05
“Mr. Cooper, I promise that I’ll never show up in front of you again. My boyfriend will come to pick me up soon, so I won’t stay here to annoy you.”
I didn’t dare to take risks with my grandmother’s life.
Consequently, I would disappear from his life completely, just as Nathan desired.
His face was gloomy, but soon he resumed his frivolous demeanor. “Aurora, do you believe
I’m ignorant about whether you have a boyfriend or not?”
Indeed, he knew better than anyone, but he had just allowed Jane to put pressure on me.
Somehow, a surge of irritation washed over me.
I found Nathan incredibly annoying. He had toyed with me for three years and still refused to
even offer me a decent split.
The sharp pain in my knee flared up once more.
I swiveled around to leave, but my legs buckled. I instinctively reached out and grasped
Nathan’s arm.
“Aurora? Why are you hugging my fiancé?”
Jane’s eyes welled up with tears as she stared at Nathan. She resembled a forlorn rabbit,
giving the impression that she had caught me in bed with him.
He subconsciously shoved me away, causing me to lose balance and tumble to the floor. To
my misfortune, I landed hard on my knee again.
The excruciating pain caused a cold sweat to break out all over my body.
“Honey, you misunderstood. She simply stumbled.”
Nathan held Jane in his arms and coaxed her patiently.
“You know I’ve had a crush on you since we were kids. It was true then, and it’s always been
so and always will be. You, with your pure heart and well–behaved manner, are the ideal woman I’ve always dreamed of marrying.”
Jane chuckled and cast a condescending glance at me. “So, do you mean Aurora isn’t pure?”
“I can barely stand the sight of her. She’s so beneath me.”
Nathan’s words were like poisoned arrows, each one piercing my heart deeply.
In his eyes, a plaything like me would never be pure.
“Only those with impure minds assume others are like them.”
A cold, cutting voice rang out from behind. Quinton marched up to me, scooped me into his arms, and began to walk off.
When Jane saw him, her voice became excited, and her eyes sparkled. “Quinton, you’re back in the country? Are you here for…”
her.”
Quinton didn’t spare her a glance. Staring down at me in his arms, he declared firmly, “F
Jane’s expression immediately soured, and so did Nathan’s.
Nathan glared at Quinton and stepped forward to block his way
12:56 Fri, 7 Mar M.
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Nathan glared at Quinton and stepped forward to block his way.
“Ouch!”
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Jane feigned a sprained ankle, and Nathan hesitated for an instant. By the time he tried to stop Quinton again, Quinton had already disappeared from sight.
Quinton took me to a hotel.
The moment he laid me on the bed, I lost my mind and wrapped my arms around his neck,
leaning against him.
“Aurora, were you drugged?”
Quinton’s voice, as always, was pleasing to the ear.
We had been neighbors. Ever since childhood, he had been outstanding, constantly receiving
praise from those around us.
I couldn’t help but secretly vie with him.
In exams, I was determined to compete with Quinton for the top spot.
Upon knowing that he could play the piano, I strove to play better than him at family
gatherings.
When he won the school swimming championship, despite my fear of water, I pushed myself
to learn how to swim.
Yet, the instant I stepped into the swimming pool, I ended up choking on the water.
When I thought I was going to drown in the pool, Quinton came to my rescue.
He patted my back and said with a helpless sigh, “Do you really have such a strong urge to
compete with me?”
Perhaps due to the near–drowning scare, I blurted out in frustration, “But you are
extraordinary!”
Time and again, whenever my family scolded me, they would always hold Quinton up as the
shining example of excellence. As a result, even though we weren’t very familiar, I disliked him
the most.
Quinton was taken aback for a moment. Then, he grinned and leaned closer to me. “How about we cooperate?”
I was bewildered.
“What?”
Quinton’s words made me eager to try.
“Let’s strive for excellence together.”
Thanks to Quinton’s assistance, I managed to become as remarkable as he was.
“Quinton, you’re so crafty.”
Finally, I understood why Quinton had been so enthusiastic.
Outstanding individuals were adored by parents but often excluded by their peers. Now, there was one more person facing exclusion, and that was me.
D
Quinton did a good job! He had found a companion in his journey of being different.
“Aurora, we are in the same boat now. You might as well come to terms with it for the rest of
T2:56 Fri, Mar MO
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50%_
“Aurora, we are in the same boat now. You might as well come to terms with it for the rest of your life.”
Quinton stared intently at me. At that moment, my heart suddenly skipped a beat, and I found myself irresistibly drawn to him.
My feelings for Quinton were like a seed that, once it took root, began to sprout and grow rapidly.
I had developed a crush on him.
I knew it was wrong, so from that moment on, I deliberately avoided Quinton.
However, I still couldn’t resist attending the same university as him. Once there, I only stole furtive glances at him from afar.
I was too afraid to confess my love, for a refusal would deprive me of the opportunity of being near him.
At university, Quinton was extremely popular. Many girls were smitten with him, and even the well–known campus belle, Jane, was among his admirers.
But I was like a thief, only daring to trail behind him at a distance, watching him chatting and aughing with Jane.
That was when I met Nathan.
Yet, he was secretly following Jane.
