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Chapter 24
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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 1
"Professor Noe, have you really made up your mind?"Hearing the slightly mournful voice on the other end of the line, Joanna Noe absentmindedly twisted the wedding ring on her finger and replied, "Yes, I've made my decision to donate my body.""But your condition... There might still be a chance—" the person on the other end began."Pancreatic cancer is unbearable," Joanna interrupted calmly. "You're my student and a front-line doctor—you should know better than anyone else. Besides, I can't hold on any longer."She slid the ring off her finger, a flash of sorrow crossing her eyes. "While my organs are still in relatively good shape, I want to go peacefully. Donating my body to the medical school will be the last lesson I can give you all as a teacher."The ring traced a silver arc through the air, landing in the trash can.After a brief silence, her student spoke. "We'll schedule it as you wish—seven days from now. I'll draft the donation agreement and send it to you soon. Pleas
The Quiet End of Us Chapter 2
"Joanna?"Henley's voice pulled Joanna back to the present."I feel like having fish," she said. "Make fish stew tonight."Taking off his coat, Henley moved close to Joanna's side and nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck like a clingy, insecure little animal."Joanna, I missed you so much. You're my everything—my only love in this world!" he proclaimed."You'll always love me too, right? You'll never leave me, will you?" Henley asked questions like this often, as if he was never tired of hearing the answer.If Joanna didn't respond immediately, he'd sulk like a child, his eyes reddening as he accused her, "Joanna, am I annoying you? Do you not love me anymore? If you don't, just kill me now. Without you, I can't go on."In the past, Joanna would laugh, half exasperated, and swear, "I'll love you forever. I'll never leave you."This time, she stayed silent, tapping her fingers lightly on the armrest to change the subject. "I'm a little hungry."Henley's expression darken
The Quiet End of Us Chapter 3
Henley never came back that night. Instead, Joanna received a message from him.Henley: [The prosecutors contacted me for an urgent autopsy. I won't be home tonight.]Henley was a renowned name in his field. Whenever a tricky case arose, people sought his expertise first. Assisting law enforcement was nothing out of the ordinary.Not long after, there was a knock at the door.It was a food delivery—a halibut fish stew.Joanna immediately recognized the restaurant. It was one of their favorites, a place where they often dined together.The delivery guy, a young man with a bright, cheerful smile, explained, "Your husband asked me to apologize on his behalf. Since he couldn't come home to cook for you, he specially ordered this fish stew for you. He said he'd make it up to you next time."He added with genuine admiration, "Wow, your husband treats you so well!""Does he?" Joanna didn't take the food. Instead, she signed the receipt and handed it back. "I'm not going to eat it. If
The Quiet End of Us Chapter 4
Henley's face turned ashen as he stuttered, "Joanna... w-what are you talking about?"Joanna looked at him, then glanced at Addison. "Why? Shouldn't the two of you give me an explanation?"The hallway was bustling with people. Their colleagues were beginning to speculate as the three of them stood in the center of the corridor.Curious stares unnerved Henley, and he tried to tug at Joanna's arm, only to be flung away."Joanna…" he called out.Joanna ignored him, moving to stand in front of Addison. Her cold, piercing stare made Addison instinctively shrink back, her earlier bravado faltering.Gripped by growing terror, Henley reached out to grab Joanna's hand again. Once more, she shook him off effortlessly.For a fleeting moment, his heart stopped. His mind raced with frantic thoughts of what Joanna might say—or worse, what she might do.Then, suddenly, Joanna chuckled. She turned and smiled faintly at him."Why so nervous?" she asked, her tone light, almost teasing. "I was t
The Quiet End of Us Chapter 5
Henley kissed Joanna's forehead gently before sending her off at the medical school gate."Be careful on your way home," he reminded her gently.A few passing students cast envious glances their way."You're the university's famous heartthrob professor." Joanna shyly pushed him back, discreetly ending the kiss. "This kind of public display isn't ideal.""I don't care," Henley said firmly. "I just want the whole world to know you're the one I love most."Though Joanna's demeanor remained as composed as ever, Henley couldn't shake the gnawing unease that crept into his heart. It was this persistent feeling that made him express his affection so frequently, as though doing so could ease the turbulence in his heart.At his insistence, Joanna agreed to have lunch with him.Late-stage pancreatic cancer had nearly stolen her appetite, but she forced herself to eat so Henley wouldn't suspect anything was wrong.During lunch, he brought up her missing wedding ring again.In less than a
The Quiet End of Us Chapter 6
Joanna rolled down the car window, gulping fresh air to combat the suffocating weight on her heart.So, this was it.She finally understood. To Henley, the one who had once saved him had now become the very embodiment of his trauma. People were contradictory and complicated.Memories of their darkest days together flooded back—the blood-stained walls, the violence, the young man clinging to her as if she were his last lifeline.His desperate whisper echoed in her mind. "Joanna, I have nothing left. You're all I have. If you ever leave me, take me with you. Don't let me suffer here alone."No. Someone as selfish and greedy as Henley deserved to be left behind. Let him drown in his past, swallowed by guilt until he fell into the deepest pits of hell.-Back home, Joanna locked herself in her bedroom. She set up the new video recorder and filmed a short message. Then, she saved it to the memory card and scheduled its delivery."Please send this card back here exactly one year from
The Quiet End of Us Chapter 7
The early morning sunlight bathed the streets, washing away the remnants of the torrential rain and thunderstorm from the night before. It was as if none of it had ever happened.When Henley woke up, all he found in his arms was one of Joanna's scarves."Joanna? Joanna, where are you?" he called.Panic-stricken, he stumbled out of the bedroom, shouting her name as he searched every corner of the house. But there was no sign of her.A suffocating fear gripped him.Although the storm had passed, a lingering dread consumed him. He called Joanna's phone repeatedly.Once, twice, three times...Henley called over a hundred times, but not a single call was answered.He wanted to go out and look for her, but the fear left over from the night before paralyzed him. Stepping outside felt like an insurmountable task.This had never happened before.Joanna always stayed by his side during his episodes.She would hold him gently, her soft fingertips brushing against his forehead as she wh
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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
The autumn sunlight filtered through the window, but it could not warm Henley—not even a little.He stood there, frozen like a statue of ice, staring blankly at the video. It was as though he were facing a trial from the past.Joanna's video continued.She took a bottle of medicine from her pocket, opened it, and swallowed all the pills with some water. It seemed to ease her physical pain—if only a little.Henley recognized the bottle in her hand: Gemcitabine.She gathered her strength, took a deep breath, and spoke the next words. "If I could, I wish I had never saved you. Maybe you should have died long ago, so that your mother could have escaped the devil's grip and lived a better life."Henley's heart seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand, the voice on the video like a huge net that trapped him, leaving him unable to breathe.So, this was how much Joanna hated him.She wished she had never saved him!His eyes widened as despair flooded his being.Through the video, Jo
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
