His Regret, Her Vengeance

Chapter 7

"Quinn, you have finally made up your mind?" The man's voice on the phone was thick with excitement.

Quinn gave a faint nod, her tone detached. "Yes. It was Mom's dying wish."

"Wonderful. I will send someone to Sutherton to pick you up tomorrow."

"No need, Mr. Brooks. There is one last thing I need to take care of. I will go to Granville myself once it is done."

She hung up and burrowed under the covers, her mother's dying words echoing in her mind.

"Quinn, men's hearts change as fast as the weather. Do not waste your youth betting on a man's fleeting love. Find someone who is good to the core."

"My boy is solid as a rock, with a heart of gold. He will never let you down. Once I am gone, go to them."

Only now did Quinn fully understand what those words meant.

Ethan never showed up during her entire hospital stay.

She checked herself out early and returned to a house so cold it made her bones ache. The butler mentioned Ethan had taken Vivian out for some romantic getaway. She did not ask for details.

When she came back for her things, she found nothing left. The fire had devoured every shred of clothing, every trace of her existence. After three years with Ethan, she realized not a single thing in this place truly belonged to her.

After a pause, she strode into the study and pulled open a dusty drawer. Inside lay a box containing a diamond ring, the one Ethan had used to propose a year ago.

That same bedroom and those empty promises had all just been a performance to provoke Vivian. She snatched the ring, marched to the foyer, and dropped it onto the shoe rack without looking back.

"Miss Miller." The butler rushed over. "Mr. Bennett insisted we prepare broth for your recovery. Would you like a bowl?"

Before she could answer, kitchen whispers cut through the air.

"Poor Miss Miller. Tomorrow is Mr. Bennett's engagement to Miss Carter, and everyone knows except her."

"She never stood a chance. Vivian had luck and timing on her side."

The butler went white, then red with fury. "One more word, and you are fired," he barked.

Silence choked the room. Quinn lifted her head, her smile not reaching her eyes. With that, she gripped the door handle and tossed over her shoulder, "Save the broth for your future Mrs. Bennett." The door clicked shut behind her.

Outside, the wind bit into her like teeth. Under the streetlamp's harsh glow, her lone shadow stretched long and thin and was swallowed whole by the darkness.

She shuddered against the biting wind, her footsteps heavy as she wandered aimlessly. After what felt like hours, she abruptly pulled out her phone and dialed her private investigator.

"Find out where Ethan and Vivian's engagement party is tomorrow," she demanded, her tone sharp as winter frost. "And I need the location of Vivian's mother's ashes." The line went dead with a click.

In less than half an hour, Quinn's screen flashed with two precise addresses.

Returning to her family home, she showered but spent the night staring at the shadows dancing across the ceiling. Exhaustion clung to her, her body and soul drained, each breath a struggle against the vise around her heart.

At dawn, her Porsche Panamera rolled to a stop outside the venue, hours before the festivities would begin. She had someone inside streaming every sickeningly sweet moment straight to her: Vivian's flushed cheeks and starry-eyed delight, the way Ethan's eyes softened whenever she spoke. It was all searingly bright, like staring into the sun.

As she listened to Ethan pour out those tender promises to Vivian, something strange happened. The ache in her chest was gone, replaced by a hollow, glacial calm, as if her heart had frozen over and no wind could ever disturb its surface again.

Her thumb flicked across the screen, dismissing the feed in one decisive motion. Turning to her assistant with glacial calm, she uttered, "Give the inside team the green light. Execute the plan." The assistant nodded sharply before tapping an earpiece.