Chapter 582: I’ve Always Seen You as My Own Sister
Annabelle Linton looked at Mia Holloway hesitantly, unsure of what to do.
Mia Holloway saw Annabelle’s pleading look and gave her a gentle push. "Annabelle, go and apologize to Quentin. Everything I told you is true."
Annabelle sighed, took the glass of wine, and approached Quentin Holland.
The moment Quentin Holland saw Annabelle, he shot to his feet, looking as if he couldn’t stand the sight of her.
"Quentin..." Annabelle put down her glass, her head bowed as she tugged on the hem of his shirt.
Quentin tried to walk away, but Annabelle held him back, her voice low. "Quentin, please don’t ignore me..."
As Annabelle spoke, she remembered what Mia had said, and her eyes began to well up. "I know how much you’ve looked out for me all these years, and I know you’re the person who cares about me most in this world. But Quentin... I’m not a child anymore..."
"So, Annabelle Linton, that gives you the right to be this willful?"
As Quentin spoke, Annabelle wondered if she was seeing things. ’Did I just see a flicker of... heartache and guilt on his face?’
Quentin’s voice rose, his control snapping. "When has that father of yours ever cared whether you lived or died? You decided to get married and just threw yourself into it! Have you spared a thought for anyone else, huh?!"
"You were just as stubborn back in university! I offered you money for tuition, but you insisted on working part-time jobs. You’d get so sick you were coughing your lungs out, but you’d just grit your teeth and suffer through it without saying a single word. Then, when it was time to go back home, you just left without a peep. And to top it all off, you got yourself married, and we only found out about it after you and him had already divorced! Is that right?!"
"I..." Annabelle frowned, at a loss for how to explain.
But then, something didn’t add up.
’Mia said Quentin comes to see me several times a year, so he should have known about this long ago. And he just mentioned that Leona Grant and I have already been divorced, which means he must have known I was married to him in the first place.’
’So why is he acting like this now...?’
As for how he knew... Quentin Holland did secretly visit Annabelle every year, but out of pique, he never actually asked about her circumstances.
And how did he know about the divorce? He’d just looked it up.
"Hah." Quentin brushed Annabelle’s hand away and sneered. "Since you’re so capable now, Annabelle Linton, I suppose you don’t think you need us anymore. That’s right, we’re just some old college friends, aren’t we?"
"Quentin..."
Hearing his words, Annabelle’s throat tightened, and she choked back a sob. "I never stopped caring about you all. It’s just... something happened back then. There were things I just couldn’t talk about... Quentin, he’s good to me now. He’s really, really good to me... Please, don’t worry..."
Seeing her cry, a flicker of pity crossed Quentin’s eyes, but it was quickly overshadowed by deep, aching disappointment.
His own voice grew thick with emotion as he pulled her into a hug. "Annabelle, I don’t know where I stand with you anymore, but I’ve always thought of you as my own little sister. More than anyone in the world, I want you to be happy. Do you understand?"
Annabelle nodded quickly. "I know."
After a moment, she looked down, pressing her lips together before continuing, "Quentin, I know you’re just looking out for me, that you care. But that was then, and this is now."
"He’s genuinely good to me. I’m a grown woman; don’t you think I can tell whether someone is treating me well? Besides, he has no reason to lie to me, right?"