Done with Cheater's Coldness Shine in Rival's Arms novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180 The Hidden Trauma

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Finished

“My brother is definitely thoughtful and gentle,” Quinn aid with a smile. “But he can have a bad temper sometimes. And he’s a bit childish now and then. You’ll have to cut him some slack.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Hazel replied warmly. “We’re so good together. He’s never once made me feel bad. Honestly, most of the time, he’s the one letting me have my way.”

Quinn watched Hazel light up as she talked about Kiera, and it was obvious they were head over heels in love. She could tell they were both happy-truly happy.

But as they chatted, Quinn couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Hazel’s words seemed too polished, too carefully chosen-like she was saying exactly what Quinn wanted to hear.

If Peyton hadn’t warned her, she never would’ve noticed She never would’ve doubted a single thing.

Now, though, anxiety gnawed at her. She had no idea what to do next.

They’d just met, after all. Bombarding Hazel with questions would’ve been awkward, not to mention obvious. So Quinn had held back, biting her tongue instead of pressing for answers.

By the time they headed home, it was already late. They’d spent the entire day out together, but Quinn hadn’t learned a single useful thing.

A little while later, Peyton walked through the door-alone.

“Where’s Kieran?” Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me he went off to see his girlfriend again.”

Peyton nodded, confirming her guess.

Of course he had. They hadn’t seen each other the night before, so they were probably dying to spend time together. They were still in that giddy, can’t-get-enough-of-each-other phase of their relationship.

“I had lunch and went shopping with his girlfriend toda” Quinn said, sinking onto the couch. “But I didn’t get anything out of her. It felt like she was keeping her guard up around me. But now that I’m looking for it -like you said-I can tell she’s not like everyone else.

“Any updates from your side? If you found something, you have to tell me right away.”

Quinn suddenly remembered their conversation from the night before-the plan they’d made to look into Hazel’s background.

She knew it wasn’t right. They’d just met the woman, an here they were digging into her private life. But they had no other choice. They couldn’t stand by and watch Kieran walk into a disaster.

Peyton nodded, his expression turning serious. “I did find some things. But before I say anything, you need to brace yourself. It’s not pretty”

It’s that bad?

Quinn could tell from his face that whatever he’d uncovered was serious-way more serious than she’d imagined.

“Just spit it out,” she said, her voice tight with nerves.

“I had my people run a background check,” Peyton explained, his voice low. “She was born into a rural

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Chapter 180 The Hidden Trauma

Finished

family. It’s true that her parents favored her brothers over her-there’s no lying about that. And she does have two older brothers.

“From what we found, her father died when she was young. Her mother remarried a man who treated all the kids badly. But…”

Peyton trailed off, hesitating. He clearly didn’t want to say what came next. He didn’t want to put Quinn through this.

But he’d already started, and Quinn’s heart was racing with panic. “But what?” she pressed, leaning forward. “Quit beating around the bush. It’s killing me.”

“When she was a teenager… her stepfather did things to her. Unforgivable things.”

Peyton only said what was necessary. He had solid proof before he’d even brought it up. He never spoke about things he couldn’t confirm.

Quinn’s eyes flew wide open. She stared at Peyton in shock, completely unable to process what she’d just heard.

How could someone do something that terrible to a child?

It’s sickening. Despicable.

“From what we gathered, she got pregnant after that,” Peyton continued, his voice somber. “Her mother took her to get rid of the baby. She never gave birth to it.”

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