, overeating, and irregular sleep can all trigger it."He lowered his eyes. "I see."Seeing him like that, she suddenly remembered something. "Christian, actually, I wanted to talk to you about this."He







