Chapter 2

2

"She's just pathetic and jealous of what Quinn and I have!"

"I know her better than anyone. She's a gutter rat. A stray dog I decided to throw away."

"Now that Quinn is sick, she's hiding like a coward because she doesn't want to save her. What a low-life."

"Listen closely. Call that bitch of a daughter and tell her to get down here, kneel, and beg for my mercy. Maybe then I'll let your family of dogs live."

"But if anything happens to Quinn, I'll bury all of you with her!"

A tremor went through my spirit. The pain was uncontrollable.

So... Quinn Taylor was sick.

Of course. Why else would he bother looking for me?

The love between us had been incinerated five years ago.

Meeting Felix had felt like destiny back then.

He was my mother's student. He had been shattered after a brutal breakup when Quinn dumped him and moved abroad.

He had even tried to take his own life.

My mother, a devoted professor, knew I had studied psychology. She begged me to help reach him.

That was how I met Felix Vaughan.

The first time I saw him, he was wearing a crisp white shirt, sitting in an empty classroom staring out the window.

His eyes were like stagnant water―dead, cold, and devoid of hope.

In ? moment, I knew I couldn't just walk away from him.

From that day on, I became his shadow. I learned him, listened to him, and stayed by his side.

During his darkest bouts of depression, I never left him for a second.

He went from resisting me to depending on me. Eventually, he would hide his face in my lap and sob until he couldn't breathe.

He told me he didn't want to die. He told me it hurt so much.

Watching his agony, I felt every bit of it.

I realized I loved him more than my own life.

By the end of a year of therapy, we were inseparable.

I fell for him, and he finally stepped out of the shadow of his ex.

After he graduated, our marriage felt like the natural, happy ending to a long journey.

Felix was sensitive and sometimes spoiled.

But I believed he was good at heart. I chose to endure his occasional anxiety and his sharp temper because I loved him.

After his outbursts, he would always hold me, crying, kissing my neck, and whispering apologies.

"I'm so sorry, Stella. I know I messed up."

"I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"Please forgive me. I can't lose you..."

Every time, I would rub his back and soothe him with soft words.

His friends always said he had found the most patient, gentle wife in the world.

And he would proudly wrap his arm around me in front of everyone.

"Damn right! My wife loves me to my core. You guys are just jealous!"

I would just look at him and smile, basking in the warmth of his affection.

I thought our lives would stay that way―simple, steady, and full of love.

Until our seventh year of marriage, when Quinn Taylor returned to the States.

Her return was a bolt of lightning that split my stable world wide open.

The day she landed, Felix dropped everything. He blew off our anniversary dinner.

He raced to the airport just because she sent him a single text.

I remember it clearly. It was Valentine's Day.

I had booked the best restaurant and prepared a special gift. I waited there all night.

Instead of my husband, I got a viral notification on my phone.

"Billionaire Heir Felix Vaughan Spotted in Tearful Reunion with Mystery Woman at JFK."

In the video, Quinn was clinging to him.

Felix's face was wet with tears.

I heard him shouting his confession, his voice breaking with desperation.

"Quinn, why did you wait so long to come back?"

"Why did you leave me back then?"

"Do you have any idea how much I missed you? I dreamed about you every single night!"

"How could you be so heartless? How could you just abandon me..."