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Chapter 18

Author: Water Watermelon
Addison was on the verge of a breakdown when she received the court summons.

Unlicensed driving, hit-and-run, coercion to falsify testimony, and attempted murder—the charges stacked against her meant she could face over 30 years in prison if convicted.

Her father was livid, nearly beating her to death—only stopped by her mother's desperate intervention.

The Shorrocks used every connection they had, calling in favors and pulling strings, but the answer was always the same: "The only chance is if the plaintiff drops the case."

For days, Addison had been frantically searching for Henley. She went to the hospital, the medical school, his home—but he was nowhere to be found.

Finally, after exhausting every lead, someone told her he was at the landfill.

She didn't want to face him. Not after how he had nearly strangled her to death. But she had no choice. If she didn't go, she'd lose everything.

She was only in her 20s. How could she spend the rest of her life in prison when she was i
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    Recently, a legal case had stirred significant attention—not just within the industry but also across online discussions, which were flooded with words like "affair," "cancer," "car accident," "hit-and-run," and more.Every detail of the case was magnified endlessly.It all began when Henley refused to give in to Addison's father's threats.He declared, "Even if it ruins me, I'll make sure the person who killed Joanna pays the price!"Once the case became public, Henley was dismissed from his teaching position, and the hospital where he worked issued a termination notice.Online, voices condemning him surged in a wave of collective outrage. People labeled him a scumbag, claiming he deserved the "social death" he was facing.Despite this, Henley no longer cared.These days, he lived like a walking corpse.After dealing with legal matters, he would rush to the landfill to sift through trash, searching for the ring he had lost.That ring had become his only lifeline.Finding it

  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 20

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  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 22

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  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 25

    Henley instinctively dodged, but the knife left a cut on his left shoulder.Blood poured from the wound, but his right arm was completely immobile. He could only press against the wall to try to stem the bleeding.Seeing that she had failed to kill him, Sophie raised the knife and charged again.Despite using all her strength, she was elderly and exhausted from two days without food. She had already spent all her energy smashing the window moments earlier.After Henley delivered a hard kick, she fell heavily to the floor, and the knife flew several meters away.Henley seized the opportunity to struggle and try to escape. But after only a few steps, Sophie grabbed his neck from behind."You killed my daughter! Give me back my daughter's life!" she screamed, her arms trembling with rage, her face twisted in fury.Henley fought desperately, finally prying her wrist free just before he lost consciousness from lack of air. But as he tried to move forward, he suddenly felt something t

  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 24

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  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 23

    The video continued to play on the screen.Joanna's face remained calm as she gazed into the camera, as though she could peer through time and space to look into Henley's eyes."I know you cheated on me when I was at my weakest," she said."At first, I couldn't understand why you would do that. But eventually, I figured it out."Because you're hypocritical, cowardly, selfish, and cold-hearted, just like your violent, woman-beating father. You're one of the most unforgivable bastards in this world," she spat.Every word seemed to drain Joanna's remaining strength.After speaking, she started coughing violently, her palms soon covered in blood.Henley couldn't stop trembling.Why had he cheated? Maybe it started with Addison's deliberate seduction and provocation, but gradually, he became immersed, unable to extricate himself.It was because he could never fully forget that dark, horrific night—the bloodstained walls and the screams of a woman.Those memories were like curses,

  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 22

    Sometimes, young women would be drawn to Henley's handsome appearance, sneaking photos of him with their phones.One would scratch her head and say, "This guy looks so familiar... but I can't remember where I've seen him before."The girl taking the picture would laugh and tease, "Maybe you saw him in your dreams?"They both laughed, carefree.It seemed as though everyone had forgotten what had happened last fall.-Back home, Henley made a large meal, setting two plates on the table. One was piled so high with food that it almost overflowed, but he kept adding more."Did I not cook well today? Why aren't you eating?" he asked, speaking to the empty chair. "Do you want ribs tomorrow? Okay, I'll write it down and make sure to cook them for you."His neighbors looked on in disbelief.They still vaguely remembered last year's incident, especially Melinda, who had been one of the loudest voices speaking up for Joanna. She couldn't believe Henley would do something so shameless und

  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 21

    Henley held the ring tightly to his chest as if still holding onto Joanna.The spring breeze finally warmed his frozen body, and long-suppressed emotions began to resurface.When he finally returned home, he leaned against the wall and broke down in tears. It had been too long—far too long.He had thought he would never find it again, but the universe had shown him mercy, giving him hope once more.The ring was mostly intact, though a small section had corroded, losing its original luster.Following an online tutorial, Henley painstakingly repaired the ring. His right hand, now a lifeless appendage, was useless, so he had to practice using his left.The flame from the alcohol lamp often singed his fingers as he struggled to control the direction. No matter how much it hurt, though, he gripped the ring tightly, refusing to lose it again.-After half a month of work, the ring was restored to its former glory.For the first time in a long while, Henley put on clean clothes and l

  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 20

    One stormy night, Henley's mother came home five minutes late. That was all it took for his father to explode.He had been drinking heavily, lost a fortune gambling, and had been beaten up by loan sharks. All his frustrations boiled over.As thunder roared and lightning lit up the sky, his father's fury reached its peak. He shoved Henley aside and smashed a beer bottle over his mother's head.Blood splattered everywhere.Dazed from the impact, Henley still managed to shield his mother. This time, however, he could no longer feel her warmth.His mother was dead—beaten to death by his father. She died on a stormy night.Henley ran outside, desperate for help, but no one wanted to get involved with the mess that was his family—except Joanna.Somehow sensing his distress, she rushed back from another state and stayed by his side, comforting him.Though she was two months younger than him, she seemed so much stronger.Together, the two of them carried his mother to the hospital.I

  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 19

    Recently, a legal case had stirred significant attention—not just within the industry but also across online discussions, which were flooded with words like "affair," "cancer," "car accident," "hit-and-run," and more.Every detail of the case was magnified endlessly.It all began when Henley refused to give in to Addison's father's threats.He declared, "Even if it ruins me, I'll make sure the person who killed Joanna pays the price!"Once the case became public, Henley was dismissed from his teaching position, and the hospital where he worked issued a termination notice.Online, voices condemning him surged in a wave of collective outrage. People labeled him a scumbag, claiming he deserved the "social death" he was facing.Despite this, Henley no longer cared.These days, he lived like a walking corpse.After dealing with legal matters, he would rush to the landfill to sift through trash, searching for the ring he had lost.That ring had become his only lifeline.Finding it

  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 18

    Addison was on the verge of a breakdown when she received the court summons.Unlicensed driving, hit-and-run, coercion to falsify testimony, and attempted murder—the charges stacked against her meant she could face over 30 years in prison if convicted.Her father was livid, nearly beating her to death—only stopped by her mother's desperate intervention.The Shorrocks used every connection they had, calling in favors and pulling strings, but the answer was always the same: "The only chance is if the plaintiff drops the case."For days, Addison had been frantically searching for Henley. She went to the hospital, the medical school, his home—but he was nowhere to be found.Finally, after exhausting every lead, someone told her he was at the landfill.She didn't want to face him. Not after how he had nearly strangled her to death. But she had no choice. If she didn't go, she'd lose everything.She was only in her 20s. How could she spend the rest of her life in prison when she was i

  • The Quiet End of Us   Chapter 17

    Every moment from that day replayed in Henley's mind like a broken record.He remembered coming home to find Joanna on the phone, speaking with Seamus. Was that when her plan for body donation began?He also recalled that her wedding ring disappeared around the same time.When he asked about it, she had claimed it was damaged and needed to be repaired. But after searching every corner of the house, he found no repair receipts from any jewelry store.Perhaps the ring hadn't been sent for repair at all—Joanna might have thrown it away.The thought made Henley's skin crawl.That ring wasn't just any piece of jewelry. He had designed and crafted it himself, pouring countless hours into its creation.He had crafted it because someone once told him that a handcrafted ring, placed on the finger of one's true love, would bind the couple together forever.Even after death, they would meet again, no matter where they were, connected by the ring.He'd shared that idea with Joanna when he

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