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Chapter_36
Alexander glanced at Getty, his mind caught between the obligations of the night and the distant thoughts of Quinn, who had been left alone for hours. “I have somewhere to be,” he said, his voice devoid of the warmth she might have hoped for. He wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling of guilt creeping into his mind. It had been a long day, and he hadn’t even given Quinn the time or attention she deserved.
Getty, ever aware of his shifting attention, pouted, but there was nothing more she could do to keep him there. Instead, she allowed her voice to soften, feigning vulnerability as she added, “You really don’t care about me, do you? After everything, you can’t even stay for a while longer.”
He looked at her, but the warmth was gone from his eyes. “I care, Getty, but this is something I need to handle.” Without waiting for her response, he turned to leave, the faint echo of her disappointed sigh trailing behind him as he stepped out the door.
As he drove through the dark streets, his thoughts kept returning to Quinn. Her birthday. The hours she had spent waiting for him. He could still picture her face, her silent expectancy. He had promised her—he had meant to keep his promise. Yet, here he was, racing to an empty house, where the woman he had married was nothing more than a distant memory of a life that seemed to slip further away with each passing day.
The cold night air bit at his skin as he parked outside the modest building where Juliet now lived. Quinn’s absence lingered in his thoughts, gnawing at him, but when he saw Quinn standing beside Juliet, the heavy burden in his chest lightened, if only for a moment.
He stepped out of the car, his heart racing, and walked toward them. The sight of Quinn, though far from the celebration he had promised, struck him with a sense of unfamiliar guilt. There she was, standing beside the frail figure of the woman who had once served his family, a woman whose sacrifices had been all but forgotten.
“Quinn,” Alexander began, his voice softer than usual, almost apologetic. “I’m sorry. I should have been there.”
Juliet turned her head slightly, her eyes scanning Alexander with an almost knowing expression. She hadn’t forgotten. She had always seen more than he realized, and tonight, she seemed to understand exactly what he had failed to see all along.
“I didn’t expect you to show up,” Quinn said, her voice quiet, yet firm. “Not tonight, not after everything.” She didn’t want to appear cold, but the walls around her heart had thickened over the years, built layer by layer by disappointments and unspoken promises.
For a long moment, Alexander remained silent, unsure of how to respond. He couldn’t undo the hours he had wasted, the hurt he had caused. He had always assumed that Quinn would wait for him, that she would understand, but now, looking at her, he realized how much of her he had taken for granted.
Juliet gave Quinn a gentle nudge, a quiet encouragement. Quinn sighed, her shoulders sagging, the weight of the night catching up with her. She glanced back at Alexander, her gaze betraying a tired sadness, before turning to Juliet. “Let’s go inside, Juliet. It’s cold out here.”
Alexander’s feet seemed frozen in place, but his desire to make things right, however small his gestures might be, drove him forward. “I’m not leaving until I make this right, Quinn.”
But Quinn didn’t look back this time. Her resolve was firm, and her silence spoke volumes.
