Semua Bab When She Turns Her Back: Bab 641 - Bab 650

When Talia settled onto the couch, Millie had already wandered off to the other side of the hall.Talia pulled out her phone, expecting Quentin to take a while to respond. But he replied almost instantly. "What's up? Miss me already?"Just reading those words, she could already picture that insufferably casual look on his face. She typed back, "I'm at your house.""I know," he replied.She frowned at the screen. "It's New Year's Eve tonight. Why aren't you home with Mrs. Henderson? She doesn't seem very happy."The little typing indicator appeared beneath his name. A moment later, his message came through. "It's fine. You're there for me."That only confused her more. "So you're still working overtime?"Instead of answering, he turned it back on her. "Are you worried about me?"Talia let out a quiet sigh and typed back that she was just asking, and not to read into it."Go eat then," he replied. "My mom's a great cook. Eat a little extra for me and keep her company."She was

Talia sat on the step, her face scrunched in pain, as she rubbed her backside. The fall had knocked the breath out of her, but she still heard Quentin's voice cut through it.She turned instinctively to find him already on the stairs, making his way down toward her one step at a time. He was dressed in pajamas and slippers, his expression tight with worry."Quentin." She stared at him. "You're actually home?"But he didn't answer her. He crouched in front of her, his eyes scanning her over. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"She looked up at him. She was still a little dazed, but she answered him anyway. "No. I just twisted my wrist a little.""Let me see."He reached for her arm as he said it. The moment his hand closed around it, the pain shot through her so sharply that her whole face crumpled. He immediately let go.Talia rotated her wrist carefully. It was sore and swollen, but it could still move."It's fine," she said as she shook her head. "As long as I can move it, it's not

Talia stood in the doorway, the light from the room spilling over her. Behind her, her shadow stretched long across the floor.The moment Quentin's words left his mouth, she went completely still.She had almost let herself forget what had happened that night at the hospital. It wasn't because she didn't want to remember, but because she saw no point in holding onto it. Keeping that kind of pain close only meant staying in it. She would rather let it go.What she hadn't expected was that the very thing she hadn't dared to remember had stayed with Quentin all this time. All these days, he had probably been quietly working out how to make Connor answer for it. The thought settled over her like a weight she didn't know how to carry.She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. Even if it was all for show, even if there was something else behind it, that open, unguarded warmth of his burned like a fire.It pulled at something in her she kept trying to hold still. More than once, she h

Talia watched her phone screen go dark in the basin and looked at Quentin. "You..."He had the decency to look apologetic. "Sorry, I didn't mean to. I'll get you a new one."He said it with a straight face, but Talia knew perfectly well that he had done it deliberately. She held his gaze somewhat angrily. "Quentin, you did that on purpose.""I really didn't. It was an accident."Talia didn't bother arguing. She held out her hand and demanded, "Give me your phone."Quentin frowned. "What do you need it for?""To make a call."Quentin tried to push himself up from the bed, his gaze darkening. "You remember Henry's number?""No," she said honestly.He let out a breath. "Then who are you calling?""My sister-in-law. She has his number."Quentin held himself up a moment longer before the effort got to him, and he sank back down. Once the pain had settled a little, he reached for his phone and held it out to her.Talia reached for it. Before her hand could close around it, he dro

Quentin's brows furrowed slightly. "Where are you going? To see Henry? What makes you think he'd still be standing there waiting for you?"Talia didn't answer. She didn't want to argue with him, not while he was still hurt. She stepped back, putting some distance between them. He reached out and found nothing but air.She turned and walked out of the room without looking back. He could have stopped her, but he didn't.It wasn't until she was downstairs that Talia remembered her phone was broken. But she knew Henry. If she didn't show up, he wouldn't leave. That was just how he was.She stepped outside and flagged down a cab, giving the driver the city square as her destination.When she got out, she paid in cash. She had always kept some on her. It was a habit that she had held onto from the years of looking after Yvonne.One time, she forgot her phone, and Yvonne wanted to buy a balloon. At that time, she hadn't been able to pull out a single coin. She had never let herself be c