The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 360

"Cooperate? Cooperate on what?" Quinn Foster was completely baffled.

Vanessa Vaughan didn't answer immediately. Instead, she picked up her Americano and took another sip.

When she set the cup down, that bright, open smile still lingered on her lips, but there was something deeper and indescribable lurking in her gaze.

"Quinn, the truth is... I deeply sympathize with the unfair treatment you've endured. Garrison shouldn't treat you this way. You've stood by his side for over two decades, taking care of his parents, raising his child, and managing his household. He takes all of it for granted. Even as an outsider looking in, it chills me to the bone."

Quinn's fingers tightened violently around her coffee cup, the liquid inside swaying. "How do you know about that?"

Vanessa sighed softly, her tone carrying just the right amount of pity.

"Actually... that day at The Haven Medical Center, I heard everything from outside his office."

Quinn froze, the memory rushing back. That woman had been sitting on the sofa, watching as Garrison dragged her into the office. After Garrison muttered that he had 'business to handle,' the woman had quietly stepped out.

So... she hadn't left. She had been eavesdropping the entire time?

Shame and defensiveness surged up in equal measure. Quinn's expression shifted several times before settling into a cold, guarded mask. "I don't need your pity. Who exactly are you? And what's your relationship with Garrison Foster?"

"Don't be nervous. I'm a friend of Garrison's. In fact, we were colleagues. My name is Vanessa Vaughan. We both studied under Professor Lawrence Sterling. I've known him just about as long as you have."

Vanessa's tone was entirely candid, even carrying a hint of fond, exasperated indulgence that a mentor's student might have for a stubborn peer.

Quinn fell silent. Her eyes lowered as her fingertip slowly traced the rim of her coffee cup.

Her face looked strikingly pale under the warm glow of the floor lamp...

"Quinn, your talent, your work ethic, your passion for medicine—none of it is inferior to Sloane Taylor. I'm not just being polite. Sloane is certainly talented, but at the end of the day, she's an athlete. She skates by on raw giftedness."

"But you... you are someone who built herself entirely from the ground up."

"You studied, you fought your way from med school to your doctorate without relying on anyone. After graduating, you spent years putting in the hard work on the clinical frontlines..."

Vanessa's voice was firm and confident. Then, it suddenly softened. Her gaze turned gentle and cautious, as if terrified of brushing against an open wound.