Quentin Sterling appeared in front of Clarissa Morgan only after receiving a call from the police station. Seeing her disheveled appearance and dazed expression sitting on the bench outside the hallway, she looked utterly shaken.
Honestly, witnessing all of that firsthand, Quentin Sterling felt a huge impact internally.
He felt as if he had never really known Clarissa before; she felt so unfamiliar to him.
Yet, he was also puzzled about why she would do such a thing. Murder—sothing one wouldn’t choose to do unless pushed to a certain point, right?
What exactly did she experience?
"...Clarissa." He was right in front of her, and she hadn’t even noticed his arrival until he called her na.
Clarissa Morgan looked up at him, her tears, seemingly repressed for a long ti, broke free and surged down. She stood up abruptly, plunging into Quentin Sterling’s embrace, clinging to him and sobbing uncontrollably...
Her body was ice-cold, and even her clothes were still wet, with only her tears being hot.
Quentin Sterling’s heart seed to soften all at once. He raised a hand to hold her, patting her head to comfort her, "It’s okay now, it’s okay."
Clarissa Morgan’s voice was choked and hoarse as she said, "I killed soone, Quentin, I killed soone... I didn’t an to, I didn’t an to... What do I do? I’m so scared... Quentin, help ..."
She was sowhat incoherent, her voice trembling.
If Quentin Sterling hadn’t witnessed the scene, he might have unhesitatingly believed that she didn’t an it...
The police had already taken statents and, out of respect for Quentin Sterling, treated Clarissa Morgan with a degree of courtesy. However, they said that the cause of the incident had not yet been fully investigated and that further cooperation from Clarissa would be needed for the ongoing investigation.
Quentin Sterling led a still-shaken Clarissa Morgan out of the police station. Sitting in the car, he took a tissue from the box and gently wiped the water stains from her cheeks and hair.
"...Clarissa, tell , what exactly happened?"
Clarissa Morgan looked up at him, opened her mouth, but seed hesitant to speak due to so concern.
Quentin Sterling held her cold hand in his palm, speaking softly and tenderly, "Clarissa, only by telling the truth can I help you."
Suddenly, Clarissa Morgan broke into tears, looking utterly helpless.
Quentin Sterling furrowed his brow slightly, reaching out to embrace her closer, "Don’t be afraid; with here, nothing will happen to you. Just tell ."
Clarissa Morgan’s voice, still choked, said, "Quentin... I’m sorry, it’s all my fault, I wasn’t careful enough..."
Quentin Sterling: "Don’t rush, speak slowly."
Clarissa Morgan lifted her head from his embrace, took a deep breath, and said, "This wasn’t an accident, I intentionally hit the person."
Hearing her words, Quentin Sterling surprisingly felt a sense of relief; at least she wasn’t lying to him and was willing to be honest.
After a pause, Quentin Sterling asked her as calmly as possible, "Why did you do it?"
Clarissa Morgan’s eyes filled with loathing and resentnt: "He deserved to die. He was a monster..."
Quentin Sterling: "Clarissa, what exactly happened?"
Clarissa Morgan lowered her gaze, her expression turning sorrowful again, and tearfully said, "...Quentin, I’ve always been afraid to tell you, afraid that once you knew... you’d despise , want to divorce . I’m so scared."
Quentin Sterling lifted his hand to gently wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, "How could I despise you? You should’ve told right away when things happened."
Clarissa Morgan recited the narrative she’d already crafted in her heart, saying, "...His na is Nolan Hawke, he’s my photographer. You know, I’ve ntioned him to you before."
Quentin Sterling nodded, "Yes."
Clarissa Morgan: "Recently, he told that he knew a director who was casting for a leading lady, said I would be a good fit, asked to try out, and that night, we had dinner with them. The conversation went well, and I thought staying in my comfort zone wasn’t good, that trying acting might be a worthwhile experience, so I fell into his trap."
Speaking with a regretful tone, Clarissa wiped her tears with her hand and continued, "...He spiked my drink with drugs, then... violated ... Quentin, would you despise ?"
Quentin Sterling breathed a sigh, feeling sowhat heartbroken yet slightly helpless, gently patting Clarissa’s head, "Silly girl, you were the victim in this. How could I despise you for it? You should’ve told sooner instead of bearing it all alone."
"And these days... I’ve been lying to you too, going out several tis to find him, but I dared not tell you. He took so photos and threatened , saying he’d release them online if I didn’t comply with him. I was utterly cornered and didn’t want to be manipulated by him anymore, so..."
"So, you hit him with the car?"
Clarissa Morgan nodded, sobbing.
Knowing the truth, Quentin Sterling felt complicated emotions within. He was heartbroken over Clarissa’s ordeal, remorseful for not protecting her, and angry at himself for not realizing sooner to pull her from such deep waters and burning flas.
Quentin Sterling held her again, pressing his chin gently on her slightly damp hair, asking her, "Were you very scared at the ti?"
Clarissa Morgan seed to release her internal fear, crying freely in his embrace.
Putting everything else aside, at that mont, Quentin Sterling indeed gave her a sense of security.
She felt as long as he was willing to help, nothing would happen to her, even if she had killed soone.
"Don’t worry; I’ll handle this matter well. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, and I promise this won’t get out online. Once it’s over, I’ll take you away for a while, to relax—don’t put so much pressure on yourself, and don’t think too much. In the future, any problem you have, rember to tell first. We’re a couple; don’t bear everything alone."
Clarissa Morgan nodded in his embrace, "Thank you, Quentin. It’s so good to have you."
With those words, Quentin Sterling’s heart filled with satisfaction, feeling that no matter the cost for her, it was worth it.
Having removed his doubts about Clarissa Morgan, Quentin Sterling felt a big relief in his heart, though still felt guilty when thinking about her ordeal these days.
Quentin Sterling sent Clarissa Morgan back to The Sterling, and he returned to the police station.
Arriving ho, it was already past two in the afternoon.
Most of The Sterling family mbers were playing cards in the ga room.
Clarissa Morgan took a shower, changed her clothes, still shivered at the thought of that scene.
But after all, Nolan Hawke, the stumbling block, was completely gone.
Quentin Sterling also believed her narrative, so there was no rush about the divorce. However, Audrey Sutton must still have plenty of evidence of her infidelity to Quentin Sterling, and she feared Audrey would undermine all her plans.
After eliminating Nolan Hawke, Clarissa Morgan found that making soone she didn’t like disappear wasn’t such a difficult task.
She could make Nolan Hawke disappear, and soon she would make Audrey Sutton disappear too...
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