Shadows Drift Beyond Memory by Xarin Vale novel Chapter 45

Chapter 7

I took a deep breath and raised my hands to sign.

[One mistake?]

[You turned tormenting me into a game with Anna for your own sick thrill. You said you’d protect me, but you let everyone hurt me.]

[Quentin, if you thought I was a burden, you could’ve just told me. I never wanted to cling to you…]

[You were the one who begged me to stay by your side.]

Emotions surged. My hands moved faster, signing frantically.

Tears slid down my face.

Quentin’s stunned expression shifted–pain flickered in his eyes.

That was the first time I’d ever cried in front of him.

He and Anna’s little game? Mission accomplished.

[Are you happy now? Seeing my tears?]

[Quentin, you won. I let you win.]

Quentin stared at my face–delicate, always so composed–now twisted in grief for the first time. His heart clenched.

“No, no, I wasn’t playing that kind of game with Anna.”

“I was just–I was just…”

His mouth opened and closed. Every excuse felt hollow.

Maybe at first, he didn’t want to be part of the game.

But later? He got curious. He played along.

The process didn’t matter. What mattered was that in the end, he let Anna hurt me.

My tears were their thrill.

“I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you.”

15:17

His Girl Bro Lied ‘Not His Baby‘–DN Played Along, But Baby IS His!

33.3%

Chapter 7

That apology was all I heard before he left.

I watched Quentin walk away, bitterness rising in my chest.

Quentin, there’s no chance left.

I’m leaving.

The investigation team finally found solid evidence in the bullying reports I submitted. Combined with the medical records, Anna was expelled.

That morning, a car horn echoed from the street below the Thornes‘ building.

I opened the window barefoot and saw my uncle, Jasper Campbell, standing there.

He smiled and waved at me, his eyes crinkling, dimples barely visible.

“Little princess, I’m here to take you home.”

In that moment, my eyes stung with heat.

Matthew and Willow looked awkward, but they forced smiles and invited him inside.

“You didn’t have to come all this way. We… we could’ve brought Rachel to you.”

Willow’s words trailed off halfway through.

She knew–my leaving was set in stone.

“No trouble at all. The Campbells have plenty of people.”

One sentence. The Thornes fell silent.

“Where’s your boy Quentin? Rachel’s leaving, and he’s not even here to see her off?”

Uncle sipped from his glass, setting it down on the counter with a crisp *clink*.

No one spoke.

The air grew eerily quiet.

Just then, the housekeeper rushed in, looking panicked.

“Sir, ma’am–the school just called. Quentin, he… he beat someone up…”

Willow knocked over her wine glass. The shattering sound broke the silence.

15:17

His Girl Bro Lied ‘Not His Baby -DN Played Along, But Baby IS His!

33.66

Chapter 7

“What? Who did he hit?”

“A female student. Last name… last name Bennett.”

My cup also slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor

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