After school, I would keep him in the classroom to finish his homework, spending an hour tutoring him. On weekends, I would video call him to make sure he completed his assignments. Zac would half-heartedly complain while grinning, saying, "I just love listening to my seatmate!" He had this mischievous look about him. But the results were obvious. By midterms, Zac was scoring above 60 in every subject. He jumped three feet in the air and hugged me tightly. "Ah, my genius seatmate! This is the first time I’ve ever passed all my classes!"What do you want as a gift? How about I treat you to dinner at Central House? The food there is amazing."Wait until I show this report card to my parents. It’ll blow their minds! Haha!"Zac kept going on and on, celebrating his success, while I blushed and gently slipped out of his embrace.I sat back down, pressing my right hand to my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.The next day after school, Zac’s parents were waiting at the gate. T
Eve once again sent me a private post, this time a photo of her and Zac in bed together. The sight of it made me rush to the bathroom, where I threw up for a solid three minutes.I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were lifeless, and my face no longer looked young. It hit me that I had spent years pouring all my energy into Gibson Corporation and Zac. Yet, I had never taken the time to care for myself, not even once.I used to think that as long as Zac did not publicly declare he wanted to be with Eve or ask me for a divorce, we could just finish out the remaining months of my life like this. But seeing them together in bed made me sick to my core. I could not stand to be associated with him any longer.He was filthy, and it was time for me to let go.I drafted the divorce papers and was about to send them to Zac when he unexpectedly brought Eve back to our home again.As soon as they walked in, Zac plopped down across from me at the dining table. Without hesitation,
"Even though you and Eve look exactly the same, she just seems so much sweeter and softer than you. You should smile more, you know," Zac said, stabbing me right in the heart with those words.Sweet and soft, huh? Funny how he did not mention that when he promised to protect me.When I hid behind that tree, watching him kneel down on one knee and say "I love you" to Eve, I realized I could never be more than just his seatmate.Eve’s sharp voice interrupted my thoughts. "Quinn, come sit over here. Zac has something to say to you."……As soon as I sat down, Zac pulled a document from his bag and tossed it toward me. I glanced at it. It was the divorce papers.Thinking about the papers I had drafted and left in my drawer, I could not help but laugh. For once, we were on the same page.Zac sat up straight on the couch, looking serious. "Take a look. If everything’s fine, just sign it."Seeing the eagerness in his eyes, I suddenly did not want to go through with the divorce. Why sh
When the bank was approached for a loan, they cited Gibson Corporation's insufficient liquidity and wanted Tom to use the project as collateral. However, he was unwilling to mortgage the entire project just to cover the final payment.I could see how worried he was. He could barely eat but he still urged me to have more food. I decided I would help him one last time.I had once saved the life of the CEO of York Corporation. I had pushed him out of the way of a speeding car, and we both ended up rolling onto the side of the road. He promised me that he would do three things for me, no questions asked.This first request, and likely the last, would be to have him help Gibson Corporation through this financial crisis.After the phone call, both Zac’s parents sighed with relief.Sally held my hand and asked how things were going between Zac and me, urging me to give her a grandson soon. I wanted to give her a polite response, but when I saw the video Eve had sent, I could not manage a
This whole farce finally ended with Zac being knocked unconscious by Tom. A doctor was called in to treat Zac’s injuries, Eve was kicked out of the Gibson home, and I spent the night in a guest room on the second floor.Everyone came out of this mess with wounds, but I imagine the ones who hurt the most were Zac’s parents. Having a son who could not get his priorities straight left them deeply worried about the future of Gibson Corporation.……Zac’s injuries were serious, a clear sign that Tom had not held back. He was forced to stay at the family home to recover. Sally insisted that I stay as well to take care of him, clearly hoping to bring us closer. But neither of us had any desire to continue this farce of a marriage.Whenever Zac saw me, he lashed out with insults. If he weren’t bedridden from his injuries, I was sure he would have tried to hit me again. He spent his days sweet-talking Eve on the phone, all while cursing me for "tearing them apart."One day, as I sat by his
I still wanted to build a high school there, equipped with top-notch facilities and teachers, hoping it might help more students get into college someday. When local government officials heard about my plan, they immediately offered their full support.The villagers, upon learning about it, came to me with tears in their eyes, bringing eggs, cabbage, and cured meat from their homes as a way to thank me. Some of the elderly, with nothing else to give, even tried to bow in gratitude. Seeing these simple, kind-hearted people, I felt my heart come alive again. Compared to what I was doing here, all those emotions about love and relationships seemed so insignificant.I moved into one of the villagers’ homes, spending my days teaching the children, singing songs with them, and occasionally playing games. Surprisingly, I felt healthier and more at peace than I had in years.My doctor told me that if I kept this positive attitude and continued taking my medication, I might live longer tha
I took out my phone and called my lawyer, instructing him to send the signed divorce papers to Zac. Then, I sent Zac a message, "I’m letting you go. Goodbye."What did Zac do wrong, really? He was just holding on to the love he believed in. It just so happened that he didn’t love me.If I had realized sooner that this marriage was a mistake and let him go, freeing both of us, maybe we could have gone back to the easy relationship we had as seatmates.But he had his convictions, and I had my stubbornness.In the end, he got what he fought for, while I had no choice but to let go.……I waited, expecting Eve to send me photos of her and Zac’s wedding, but even as I took my last breath and my soul floated above my body, the message never came.I watched as the villagers and children gathered around my coffin, sobbing uncontrollably. I wanted so badly to tell them, "Don’t cry. I wasn’t going to live much longer anyway."But it was as if some invisible force pulled me away, dragging
Seeing Zac stay silent, Sally sighed. "If you really want to make things right with Quinn, you need to go find her and live a good, honest life with her from now on."Zac's eyes darted around. He then looked up and asked Sally with a clueless expression, "Do you really think Quinn would forgive me and want to be with me again?"I shook my head. Of course, I wouldn’t. After all, I had no interest in used goods, especially after Eve had her hands on him.Sally smacked him on the back in frustration. "You won’t know until you try, right?"I nodded to myself in agreement. "Yeah, why not give it a shot and see?"Zac quickly got up, grabbed a jacket, and ran out the door. I followed him as he called around, using every contact he had and spending money to track me down. Eventually, he found my grave on a small hillside in the countryside.I watched the disbelief in his eyes as he grabbed the village chief’s arm and demanded to know if this was some elaborate trick to deceive him.The
But after they chose to accept Zac and Eve’s relationship, everyone in my life became insignificant to me.……Later, Zac went to the hospital and spoke with my doctor. He learnt that I had stomach cancer and had refused treatment. When he got home, he drank heavily, clutching a bottle, muttering to himself, "I didn’t know you only had three months left. If I had known, I would have..." But he passed out before finishing his sentence.What would he have done if he had known? Left Eve and stayed with me?The next day, he started watching videos to learn how to cook my favorite dishes. When he cut his fingers, he put on a band-aid and kept going. When he burned the food, he threw it all away and started over.As he chopped vegetables, he murmured, "Did you do the same thing? Over and over, just to learn how to cook for me."He even took classes on massage, baking cakes, and flower arranging. He signed up to learn how to arrange sunflowers, my favorite, saying he would keep them in
Seeing Zac stay silent, Sally sighed. "If you really want to make things right with Quinn, you need to go find her and live a good, honest life with her from now on."Zac's eyes darted around. He then looked up and asked Sally with a clueless expression, "Do you really think Quinn would forgive me and want to be with me again?"I shook my head. Of course, I wouldn’t. After all, I had no interest in used goods, especially after Eve had her hands on him.Sally smacked him on the back in frustration. "You won’t know until you try, right?"I nodded to myself in agreement. "Yeah, why not give it a shot and see?"Zac quickly got up, grabbed a jacket, and ran out the door. I followed him as he called around, using every contact he had and spending money to track me down. Eventually, he found my grave on a small hillside in the countryside.I watched the disbelief in his eyes as he grabbed the village chief’s arm and demanded to know if this was some elaborate trick to deceive him.The
I took out my phone and called my lawyer, instructing him to send the signed divorce papers to Zac. Then, I sent Zac a message, "I’m letting you go. Goodbye."What did Zac do wrong, really? He was just holding on to the love he believed in. It just so happened that he didn’t love me.If I had realized sooner that this marriage was a mistake and let him go, freeing both of us, maybe we could have gone back to the easy relationship we had as seatmates.But he had his convictions, and I had my stubbornness.In the end, he got what he fought for, while I had no choice but to let go.……I waited, expecting Eve to send me photos of her and Zac’s wedding, but even as I took my last breath and my soul floated above my body, the message never came.I watched as the villagers and children gathered around my coffin, sobbing uncontrollably. I wanted so badly to tell them, "Don’t cry. I wasn’t going to live much longer anyway."But it was as if some invisible force pulled me away, dragging
I still wanted to build a high school there, equipped with top-notch facilities and teachers, hoping it might help more students get into college someday. When local government officials heard about my plan, they immediately offered their full support.The villagers, upon learning about it, came to me with tears in their eyes, bringing eggs, cabbage, and cured meat from their homes as a way to thank me. Some of the elderly, with nothing else to give, even tried to bow in gratitude. Seeing these simple, kind-hearted people, I felt my heart come alive again. Compared to what I was doing here, all those emotions about love and relationships seemed so insignificant.I moved into one of the villagers’ homes, spending my days teaching the children, singing songs with them, and occasionally playing games. Surprisingly, I felt healthier and more at peace than I had in years.My doctor told me that if I kept this positive attitude and continued taking my medication, I might live longer tha
This whole farce finally ended with Zac being knocked unconscious by Tom. A doctor was called in to treat Zac’s injuries, Eve was kicked out of the Gibson home, and I spent the night in a guest room on the second floor.Everyone came out of this mess with wounds, but I imagine the ones who hurt the most were Zac’s parents. Having a son who could not get his priorities straight left them deeply worried about the future of Gibson Corporation.……Zac’s injuries were serious, a clear sign that Tom had not held back. He was forced to stay at the family home to recover. Sally insisted that I stay as well to take care of him, clearly hoping to bring us closer. But neither of us had any desire to continue this farce of a marriage.Whenever Zac saw me, he lashed out with insults. If he weren’t bedridden from his injuries, I was sure he would have tried to hit me again. He spent his days sweet-talking Eve on the phone, all while cursing me for "tearing them apart."One day, as I sat by his
When the bank was approached for a loan, they cited Gibson Corporation's insufficient liquidity and wanted Tom to use the project as collateral. However, he was unwilling to mortgage the entire project just to cover the final payment.I could see how worried he was. He could barely eat but he still urged me to have more food. I decided I would help him one last time.I had once saved the life of the CEO of York Corporation. I had pushed him out of the way of a speeding car, and we both ended up rolling onto the side of the road. He promised me that he would do three things for me, no questions asked.This first request, and likely the last, would be to have him help Gibson Corporation through this financial crisis.After the phone call, both Zac’s parents sighed with relief.Sally held my hand and asked how things were going between Zac and me, urging me to give her a grandson soon. I wanted to give her a polite response, but when I saw the video Eve had sent, I could not manage a
"Even though you and Eve look exactly the same, she just seems so much sweeter and softer than you. You should smile more, you know," Zac said, stabbing me right in the heart with those words.Sweet and soft, huh? Funny how he did not mention that when he promised to protect me.When I hid behind that tree, watching him kneel down on one knee and say "I love you" to Eve, I realized I could never be more than just his seatmate.Eve’s sharp voice interrupted my thoughts. "Quinn, come sit over here. Zac has something to say to you."……As soon as I sat down, Zac pulled a document from his bag and tossed it toward me. I glanced at it. It was the divorce papers.Thinking about the papers I had drafted and left in my drawer, I could not help but laugh. For once, we were on the same page.Zac sat up straight on the couch, looking serious. "Take a look. If everything’s fine, just sign it."Seeing the eagerness in his eyes, I suddenly did not want to go through with the divorce. Why sh
Eve once again sent me a private post, this time a photo of her and Zac in bed together. The sight of it made me rush to the bathroom, where I threw up for a solid three minutes.I looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were lifeless, and my face no longer looked young. It hit me that I had spent years pouring all my energy into Gibson Corporation and Zac. Yet, I had never taken the time to care for myself, not even once.I used to think that as long as Zac did not publicly declare he wanted to be with Eve or ask me for a divorce, we could just finish out the remaining months of my life like this. But seeing them together in bed made me sick to my core. I could not stand to be associated with him any longer.He was filthy, and it was time for me to let go.I drafted the divorce papers and was about to send them to Zac when he unexpectedly brought Eve back to our home again.As soon as they walked in, Zac plopped down across from me at the dining table. Without hesitation,
After school, I would keep him in the classroom to finish his homework, spending an hour tutoring him. On weekends, I would video call him to make sure he completed his assignments. Zac would half-heartedly complain while grinning, saying, "I just love listening to my seatmate!" He had this mischievous look about him. But the results were obvious. By midterms, Zac was scoring above 60 in every subject. He jumped three feet in the air and hugged me tightly. "Ah, my genius seatmate! This is the first time I’ve ever passed all my classes!"What do you want as a gift? How about I treat you to dinner at Central House? The food there is amazing."Wait until I show this report card to my parents. It’ll blow their minds! Haha!"Zac kept going on and on, celebrating his success, while I blushed and gently slipped out of his embrace.I sat back down, pressing my right hand to my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.The next day after school, Zac’s parents were waiting at the gate. T