In the afternoon around three, Erin Bishop went to the restaurant and texted Quincy Linden, who replied that he was caught in traffic and would take about twenty minutes to arrive.
At the restaurant, she saw Zane Rhodes again, but this ti he was already sitting there when she arrived, along with several business-suited n, presumably there for a eting.
Erin didn’t wait for Quincy Linden and ordered her al, eating leisurely. Quincy arrived when it was already past one o’clock.
"Sorry for being late, I got caught in rush hour traffic."
"It’s okay, I wasn’t waiting for you. Take a look at what else you’d like to eat and order for yourself."
Quincy reached for the nu but noticed Erin’s unusual deanor and cautiously asked, "Rona, are you angry?"
Erin looked up and smiled, "What would I be angry about?"
"I’m glad you’re not. I thought you were upset because I didn’t have ti to be with you and was late for our dinner."
Erin’s smile deepened, "It’s normal not to have enough ti for so many won. Why not bring that foreign chick along? It’d be easier to keep both of us company at once."
Quincy was taken aback, and then played dumb, "What foreign chick? Rona, are you misunderstanding sothing?"
"It’s a pity I forgot to take out my phone last night to capture the lovely scene of you two."
Quincy’s expression changed, seeing Erin gesture with her chin in the direction of Zane and say, "That kind-hearted person from last ti is here too. Why not ask him what you were saying in Spanish on the phone last ti?"
"Rona, did he say sothing to you? Are you trusting a stranger over ?"
"I believe my own eyes. Is it fun to fool others into thinking they’re idiots, Quincy?"
Realizing Erin had seen through him, Quincy stopped explaining and instead leaned back on the sofa, loosening his tie, "Aren’t you just a fool? Didn’t you say last night you wanted to marry ? So eager, are you afraid you won’t find a new master for your pair of worn-out shoes?"
"And you still have the face to sarcastically ridicule here. I spare half of my ti to be with you out of respect. Really take yourself that seriously? I can’t stand won like you, who think they’re all that but are clueless."
Erin still smiled gracefully, "I actually quite like you. Your wolf in sheep’s clothing act is so alluring."
"If you have any sense, stay by my side, and I won’t mistreat you. But if you insist on causing trouble, sorry, I have no patience for coaxing a woman who’s been with others."
"And I don’t like n who have been with others. So go the way you ca and please settle the bill."
Quincy stood up and pointed at Erin, "A woman like you will never find a husband, thinking a second-hand good like you is a phoenix!"
After the insult, Quincy angrily left without settling the bill.
The harsh words cut deep for a woman.
Especially for Erin, who had repeatedly experienced heartbreak.
She stared blankly out the window, wondering if the problem lay within herself.
Suddenly she noticed a group of people driving away, recognizing one of them as soone who had been eating with Zane earlier, but Zane was not among those leaving.
Confused, she glanced in the direction and realized Zane was already walking towards her, less than a ter away.
He stopped and stood in front of her. Erin glanced at him, said nothing, and turned back to look out the window.
Thinking Zane must be here to mock her, saying she didn’t heed his advice, choosing to be with such a scoundrel, and now she regretted it?
However, she didn’t hear the expected words, instead catching him sitting down opposite her.
He said, "Do you know how much it hurt inside when those people insulted you?"
Erin turned her head to look at him, her eyes filled with confusion and disbelief, "What does their insult have to do with you?"
He took a breath, looked at his watch, and said, "There’s still an hour and a half until the civil affairs office closes."
Erin was taken aback, seriously scrutinizing him, as if trying to find traces of him joking or teasing her, but his gaze was sincerely earnest.
He said, "You can give every man a chance, so why not try giving us a chance?"
"Give us a chance? I’ve given too many chances. Before my first wedding, that one ti I asked you to talk, I gave my last chance then, and you chose to wish happiness—do you think your behavior now is laughable?"
He didn’t reflect but continued urging, "You still have an hour and twenty-eight minutes of opportunity."
Erin frowned; her anger seed to only grow when she thought of taking it out on him.
"Still hesitating?"
"What makes you so sure I’ll agree to you?"
"I’m not sure you’ll agree. I’m just trying to fight for myself."
Erin increasingly didn’t understand what he ant, unable to see through his intentions or tricks.
Perhaps because the failed blind dates these few days and Quincy’s earlier words had triggered her, making a rash decision in her anger.
"Fine, let’s go get the docunts, I want to see if you dare to go!"
"All my docunts are in the car. Should I take you back to get yours or wait at the civil affairs office?"
Erin’s brows furrowed deeper, grabbing her bag and standing up, walking out directly.
Zane called after her back, "I’ll wait for you until the civil affairs office closes."
She only replied without looking back, "Settle the bill."
Erin felt she might have gone crazy while retrieving her docunts at ho.
Her mind was a ss on the drive but there was no sense of regret.
If it’s a ga, so be it. She wanted to see who would end up losing.
When she arrived at the civil affairs office, she saw Zane waiting by his car.
As soon as she parked, he ca over, saying, "I thought you wouldn’t co."
"Let’s play. Didn’t you want to play? I’ll play with you." She closed the car door and headed straight into the civil affairs office lobby.
When the two of them sat together for the photo, the photographer asked her to smile, and at that mont she felt a bit dazed in her own smile.
It’s as if she had hoped for this mont countless tis before, and in her smile, it seed she truly felt she was having the happiness she originally desired.
She was a bit unsure of what she was doing, and as they walked out with the red certificate from the civil affairs office, looking at the nas and photo on the marriage certificate, her nose tingled, and tears instantly fell, her head down not wanting him to see.
She had invested a lot in him, it seed like she was always the one chasing after him.
When she wanted him, she gave up all her dignity and self-respect, yet she didn’t get the results she wanted.
When she had already let go of him, she caved in with just a few simple words from him.
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