Chapter 9
669words
When Quentin arrived at the station, he felt strangely calm.
Ever since he read my letter yesterday, he had begun to reflect. He thought about many things—about Rita, about me.
The more he thought, the more uneasy he became. The more he thought, the more disgusted he felt toward Rita.
But the moment he remembered she was a patient, he had no choice but to bury that disgust deep in his chest, where it suffocated him.
He wanted to find me. He wanted to make things right. He wanted redemption.
But I had already said it—I never wanted to see him again.
He used to think that when Rita tried to kill herself, his heart hurt for her. But now, he finally understood. What hurt him most… was my leaving. But it was already too late.
The police chief was one of his former comrades. After hearing why he came, the police chief quickly explained what had happened.
The hospital had called the police, but since the nurse's injuries weren't serious, they initially wanted to settle things through mediation. A simple apology from Rita would have been enough.
But no one knew what set her off. She refused to bow her head and made an even bigger scene at the hospital. So she ended up spending the night in detention.
Rubbing his temples, Quentin swallowed his irritation and thanked his old comrade.
After picking up Rita, he brought her home.
Maybe because she had been locked up all night, her mental state was terrible. The moment they entered the house, she grabbed his sleeve and refused to let go.
"Quentin, don't go. Stay with me," she begged, eyes brimming with tears, fragile and pitiful.
Quentin sighed. "Rita… go back to Baltis City. And from now on, let's stop contacting each other."
Both of them were from Baltis City. After falling ill, Rita had run to Antlerene City alone to cling to him.
In the past, Quentin couldn't bring himself to abandon her. But now, he never wanted to see her again. Every time he looked at her, he remembered the child who would never be born.
Her face twisted. Her nails dug deep into his arm.
"So even you want to abandon me, is that it?!"
Startled by the sudden pain, Quentin instinctively pulled back.
"Rita, are you crazy?!"
But in the next moment, his eyes froze on her face.
Her hair was a mess, her face deathly pale, and her eyes… viciously dark.
"You finally realized."
She lifted her chin, a twisted smile stretching across her lips.
"Quentin, my family doesn't want me. You're all I have left."
"You're not getting rid of me."
Quentin stepped back, a chill crawling up his spine.
"What are you talking about? Aren't you here in Antlerene City to recover from depression?"
Rita let out a soft, saccharine laugh.
"I'm here to recover, yes. But it's not depression. It's psychosis. My parents are terrified of me. They just wanted me gone. Quentin, you're the only one I have."
As she spoke, she reached out again, trying to grab him.
A cold shock rushed through him. Cursing "lunatic" under his breath, he pushed open the door and walked out.
But the next morning, she was sitting obediently at his doorstep again.
From then on, Quentin tried everything to shake her off.
But she was mentally ill—shameless and unpredictable. Whenever she couldn't find him, she caused trouble at the police station. She even attempted suicide multiple times.
In the end, the police came for him again and again. The military unit came for him again and again.
For the rest of his life, Quentin never escaped Rita.
As for me—after leaving, I returned to my hometown.
I picked up my books again and successfully got into university.
I was twenty-one that year.
From then on, my life and future got brighter.
The End
