Tainted Love? I'll Pass

Hearing that, Rene's expression immediately turned cold.

"Ian Quinton, what do you mean by that?" she snapped.

I suppressed the bitterness in my chest and replied evenly, "You and Joshua are alone together in the same room, yet you expect me to stay at a hotel. Rene, don't you think that's going too far?"

In the past, I had suggested transferring my job here so we wouldn't have to live apart. Rene had firmly refused. At the time, she had been especially resolute.

She said, "Ian, we're at the stage of our lives when our careers must come first. Besides, my schedule is so busy that even if you moved here, we still wouldn't see each other often."

Rene had always been adamantly against living together before marriage. No matter how late our dates ran, she would insist that I take her all the way home. Even when dawn was breaking by the time I returned to my own place, she never once allowed me to stay the night.

She would patiently lecture me, "We're only dating. We're not married yet. You need to understand boundaries."

I respected her stance. Everyone had their own principles, and I never forced her. However, I had never imagined that the principles she constantly upheld would be so easily abandoned in Joshua's presence.

My accusation completely infuriated her. She glared at me and said coldly, "Ian, are you questioning me? Joshua and I have nothing to hide, so keep those disgusting thoughts to yourself. Yes, you bought this place, but I never asked you to.

"As my boyfriend, don't you think providing a home for me is only natural? If you insist on speaking this way, I'll leave."

As she spoke, Rene made a show of packing her belongings.

Joshua quickly stepped forward to stop her and soothed her gently. "Rene, calm down. Don't be angry."

He turned to me with a smug look. "Ian, aren't you overreacting? Rene and I have known each other for years. We're practically family. Suggesting anything improper about us being alone together is insulting. Besides, if there were anything between us, do you really think you would have a place here?"

He let out a cold snort and continued comforting Rene.

She appeared more composed after looking at Joshua. "Ian, come outside," she said.

Rene pulled me a considerable distance away before stopping beneath a streetlight. Her attitude softened. She blinked rapidly, forcing a few tears from her eyes.

I had never expected her demeanor to change so completely in just a few minutes.