Paralyzed by His Lies

Chapter 6

Lately, because I refused to leave the house, Jason had been bringing different friends over every day, worried I'd get lonely.

But honestly, I was perfectly fine with my peaceful, stable life. I didn't need anything else.

So, every time they'd arrive, I'd look up, offer a polite smile, and say hello.

That day, I looked up and saw a face I recognized.

"It's you."

The man standing across from me was the manager who'd delivered the medicine to Alexander that day.

"Aren't you the manager from that club? What are you doing here?" I asked, curious.

Instead of answering directly, he smiled and reached out to shake my hand.

"Guess my outfit that day made me look like a manager," he said, chuckling. "But yeah, I delivered the medicine you asked for."

"Let me properly introduce myself. I'm Eric."

Eric had seen me at my most vulnerable, and I was worried he might spill the details of that day. But after getting to know him better, I realized he was one of those people who respected boundaries.

"I'm really sorry about what happened that day..."

"No need to apologize," he cut me off with a wave. "I was just helping someone out. The rest is none of my business."

He lowered his voice, his eyes twinkling a bit. "Everyone's got their own secrets."

I quickly warmed up to Eric.

Maybe because he'd lived abroad for so long, he had this adventurous energy. He encouraged me to do things I'd always been too afraid to try, hiking, skiing, even bungee jumping.

Each new activity was thrilling, and slowly, I stopped worrying about the way others might see me.

On his advice, I even enrolled in a local university to continue my studies.

One day, a classmate invited me to take part in a psychological study that involved seeing the city's top psychologist.

When we arrived on time, we were told the doctor had a last-minute patient.

My classmate, looking puzzled, asked me, "Lucy, do you know who that is? The doctor never sees anyone who wasn't scheduled. He's super strict about that."

I smiled and shook my head, but then, out of nowhere, I saw someone I never wanted to see again.

Alexander Quinn.

So, he was the doctor's patient? No wonder the stiff, old-fashioned man had changed his schedule for him.

What could possibly be wrong with Alexander to make him fly across the world for a psychologist?

I was stunned, but I quickly turned away, trying to avoid him spotting me.

"Lucy, he's so handsome! It's such a shame he's disabled..." my classmate whispered loudly, oblivious to the fact that I could barely breathe.

I froze, my body tense. The sound of Alexander's wheelchair wheels rolling closer made my spine stiffen.

I couldn't move.

Finally, the door clicked shut, and I could breathe again.

I made a quick excuse about feeling unwell and hurried out, my heart racing.

Seeing Alexander again brought back so many painful memories. I stayed home for three full days, not daring to step outside.

By the time I ventured out again, I convinced myself whatever had happened with him was over.

But as soon as my feet hit the ground outside the school gates, I heard it, the voice I'd been dreading.

"Lucy, you can't escape!"

I froze. Completely.

Alexander was standing there, blocking my way.

In just a month, he'd lost so much weight. His face looked even sharper, colder, and his eyes, bloodshot and filled with anger, held something else too… was it… joy?

I took a steady breath and responded, my voice colder than I felt, "I'm not escaping. I've already succeeded."

No matter how powerful the Quinn family was, they couldn't just take someone away from another country without making noise.

"Lucy, you're really bold. How dare you leave the Quinn family without my permission?" He spat, his tone full of disbelief and fury.

"The Quinn family raised me for five years," I shot back, my voice steady. "I took care of you for five years. Isn't that enough repayment?"

"You consider yourself a caretaker?" His voice was laced with disdain.

I couldn't hold back my laugh. "What else would I be?" I retorted. "At least a caretaker doesn't have to play 'punishment games' with their boss."

I turned and started walking away, refusing to let his anger get to me.

But just a few steps in, the housekeeper and assistant stepped in front of me, blocking my path.