I Stopped Waiting and Started Loving novel Chapter 237

Bonnie looked at the man in front of her, her brow furrowing even tighter.

"I'm sorry, but I've already been through one failed relationship. I don't want to go through a second. Can't we just stick to our partnership?"

Quentin stared at her, an unreadable storm of emotions swirling in his dark eyes.

Taking another step forward, he stopped mere inches away from her.

"What makes you so sure we'd fail?"

She let out a self-deprecating laugh, though her eyes burned. "I don't want to gamble."

Lifting her chin, she met those piercing eyes that always seemed to see right through her. "Quentin, I'm terrified."

Nobody knew that Parrish York's betrayal had nearly destroyed her.

She had endured so much pain and hardship in her life, but she had never truly admitted defeat.

But when it came to love, she had lost spectacularly.

She was stubborn to a fault. Once she fell for someone, she would rip her heart out and hand it to them without reservation.

But when that absolute devotion was met with lies and betrayal, the pain carved itself into her very bones.

When she first found out that her beloved was actually the untouchable Parrish, she had forced herself to stay strong and endure it.

Later, every new betrayal from Parrish had sharpened her clarity, ensuring she would never dare to feel even the slightest bit of affection for anyone ever again.

That was why, every time Quentin's closeness sent her heart racing, she ruthlessly smothered the spark.

She constantly reminded herself not to catch feelings, because doing so was no different than placing a reckless bet.

And she was terrified to her core. She didn't want to gamble, nor could she afford to lose.

So, she had to make things crystal clear to stop him from pursuing something that would ultimately yield nothing.

Seeing the near-desperate resistance in her eyes, Quentin's brow locked into a fierce scowl.

"So you plan to stay single forever? You don't want to find a man and build a life?"

She set her glass down on the marble counter. "Why does a woman need to find a man to build a life?"

She looked at him with chilling clarity. "Times have changed. Whether you're a man or a woman, you can live a perfectly fulfilling life on your own."

"At the end of the day, the only person you spend your entire life with is yourself. Pinning your happiness on someone else's loyalty is an inherently high-risk investment."

"I can make my own money, support my mother, and heal patients. My life is full. I don't need to add an unpredictable variable into the mix."

Quentin fell dead silent, staring at the woman before him as if in a trance.

Once upon a time, her words had perfectly mirrored his own worldview.

Before he met her, he never planned to marry, let alone spend his life with one specific woman.

He didn't trust women, and he was perfectly content living alone.

When his family pushed him, he hadn't even bothered to fight back, deciding to just grab a random woman for a contract marriage and be done with it.

But ever since he realized she was the clingy little girl from his childhood, everything changed.

He wanted to spend his life with her. He genuinely liked her.

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