Chapter 5
Quentin seemed genuinely busy.
Since coming home, his eyes hadn’t left his phone screen, his fingers constantly tapping away at messages.
Fiona sat beside him, her laptop balanced on her knees as she silently transferred the security footage onto a USB drive. A little goodbye present she was preparing for them–one that would certainly make quite an impression.
Halfway through the transfer, Quentin suddenly looked up, his gaze sweeping across their living room. “The place feels oddly empty. Haven’t you done any decorating?”
“You said to keep everything simple,” Fiona replied, completely unconcerned about him discovering anything. Ever since Daisy had reappeared in their lives, he’d become blind to everything else around him.
But this time, surprisingly, Quentin noticed the countdown calendar in the living room. He smiled softly. “Time really flies, doesn’t it? Seven days until our wedding.” Fiona stood up and walked to the calendar, tearing off two more pages. “Our
wedding is in five days, actually.”
The two discarded pages had listed wishes: “Ride the Ferris wheel together” and “Stargaze together.” Both activities Quentin had already done–with Daisy. Something twisted in Quentin’s chest, a nagging feeling that he’d overlooked something important. Before he could voice his thoughts, Fiona’s phone rang. Seeing Evelyn’s name on the screen, Fiona stepped out onto the balcony to take
the call.
When she returned, Quentin had already resumed texting Daisy, his head bowed
over his phone once again.
“Who was that? I thought I heard something about a visa,” he asked without
looking up.
“Nothing important. Just work stuff,” Fiona dismissed casually.
Quentin visibly relaxed. “That’s good. Please don’t plan any honeymoon trips–I really don’t have the time.”
1/4
05
“I know,” she replied quietly. Ever since Daisy’s return, Quentin would spend every possible moment with her, leaving no time for anything–or anyone else. They sat together in uncomfortable silence, an odd tension stretching between them. It made Quentin inexplicably uneasy.
Due to her complicated family background, Fiona had always been mature and understanding, never clingy or demanding like other girls their age. But Quentin knew better–her self–sufficiency was just a survival mechanism, a carefully
constructed facade.
Deep down, Fiona was still that affection–starved girl who craved love and
attention. Usually, whenever he came home, she would immediately jump into his arms, chattering excitedly about her day.
The silence between them now spoke volumes.
No matter whether he responded or not, Fiona would usually keep talking. That’s why today’s unusual silence made Quentin distinctly uncomfortable.
He set down his phone and looked at her, trying to read her expression. “You’ve been working so hard with all the wedding preparations. Once things settle down…” he began, but Fiona cut him off mid–sentence.
“Where’s your wedding ring?”
The question caught him off guard. “I… I lost it somehow…” he stammered, his mind racing back to that evening of their engagement. Daisy had been upset
seeing the ring on his finger, and in his desperate attempt to placate her, he’d carelessly taken it off and set it aside. He’d never thought about it again after that. While Quentin scrambled internally for an explanation, Fiona’s response came with an artificial lightness that cut deeper than any anger could have. “Oh well, lost is
lost. You can always buy a new one.”
Her dismissive tone made it clear she was trying to brush it off as insignificant. After all, once she was gone, Quentin would naturally buy a new diamond ring for Daisy. This one was destined for the trash anyway sooner or later, what
difference did it make?
2/4
05
Quentin had grown accustomed to Fiona’s understanding nature, her ability to take everything in stride. But this time, something felt different. A heaviness. settled in his chest, as if he’d lost more than just a ring – something irreplaceable. Trying to shake off this unsettling feeling, he made an impulsive decision to make it up to her. “The office isn’t busy today. Let’s go pick out a new one together – something bigger, to thank you for all your hard work lately.”
Fiona’s brow furrowed slightly. Before she could voice her refusal, Quentin’s phone buzzed with a message. The moment he read it, he jumped to his feet and headed for the door.
After a few steps, he paused, turned back, and planted a quick kiss on her
forehead.
“I’m sorry, honey. I know I’ve been too busy time with you lately,” he said.
to er softly. “But I promise, once this hectic period is over, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll make you the happiest woman in the world!”
In their decade together, Quentin had never spoken to Fiona with such tender sweetness. He knew women loved hearing such things, but Fiona had always been. so understanding, so undemanding, that he’d never felt the need to sweet–talk her. Instead, he’d saved his romantic gestures for Daisy, who thrived on attention and drama.
But lately, he’d been taking advantage of Fiona’s good nature far too often. These gentle words were his attempt to ease his own guilty conscience.
Fiona remained silent, her face a mask of careful neutrality. No joy, no sorrow – just a blank canvas that revealed nothing of the storms that might be raging. beneath.
After Quentin left, she dragged herself to the bathroom and washed her face. Each splash of cold water erased every last trace of Quentin from her skin.
His love had come too late.
His attempts to make amends after his betrayal.
She wanted none of it.
1
3/4
05
resolve. His belated affection, his guilty conscience, his desperate need to make
things right all of it swirled down the drain with the tap water.
