She Took Half My Life For A Dream

That night, around 9 p.m., Vivian actually brought that man home.

The man wore a white shirt, and it gave him a fresh and clean vibe.

He stood by Vivian’s side like a sweet, obedient younger brother.

When Vivian looked at him, her gaze was warm and soft.

“His name is Wendell Burns. He’s staying in the master bedroom tonight. You can have the guest room.”

Wendell glanced at me, and there was a challenge in his eyes.

Abruptly, I found the whole situation absurd and nearly laughed out loud. However, I managed to swallow the laugh back down.

“Sure.” I nodded.

When I passed them by, I paused and added, “Remember to change the sheets after. I’m particular about that.”

Vivian’s expression darkened in an instant.

In the guest room, I could hear the noise of activity from outside.

I heard Vivian’s gentle murmurs, Wendell’s low chuckles, and the door of the master bedroom shutting. Then, there was silence.

I slowly slumped on the floor by the bed and buried my face in my palms.

My heart beat steadily in my chest.

At some point, tears had started to fall.

I got into bed and lay down. I fell into a dazed sleep.

When I woke up, I stared at the unfamiliar ceiling. It took a few seconds before I remembered where I was.

Right, this was the guest room.

I got up and went to the kitchen for some water.

When I got to the entrance of the kitchen, I saw Wendell holding Vivian from behind. They were whispering to each other by the island.

Wendell angled his head to kiss her. His movements were bold.

Vivian’s hand was on his chest, wrinkling the shirt that was originally mine.

I suddenly felt like puking.

After resting for a couple of minutes, I circled them to get to the water dispenser and got myself a glass of water.

Wendell stopped what he was doing, freezing in place.

Vivian had stopped as well. Her gaze followed me. Her gaze burned into me so hard that I felt like a hole would soon appear.

I languidly drank my water. After I finished, I put down the glass and turned to leave.

At the door, I paused and turned back to look at them.

“The kitchen door wasn’t closed properly. I’ll shut it for you.”

I closed the door and separated them and whatever they were doing from me.

I heard Wendell say, “There must be something wrong with him.”

Then came Vivian’s voice, low and annoyed. “Shut up.”

The corner of my mouth twitched as I stood outside.

Sunlight shone on me. It was soft and warm. I looked at that shaft of light and suddenly recalled the past.

I was nineteen years old and had just finished getting my heart transplant. I thought that I had gotten a new lease on life and could live well from then on.

Back then, I did not know there were worse things in life than death.

I went back to the guest room and stayed there for about an hour. I only went outside again once I was sure they would no longer be in the kitchen.

When I got to the living room, Wendell blocked my path.

He had changed into workout clothes.

“What’s your name again?” He tilted his head to the side, and his voice was unkind.

“Quinn Waverly, right?”

I did not respond and walked around him.

He followed. While standing behind me, he said sarcastically, “I didn’t think you would be so good at swallowing your pride. But I’ll tell you something. I’m the one Vivian loves. You’d best get smart and get a divorce so I can be her husband instead.”

I got myself another glass of water and took a drink. Then, I turned to him.

Upon closer inspection, he really did look like Randall.

He was not a perfect match, but the hint of it was clear. There was just something about his features.

It was no wonder that Vivian picked him.

I actually kind of wanted to tell him that he was only a stand-in, but his attitude was just too poor.

“Don’t be so pleased with yourself. You’re only a homewrecker.”