“Quintin, don’t be afraid, it’s me, Susan, I’m here.”
He bit down hard on my shoulder, and a hidden blade sliced open my abdomen. I winced, but didn’t let go.
く
His body was covered in wounds, but I
smelled a cloying sweetness, and the cuts
from the ropes were surprisingly clean.
This was Quintin’s ninety–nine–times game. After Susan’s death, he developed severe PTSD. Every time he had an episode, he would uncontrollably hurt himself; only my
impersonation of my sister could alleviate it.
But I, a professional, didn’t notice a thing. Quintin, the great Quintin, you really went all
out.
To punish me, you pretended to have a
mental illness for five years.
“Sarah, I’m sorry, I had another episode.”
“It’s my fault again.”
Quintin’s concerned words broke through my
thoughts. I forced a smile and gently
<
comforted him.
“I’m okay, as long as you’re alright.”
Jake helped Quintin up, his voice dripping
with sarcasm.
“He’s not alright, Quintin’s way worse this
time! You should have said something sooner.
If you hadn’t volunteered to play his sister, he
might have recovered by now.”
“Jake, shut up!”
Quintin’s sharp rebuke silenced him.
“Sarah, I’m sorry. Jake just worries too much. Don’t blame him.”
His expression was serious and affectionate,
but I felt a chill run down my spine.
To avoid revealing my deception, I urged Jake
to take Quintin to his room to treat his
wounds, then skillfully found the first aid kit in
1
<
the living room.
But the alcohol stung unusually badly this time, and I had to bite down on a gauze pad.
I vaguely heard their hushed conversation. “Quintin, your acting was amazing. You saw
Sarah’s face, right? She looked much more heartbroken than last time.”
“And I added something to her first–aid kit.
It’ll make her suffer.‘
“Also, I got you a gift, you’ll love it!”
I heard Quintin chuckle happily.
“You know me best. I’m sure I’ll love
whatever you got me!”
“Oh, you mentioned using the Qin family
logistics company to ship something. I already arranged it.”
Hearing this, I dropped the medicine, leaving
く
my wound exposed, and went into the guest
room.
Quintin was sharp. If I didn’t leave something
behind, he’d notice something was off. Quintin always felt guilty and remorseful after
his episodes, so he insisted I stay at his
house until he recovered.
I used to love staying at his house,
recovering. I got to see him every day, and
being around him made me feel like he cared for
