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Home / Romance Short Story / Tainted Love? I'll Pass / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of Tainted Love? I'll Pass: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

12 Chapters

Chapter 1

I was scrolling through my social feed when I saw that my girlfriend, Rene Watson, had just been promoted. The thought of not having seen each other for nearly three months because of work hit me hard, and I booked the next flight to her city.Without letting Rene know, I stood at her doorstep with a bouquet, ready to surprise her. However, I never imagined she would show up holding another man's hand, and I was struck dumb.It was Joshua Zimmerman—Rene's childhood friend and first love.Rene held a bag of snacks, and Joshua carried a basket of groceries. They walked side by side, leaning into each other with the ease and intimacy of a married couple.Rene finally noticed me. She hurriedly released Joshua's hand and approached me stiffly. "Ian, you're here! Why didn't you send me a message first?"I swallowed my emotions and said calmly, "I saw you got promoted. I wanted to surprise you."By the look on Rene's face, I could tell she was only surprised—and not happy to see me.Su

Chapter 2

I pushed down my hunger as I watched Rene and Joshua lean into each other, sharing bites and smiles as if I didn't exist. Even when the plates were empty, Joshua made no move to leave.I asked Rene, "Do you two live together?"Joshua shrugged, nodding as if it were the most natural thing in the world.My chest tightened sharply.Rene smiled gently, looking at Joshua with warmth in her eyes. "Yeah. Josh lives here on his own, and I couldn't just leave him. His lease was ending, and I had the place empty, so it made sense for him to move in. That way, we can keep an eye on each other."Joshua reached up to pinch Rene's cheek, and he let out a soft sigh. "Honestly, it's kind of embarrassing. I'm all grown up, and yet I'm still relying on a girl half my size to take care of me. It's easy to get comfortable in a life like this, and even harder to leave. "These days, girls like Rene—who give so much without asking for anything—don't come around often. You know what I mean, Ian?"I sa

Chapter 3

Hearing that, Rene's expression immediately turned cold."Ian Quinton, what do you mean by that?" she snapped.I suppressed the bitterness in my chest and replied evenly, "You and Joshua are alone together in the same room, yet you expect me to stay at a hotel. Rene, don't you think that's going too far?"In the past, I had suggested transferring my job here so we wouldn't have to live apart. Rene had firmly refused. At the time, she had been especially resolute. She said, "Ian, we're at the stage of our lives when our careers must come first. Besides, my schedule is so busy that even if you moved here, we still wouldn't see each other often."Rene had always been adamantly against living together before marriage. No matter how late our dates ran, she would insist that I take her all the way home. Even when dawn was breaking by the time I returned to my own place, she never once allowed me to stay the night. She would patiently lecture me, "We're only dating. We're not married

Chapter 4

"Ian, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about me? Even if that's the case, you can't say something so hurtful. I'm your girlfriend!" Rene sobbed.I was taken aback. "You still remember I'm your boyfriend? If anyone's being hurtful here, isn't it your actions that are more damaging?"She sobbed, stumbling over her words as she tried to defend herself. "I haven't done anything wrong, so how can you say that about me? You don't understand—I had a reason for letting Joshua stay here. "He failed at his startup recently and was hit hard. His mental state was terrible, and he couldn't even pay rent. You know I grew up with Joshua. My family was poor, and if it weren't for him supporting and encouraging me all these years, I wouldn't have made it. "I couldn't just stand by while he faced that kind of hardship. I was afraid he might do something desperate. I had no other choice but to let him stay. Ian, you understand me, right?"Tears streaked her cheeks as she looked up at me p

Chapter 5

What she had been hiding turned out to be a pair of men's underwear. Joshua's clothes were also scattered all over the bedroom floor.The sheets on the bed were wrinkled everywhere, as if they were silently revealing everything that had happened there the night before. They weren't just living together. They were sharing the same bed.Joshua rushed over and shoved me aside. He pulled Rene behind him protectively, pointed at my face, and snarled, "Ian, I only tolerated you before because of Rene, and now you think you can push your luck? How dare you lay a hand on her right in front of me? Are you even a man?"The more he spoke, the angrier he became. "Get the hell out right now, or else I will…""The one who should get out is you," I interrupted coldly. "Did you forget that this house belongs to me? Put your clothes on and get out now.""You!" Joshua snapped, then lunged at me.The moment his fist swung toward me, I grabbed his wrist and drove my other fist straight into his fa

Chapter 6

Joshua wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and got to his feet, backing her up. "Ian, I'll let this go for Rene's sake this time. But if there's a next time, I won't spare you. Get out of here now, and don't show your face in front of us again anytime soon."I clenched my fists and walked toward Joshua.His bravado vanished instantly. He kept retreating until he hid behind Rene, stammering, "W-What are you trying to do? If you dare hit me again, I am calling the police!"I kicked the clothes on the floor that belonged to him. "Did you not hear what I said? I told you to get out. Leave now."Rene suddenly rushed in front of me, shielding Joshua with her small frame. "Ian! Joshua is already being generous by not pursuing what you did today. Don't push your luck," she threatened.I let out a cold laugh and looked at Rene calmly. She glared back at me with undisguised disgust.All these years, I had given her everything with all my heart. I had never imagined this would be

Chapter 7

At that moment, an elderly woman pushed her way out of the crowd. She pointed at Rene and asked, "Rene, what happened to your boyfriend? Why is he lying on the ground?" I let out a cold chuckle at the way she referred to Joshua as her boyfriend.When Rene saw her, her eyes lit up as if she had spotted a lifeline. She hurriedly pulled the woman over to Joshua's side and urged anxiously, "Dr. Hawthorn, please check his pulse. He was just agitated and started having heart pain. He passed out right away!"The elderly woman calmly placed her fingers on Joshua's wrist. A moment later, she said in confusion, "That's strange. His pulse feels strong. There does not seem to be anything seriously wrong. Why would he suddenly faint?"Rene shot her an irritated look. "Dr. Hawthorn, I asked you to check his pulse because you come from a family of traditional physicians, and now you are saying nothing is wrong? What kind of statement is that? Are you suggesting he is pretending? "You must be o

Chapter 8

After several months of providing support anonymously, Rene unexpectedly invited me out to dinner one day. Even before that meal, I had a feeling she had figured something out.Sure enough, Rene handed me an IOU once we were seated. Her face was flushed, and she fidgeted as she said, "Ian, I know about the support you've been giving me. Thank you for helping me behind the scenes. Please keep this IOU for now. I promise I will repay you properly someday!"Her shy, awkward demeanor made me smile, and I quickly pushed the note back toward her. "You don't need to feel any pressure about this. Let's just interact like normal classmates, and honestly, you don't have to pay this money back."With all my insistence and attempts to refuse, Rene never succeeded in giving me the IOU. After that, she began leaving me breakfast, waiting silently while I played basketball, then handing me water afterward.Through these repeated interactions, we gradually grew closer until we eventually became a

Chapter 9

I hired two cleaners to scrub the house of every trace of Rene and Joshua, but even after that, the place still felt unbearable to me.After giving it careful thought, I decided to sell it. I called Norman White. Our families had been close for generations, and his family had established themselves here over the years. I had already entrusted him with helping Rene find work.Once we were seated in a cafe, I recounted the events of the past couple of days in detail.Norman listened, frowning with indignation. He emphasized, "Ian, you were completely deceived by Rene! She treated you like an absolute fool. "She claims she was too busy with overtime, but the company I got her into is known for excellent pay and almost never requires overtime, let alone during public holidays!"I didn't need him to say it. I had suspected it all along. Love had clouded my judgment, and only when I looked at the situation objectively did I understand just how foolish and unaware I had been.Norman pa

Chapter 10

After saying goodbye to Norman and returning home, I noticed my phone was flooded with missed calls—all from Rene. Since I hadn't answered, she had also sent a string of WhatsApp messages."Ian, Joshua is awake now. The doctor says he fainted from low blood sugar. It's not serious, but he can't be easily stressed again, so please don't come looking for me for a while.""I thought it over. Maybe your impulsiveness today came from caring too much about me. It's understandable to a certain extent, but hitting Joshua is way over the line. Of course, I also said a few kind words for you in front of him.""Here's the deal. Apologize to Joshua in person and transfer him one hundred thousand dollars, and we can pretend nothing happened.""Ian, answer your phone. Avoiding this won't help.""The only thing you can do now is admit your mistake. Hurry up. Time isn't waiting for you."As I was scrolling through her absurd messages, Rene's call came in. I answered reflexively, and her voice ca

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