After Betrayal - I Married a Handsome Tycoon-Chapter 30: She’s Great, You Don’t Deserve Her
It had to be said, Connor Quinn was an expert at hitting people where it hurt.
This single topic obliterated the last shred of lingering affection between Shane Jennings and Moira Sloan, pushing them past the point of no return.
The bitter taste in Shane Jennings’s throat intensified. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he just lowered his gaze and said nothing.
’Any explanation would be futile at this point.’
Besides, he knew perfectly well that there was no chance of him and Moira Sloan getting back together.
Moira Sloan had mentioned this apartment to him once, a long time ago.
It was back when they had first started dating.
Moira Sloan had told him it was her sanctuary, the only place she dared to show her weakness.
Even if the empty apartment could hardly be called a home.
But he had forgotten...
He had forgotten...
They had been together for seven years. As time went on, he had forgotten so many things about her; this was hardly the only one.
When you cling to a memory from the past, only to have that same memory slap you hard across the face, the pain is sharp, but the awakening is surprisingly effective.
Take Moira Sloan, for example.
As soon as Connor Quinn finished speaking, she shot Shane Jennings a derisive smile. "Forgot?"
Shane Jennings’s throat bobbed. He reached for the juice glass in front of him, feeling cornered, and said nothing.
Moira Sloan then turned her head to look at Connor Quinn. "Would you forget?"
Connor Quinn’s expression wasn’t exactly gentle, but it exuded an undeniable sense of reliability. "I wouldn’t."
Moira Sloan scoffed, "Hah."
It was unclear whether her scoff was directed at Connor Quinn or Shane Jennings.
In any case, both men heard the heavy sarcasm in it.
Shane Jennings was, at his core, a man with a strong constitution, so he stayed for dinner.
But his fortitude only went so far. After dinner, as Connor Quinn washed the dishes in the kitchen with Moira Sloan leaning against the doorframe to supervise, Shane said his goodbyes and practically beat a hasty retreat.
The moment Shane Jennings left, the apartment became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Moira Sloan didn’t say a word, and her posture seemed unchanged. But on closer inspection, one could see that her shoulders, where she leaned against the doorframe, had slumped.
Connor Quinn, standing sideways to her, didn’t call attention to her sorry state.
After finishing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen, Connor Quinn walked past her without looking back, closing the door behind him as he left.
Hearing the sound of the door, Moira Sloan seemed to snap back to reality. She glanced at the neat and tidy kitchen, pursing her lips slightly.
After leaving Moira Sloan’s apartment complex, Connor Quinn stood under a streetlight, cupping his hand against the wind to light a cigarette.
Just as it was lit, he saw Shane Jennings standing not far away.
He was obviously waiting for him.
’Is he afraid I’ll spend the night? Or is it something else?’ The reason was unknown, yet self-evident.
A few minutes later, Shane Jennings strode toward him. "Do you have a minute? We need to talk."
Connor Quinn took the cigarette from his lips and tapped off the ash. He didn’t mince words. "I don’t have time."
Hearing this, Shane Jennings frowned slightly and said, "Where are you headed? I can give you a ride. We can talk on the way; I won’t take up your time."
Connor Quinn glanced up at him, cutting straight to the heart of the matter with a single question. "Can’t accept it?"
Shane Jennings replied, "No."
After a moment, Shane Jennings steadied his emotions and said, "I was with Moira for seven years. We were partners, family even. She has a lot of little habits, and I’m worried that you two, being so new, might not adjust well. So I wanted to tell you about them. Even if we can’t be together anymore, I still hope..."
Connor Quinn’s lips curved into a slight smirk. "We’ve slept together."
Shane Jennings was rendered speechless.
Connor Quinn sneered. "I’ll discover her little habits on my own. You don’t need to trouble yourself."
Again, Shane Jennings had no reply.
Connor Quinn’s single statement, "We’ve slept together," had frozen Shane Jennings in place.
After a long moment, Shane Jennings’s hands, hanging at his sides, clenched into fists. He forced a smile and said, "Moira isn’t that kind of woman."
Connor Quinn asked, "What kind?"
Shane Jennings’s face tensed.
Connor Quinn dropped the cigarette held between his long fingers to the ground and crushed it out with his foot. "When you meet the right person, one glance can feel like an eternity. With the wrong person, even an eternity is just platonic."
Connor Quinn had a stern, steady look about him, without a trace of frivolity.
As Shane Jennings met his gaze, the final line of defense deep within his heart crumbled.
’He’s telling the truth.’
Shane Jennings knew it.
People always say a woman’s intuition is sharp, but men have a sixth sense, too.
From the moment he first laid eyes on Connor Quinn, he had felt an unprecedented sense of threat.
He just never imagined that the girl who, in private, would at most only hold his hand, could... in such a short amount of time.
Shane Jennings’s throat felt dry. He had the strange urge to cough but couldn’t. Finally, he managed to rasp out, "She’s a good woman."
Connor Quinn replied, "Yes. And you don’t deserve her."
