Chapter 428: You Disgust Me
Chapter 428: Chapter 428: You Disgust Me
Sean Quinn sat by the door of the hospital room, reminiscing about all the little moments he and Penny Thorne had shared as tears silently slid down his face.
He finally, belatedly, realized the reason for Penny Thorne’s recent coldness.
It wasn’t because of stress from work. It was because she didn’t love him anymore.
’Why did it have to be like this?’
He dialed Penny Thorne’s number, wanting to ask her why she had done this.
The phone rang and rang. He tirelessly redialed the same number over and over until his phone died. Only then did he close his eyes in despair, lowering his head and burying his face in his knees.
The shock had sent Mrs. Quinn to the hospital; she was only discharged after three days.
For those three days, Sean Quinn had been trying to contact Penny Thorne, but it was as if she had vanished from the face of the earth. There was no news from her at all.
At a loss, Sean Quinn had no choice but to find the apartment manager and ask him to check Penny Thorne’s social media feed.
It turned out that during these three days she was unreachable, Penny Thorne was having her wedding.
The feed, filled with sweetness and romance, stung his eyes.
Seeing his reaction, the apartment manager couldn’t contain his curiosity. "Buddy, what’s your relationship with Miss Thorne?"
With red-rimmed eyes, Sean Quinn let out a self-deprecating laugh. "We don’t have a relationship anymore."
The apartment manager understood instantly. A hint of sympathy entered his gaze. "Hang in there, man."
Sean Quinn walked down the street, utterly devastated. His heart was incredibly heavy, and worse, he had no idea how to face his mother.
He wandered aimlessly for a long time until his phone vibrated in his pocket, finally bringing him to a halt.
Sean Quinn picked up his phone. When he saw the caller ID, his heart suddenly seized with a sharp pain. His fingers trembled slightly, and his breathing grew difficult.
He closed his eyes for a moment before slowly answering the call.
"Sean, were you looking for me?" Penny Thorne explained from the other end. "My phone was broken, and on top of that, a project suddenly ran into trouble, so I’ve been busy dealing with it. I just got my phone fixed and saw that you and Auntie called me so many times."
Listening to her excuses, Sean Quinn gave a smile that wasn’t a smile. "Dealing with a project?"
"Yeah."
"Does getting married count as a project?"
The person on the other end fell silent.
Sean Quinn continued, "We’re in Haelon now."
Penny Thorne’s voice grew flustered. "You... you’re in Haelon?"
"And my mom."
"...Why did Auntie come too?"
"She was just discharged from the hospital. We’re staying at the hotel across from Haelon First People’s Hospital."
"What happened to Auntie? Is she sick?" Penny Thorne asked with concern.
Sean Quinn didn’t elaborate, only saying coldly, "Call me when you’re downstairs."
With that, he hung up the phone.
Sean Quinn turned his head to watch the traffic on the road, dazed for a moment. His phone vibrated again.
Sean Quinn lowered his gaze and saw it was a call from his mother.
He took a deep breath and answered, his tone deliberately calm. "Mom, are you awake? Are you hungry?"
"Sean, did you get in touch with Penny Thorne?" Mrs. Quinn asked worriedly.
"I did. She said she’ll probably come over later," Sean Quinn said softly. "What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it."
Mrs. Quinn sighed. "I don’t want to eat. I don’t have an appetite."
"You should eat a little something. I’ll go buy it now." Sean Quinn took a cab back to the area near the hospital, picked up a few light dishes, and returned to the hotel.
That night, Mrs. Quinn waited and waited for Penny Thorne.
A little after eleven at night, Sean Quinn suppressed the turmoil churning in his chest and said softly, "Mom, you should get some sleep."
"I’m not tired." Mrs. Quinn looked haggard, but she shook her head. "I’ll wait a little longer."
After a moment’s hesitation, Sean Quinn got up, went into the bathroom, and dialed Penny Thorne’s number.
The phone rang a few times before it was answered.
Sean Quinn was just about to ask her a question when he heard a familiar, coquettish laugh from the other end.
"Hubby, you’re hurting me!"
It was immediately followed by an unfamiliar male voice. "Penny, I just love you too much... Don’t worry, I’ll be gentler from now on."
The next second, the woman’s cries of pleasure rang out.
Sean Quinn’s face turned ashen. The veins on the back of the hand holding his phone bulged, and his knuckles turned white.
He gritted his teeth, but could only force himself to suppress his rage.
He ended the call, clenched his fist, and slammed it against the wall. His heart felt like it was being twisted by a knife.
Mrs. Quinn must have heard the noise from outside. She asked hurriedly, "Sean, what’s wrong? Did you fall?"
Sean Quinn forced his voice to sound calm. "Mom, I’m fine. You should go to sleep."
How could Mrs. Quinn not hear the sorrow in her son’s voice? She covered her mouth and cried silently.
Lying in bed, she couldn’t understand it. The Quinn Family had always treated Penny Thorne well; how could she trample on her son’s heart like this?
Mother and son lay in their separate single beds, staring into the dark room until dawn.
「The next day.」
Sean Quinn threw the remnants of his breakfast into the trash can. While smoking downstairs, he saw a red BMW pull up to the hotel entrance.
The familiar license plate made his breath catch in his throat.
A thin man got out of the driver’s seat, walked around the front of the car, and opened the passenger door.
Penny Thorne, dressed in a red dress, stepped out of the car and very naturally linked her arm with the man’s. "Honey, you go on and do your thing. I can just grab a cab back later."
"How could I do that?" The man affectionately pinched her nose. "I have to make sure my wife gets home safely."
"I’m just afraid you’ll be waiting too long."
"I’m willing to wait for you forever."
A sweet smile appeared on Penny Thorne’s face. "Honey, you’re the best to me."
The cigarette between Sean Quinn’s fingers burned down to the filter. The heat stung him, and he let it go.
That red BMW had been a graduation gift from Mr. and Mrs. Quinn the year Penny Thorne finished college.
He watched this scene with a blank expression.
Penny Thorne said to her new husband, "If you insist on seeing me home, then go wait in the coffee shop next door."
"My wife is treating me to coffee."
"No problem."
After ordering coffee for her new husband, Penny Thorne walked out and happened to run right into Sean Quinn. The smile vanished from her face instantly.
She pursed her lips and called out in a low voice, "S-Sean."
Sean Quinn stared at her, his gaze dark. "Penny Thorne, has the Quinn Family ever done you wrong in any way?"
"No." Penny Thorne lowered her head and said softly, "Is Auntie okay?"
Sean Quinn didn’t answer her, simply turning and walking away without a word.
Penny Thorne hurried after him. "Sean, let me explain..."
There were people by the elevator, so she cut herself off, staring at the man with nervousness and unease.
Sean Quinn didn’t spare her a single glance from beginning to end.
Once they were out of the elevator car, Penny Thorne spoke again. "Sean, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to..."
Sean Quinn let out a cold laugh.
"Sean, please don’t be like this, okay?" A sob crept into Penny Thorne’s voice.
Sean Quinn looked at her aggrieved expression but no longer felt any heartache.
At this very moment, all he felt for Penny Thorne was disgust.
"Penny Thorne, you make me sick."
"Sean, how could you say that to me..."
The two of them reached the hotel room door. Sean Quinn used the key card to open it, then glanced over his shoulder at her. "Was I wrong?"