What Separates Me and You

Quintin subconsciously turned to look. As expected, it was Lewis.

It crossed his mind to flee, but he gave up on that idea the moment he saw Phineas.

Lewis waltzed in and sat across from him, giving him a nonchalant glance.

Quintin looked vexed. He awkwardly glared at Lewis and grumbled, "What do you want?"

Lewis' calm eyes lingered on Quintin's face before he chuckled.

Quintin was stunned. He looked up at the man sitting opposite him. "What are you laughing at?"

Lewis replied, "Quintin, are you certain you're not going to get a divorce?"

Quintin leaned back into the sofa, intending to send the helve after the hatchet. He had the air of a knave as he looked at Lewis. "What are you going to do if I insist on not divorcing? Are you here to finish me off?"

Lewis shook his head slightly. "I'm here to have a chat with you."

"We have nothing to talk about."

Lewis asked, "How could that be? You've been addressing Josephine as your wife, after all. That's something for us to talk about, isn't it?"

Quintin frowned. He glanced at him, puzzled.

He had no idea what Lewis was up to. He asked doubtfully, "What do you want to talk about?"

Lewis asked, "Aren't you curious why Josephine can't remember you? I can tell you the answer."

Upon hearing that, Quintin immediately sat upright and stared right at Lewis. "You aren't trying to befuddle me, are you?"

Lewis signaled to Phineas, who understood his intentions and handed the document he held to Quintin.

Quintin took it warily. He opened the file and skimmed through the contents.

It was Josephine's medical report.

He read the report carefully, not missing a single word. The more he read, the more sullen he grew. Several minutes later, he asked, "Is this true?"

"You've experienced it yourself to know better, haven't you?"

Quintin fell silent. Indeed, he sensed something off when Josephine changed her clothes before him yesterday. In addition to her medical report, the answer was evident. "Does that mean only memories of when she was ten years old remain?"

Lewis nodded slightly. "That's right."

Quintin's face was ashen.

Lewis added, "She has totally forgotten about you. The only person she remembers is me. She won't stay with you whether or not you get the divorce."

Actually, Quintin wasn't sincerely trying to get together with Josephine. He might have had that idea before, but all he wanted now was to use her as a wager in his confrontation with Lewis.

Lewis said, "Nothing you do will affect me. Instead, you're only hurting her. In fact, I can bring her to you, and you can live together for a few days."

Quintin was dumbfounded and grew even more suspicious. His eyes swept across Lewis' expression several times to ensure he didn't hear that wrongly. "Come again?"

"I'm not repeating myself. I'm offering you an opportunity. I won't object to your marriage if you grasp it and Josephine willingly stays by your side. But if you fail to win her heart, I hope you'll sign the divorce agreement. You can get even with me via other means to settle the grudge between us, but don't involve Josephine in this. I reckon it wasn't part of your plan to use her against me when you first desired to marry her, am I right?"

Quintin fell silent.

Lewis was right. He was fond of Josephine when they first decided to get married. But it was also because of their ties that the conflict between him and Lewis grew. Thus, he ended up using Josephine to pay Lewis back.

His choice was evidently unjust to Josephine.

He shouldn't have hurt her, now all the more as she was sick.

As someone who adopted stray dogs, Quintin wouldn't have won against Lewis. He had a kind heart.

Quintin faced his internal struggles and eventually looked up with determination. "Alright. Let's do as you propose."

Lewis tilted his chin, signaling to Phineas to give Quintin the freshly printed divorce agreement.

Phineas understood and cast it on the coffee table.

Without further ado, Lewis stood up and was ready to leave. When he reached the door, he looked back and said, "I'll bring Josephine to you. I hope you'll take good care of her." There wasn't a response from Quintin.

No matter the outcome, he wanted to give it a try.

Since Josephine only had her memories from when she was ten years old, why couldn't he capture her heart if Lewis could?

Lewis noticed his shifting expression, and his eyes darkened. He strode out of the house without looking back.

Josephine was having breakfast in the mansion.

She ate only a little last night, so she had been hungry since early morning.

She was in a good mood because Lewis was beside her when she woke up.

Lewis returned just as she finished her breakfast.

She ran to him cheerfully and habitually hugged him.

Lewis patted her on the back before pushing her away slightly. He asked, "Josie, do you remember that man from yesterday?"

Josephine nodded. She did. Of course, she did.

Lewis paused before saying, "You'll stay with him for a few days, okay?"

Her smile froze on her lips. With widened eyes, she stared at Lewis, confused.

She shook her head vigorously and signed, "No. I don't want to stay with him!"

Lewis stroked her cheek and said softly, "Don't worry. He won't hurt you. Besides, I'll be busy these few days and may not be able to spend time with you." Her eyes reddened. She gazed at Lewis and signed, "Do you not want me anymore?"

"Of course not. You'll only be staying at Quintin's place for several days."

Josephine bit her lip. She wanted to shake her head to express her rejection but refrained when she realized he wasn't taking no for an answer.

She could only grab onto his sleeve obstinately, her eyes growing misty.

She had no idea who that man was at all. Why would Lewis allow her to stay with that man?

Lewis gently stroked the corners of her eyes, wiping away her tears. "Why are you crying?"

Josephine held back the urge to cry and signed, "You said you wouldn't abandon me."

"I didn't say I was abandoning you. I'm only letting you stay there for some time. Do you not understand what I said?" He sounded stern.

Josephine paused. Then, she tightened her grip on his sleeve until her knuckles paled. She signed, "Did I do anything wrong? I'll amend my mistakes, okay?" Lewis' eyes hovered on her face for several moments before he looked back and called out, "Phineas."

Phineas immediately ran over. "Sir."

"Take her."

Phineas nodded and gestured for Josephine to go before him. "Madam, after you."

Josephine hadn't released her hold on Lewis' sleeve. She didn't want to go... Couldn't he see that she didn't want to go?

He could but insisted on sending her away.

Although he said she was only staying at Quintin's house for several days, to Josephine, it was the same as Lewis abandoning her.

Josephine wouldn't budge. Phineas gathered his courage and held her wrist. "Madam, let's go."

He pulled her outward. She looked pleadingly at Lewis, not letting go of his sleeve, but Lewis averted his eyes.

She was no match for Phineas' strength. As Phineas tugged her along, Lewis' sleeve slipped from between her fingers until she was only holding air. "L-Louie." Lewis frowned and turned to glance at her.

Josephine's tears rolled down her cheeks. She took in the annoyance on his face and the coldness between his brows. Her arm, hanging mid-air, slowly drooped. He would hate her if she disobeyed.