fanqie novel
Chapter 256
Chapter 256
Leanne didn’t say another word. She walked past him, reaching for the door handle. The lock beeped, signaling it was unlocked.
But then, he gently tugged at her sleeve from behind.
She’d been whisked away for a spontaneous dinner, donning a simple white loungewear set with a cardigan thrown over it. The soft cashmere gave her a look of both cleanliness and warmth.
Curtis longed to hold her and borrow a bit of her warmth to bring him back to life.
But he was too much of a mess.
She was pristine and he was a wreck.
“How long have you been having these things? His voice was hoarse, almost too faint.
Leanne turned, puzzled. “What do
you mean?”
Curtis lifted his left hand. The prescription boxes in the bag seemed like they got drenched
in the rain, some sopping wet, giving her hand a soggy feel on touch.
Seeing the medication, Leanne paused.
After a moment, she finally spoke. “Over a year.”
“When did it start?”
“After you left.”
“Does it hurt a lot?” Curtis asked.
Leanne spoke lightly, “When is being sick ever easy?”
“Joy mentioned that you..” Curtis strained his voice and uttered the words with extreme caution, “… had thoughts of… hurting yourself.
Leanne clenched her hands into fists.
Some memories were too painful to revisit, the emotions from those times too overwhelming.
From Curtis’ sudden coldness to his departure overseas, it was all too brief.
Suddenly thrown from heaven into hell, adapting both physically and mentally was a challenge. That was when Leanne started suffering from insomnia and sinking into a depressive state.
She hadn’t realized she was depressed at first, thinking it was just a temporary mood.
It was on Curtis’ birthday that Leanne saw a photo of him with Suzan on social media. It
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was a photo she didn’t realize was fake at the time.
She knew about Curtis’ chase after Suzan to Emberland and she knew they were together. But seeing the truth in person was different from the hearsay.
Perhaps it was then that Leanne realized she loved Curtis more deeply than she thought.
“It’s common,” she said, playing with her fingertips. “Many people with depression have thoughts of harming themselves.”
Common? How could it be?
Curtis tightened his voice, “Why didn’t you tell me? If I was making you so miserable. Why didn’t you call to scream at me?”
Only Joy knew about Leanne’s depression, a testament to how few people she trusted.
During the worst of it, her condition nearly impacted her work, but she eventually pulled through.
With Joy’s support, out of a sense of duty to her parents who had fought so hard for her, she managed to climb out of that abyss.
Her parents hadn’t worked so hard for her to live just so she could fall apart over a man.
How could she tell Curtis?
She imagined he wouldn’t care. Besides, after being hurt once, why would she show him weakness again, giving him another reason to mock her?
“I was afraid you’d be holding Suzan, laughing at my weakness.”
That sentence made Curtis’ already fragile composure crumble.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his breath shaky, “I’m really sorry.”
Leanne refused to look at him, facing the door with a calm voice. It was unclear whether she didn’t care anymore or if she was forcibly detaching her emotions.
“You shouldn’t dwell on it too much. It wasn’t all your fault. My pessimistic and sensitive nature was the main issue. I was just too needy, not strong enough mentally to handle something as trivial as you not loving me. But I’ve moved on now. It’s all in the past and there’s no point in discussing it. You don’t have to torture yourself like this. It’s unnecessary.”
“I love you,” Curtis said, holding onto her sleeve, his voice fervent. “Leanne, I’ve loved you from a very early point. I never told you, but when I found out you were to be my partner, I was secretly thrilled.”
Leanne quickly pulled her sleeve away, as if any slower and she’d be trapped by
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“You don’t have to tell me these things. I haven’t been without love for you, but it’s been worn away.”
Curtis slid his fingers from the cuff of her sleeve, catching her slender and clean hand in the instant she was about to withdraw it.
The ever-arrogant Mr. Curtis now lowered his long legs, his once untouchable knees touching the cold ground before the woman he loved most, like the most devout prisoner confessing his sins.
“I was wrong, utterly foolish. I had your love and I lost it.
He placed his forehead against Leanne’s soft fingers, his voice a desperate whisper, “Leanne, could you love me again?”