Checkup Encounter: My Ex Regretted Losing Me
Chapter 2
Rosalind Yardley, his junior from med school.
They interned together, worked together, took shifts in the clinic together.
Except for their days off, they were almost always side by side.
Just like he and I used to be.
At first, I didn’t think much of it.
After all, no one knows Quentin’s temperament better than I do.
One time, I went out for dinner with some coworkers and ran into the two of them.
There was nothing in their interaction that looked even remotely ambiguous.
But before I could really relax—
I heard Quentin introduce me.
“This is Whitney Fraser, my neighbor.”
Just a few words, polite and distant.
My nerves jolted. It felt like my heart had fallen from a great height.
It didn’t shatter, but the impact left me dizzy and sick.
Maybe it was because I wanted to test something, but after that I took the initiative to go to the hospital several times.
Quentin’s attitude toward me didn’t seem to change.
The only difference was that one day he actually commented, almost rare for him, “The soup you made last time was really good.”
After all these years, I still couldn’t help lighting up at a single sentence from him.
“I’ll make it again next time then!”
Unfortunately, that happiness didn’t last long.
On my way out, I ran into Rosalind.
She smiled at me, eyes bright as she said, “Miss Fraser, thank you. My cold got better all thanks to your soup.”
One look between us, and both our thoughts were laid bare.
It hit me.
So Rosalind knew that Quentin and I were more than just neighbors.
So the soup I made for Quentin had all been passed on to her.
And when she said that, she was declaring war.
I don’t remember how I got home afterward.
All I remember is that on the way back, I kept turning the same question over and over in my mind.
If there’s someone by Quentin’s side now…
Do I still hold on?
All these years, everything between us, made it impossible for me to judge calmly.
To force myself to think clearly, I didn’t contact Quentin at all for a whole week.
Maybe I’d gone quiet for too long, because Quentin came to find me first.
He stood in front of me, dark brows slightly drawn together, his tone softer than usual.
“I shouldn’t have given the soup you brought me to Rosalind.”
“You’re mad because of that, aren’t you?”
Then he added, “This one’s on me. It’s got nothing to do with her.”
That last part was the key, wasn’t it?
I looked up at him, searching his calm eyes for some other emotion.
But there was nothing.
When I didn’t answer, Quentin hesitated, then said, “How about I pay you back for it?”
My eyes burned, and suddenly I couldn’t hold it in anymore.
“Quentin, do you like her?”
If you like her, then just say it clearly, okay?
Even if it’s like being stabbed straight through the heart, it’s better than living under a blade that never falls.
He clearly hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from me. He froze for half a minute before he finally spoke.
“Don’t talk nonsense. She’s just a colleague.”
“I told you already, I’m not thinking about that kind of thing until I’m thirty-five.”
I blinked, and my tears completely slipped out of control.
“What about me? Am I supposed to wait for you until you’re thirty-five?”
After a long silence, Quentin reached out and wiped my tears away.
Awkwardly, yet with a familiarity that hurt, he changed the subject.
“Your birthday’s in a few days. Don’t think about stuff that makes you unhappy, okay?”
He paused, then added in a soothing tone, “You’re definitely going to like this year’s birthday present. It’s something you mentioned before.”
I stared at him in a daze, my heart suddenly pounding like a drum.
Every year on my birthday, I confess to Quentin. Every year, he turns me down.
Last year, I got drunk and cried my eyes out in his arms.
What did he say to comfort me back then?
“Stop crying. You’re a grown woman, this is fucking embarrassing.”
“Alright, alright, next year I’ll give you an answer you’ll be satisfied with, okay?”
So does that mean…
I suddenly didn’t dare think any further.
“Okay.”
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