"Jonah, big brother, thank you so much, then... then I’ll take my leave." Quinn Lockwood blinked apologetically at Jonah Hansen, accepted the lilies, then quickly turned around and hurried off, as if someone were chasing her.
After rounding the corridor, Quinn gradually slowed her pace, her expression instantly becoming serious.
It looks like she’ll have to check Jonah and Ariana Lynch’s schedules, and come see her father avoiding the times they’re here.
As Quinn pondered her next planning step, she continued forward, only to unexpectedly bump into a broad and warm chest near the staircase entrance.
Immediately, her wrist was forcefully held, and the lilies she had long forgotten about fell to the ground, getting trampled by the man’s black bespoke leather shoes, leaving a disgraceful footprint.
Seeing the deep marks made Quinn involuntarily gasp, shortly after, the grip on her hand relaxed a bit.
Quinn frowned, raised her head, and saw Elias Sinclair’s face as dark as if a storm were about to break.
The man’s deep eyes were filled with icy sharpness, seemingly on the verge of shedding shards of ice.
"Hey, what are you doing? Where are you taking me?"
Before Quinn could steady herself, she was sharply pulled forward, with hurried steps toward the outside of the hospital.
"It really hurts, let go!" Quinn’s wrist was squeezed by the man’s large fingers, causing pain that made her furrow her brow.
This guy is flaring up for no reason again, she had no idea Melody Shepherd would be here, and besides, hadn’t she refrained from being the third wheel and disturbing their date? Why chase after her so aggressively?
The man dragged Quinn to a tree opposite the hospital, his tall figure casting her in his shadow, then suddenly pinned her against the tree trunk.
Though Elias was a bit rough, his hand was thoughtfully shielding Quinn’s spine to avoid her back getting hurt by the impact.
"So, you came out this early just specifically to find Jonah?" The man’s voice was extremely low and hoarse, seeming forcibly squeezed from his throat. Chapters fırst released on NoveIＦire.net
Elias raised his hand to grip Quinn’s chin, forcing her to meet his eyes.
The man’s long eyes were deep like a well, staring at Quinn unblinkingly as if trying to capture all her emotions to discover the answer Elias has been unable to ascertain.
The person in Quinn’s heart, is it really Jonah?
Actually, Elias had seen it, from when Quinn stood at the ward door talking to Elias, he had seen it.
The man appeared frightfully grim, unconsciously tightening his grip on Quinn’s chin, a hellish fury rolling in his eyes.
Elias’s mind flashed through the scene of Jonah giving Quinn that bouquet of lilies, his thin lips pursing tightly, the gaze falling on Quinn growing sharper.
Quinn doesn’t like lilies; Elias remembered she mentioned it accidentally to him.
She said she doesn’t like the plain color of white flowers which feel bland and despondent.
But just now, Quinn was unexpectedly shy, without even hesitating, accepting the lilies Jonah offered.
Thinking about this, Elias’s smile seemed a bit self-deprecating, a block-like feeling suffocating him internally.
"Elias Sinclair, enough!" Quinn wanted to turn her head to escape Elias’s hand, but he held her even tighter in his grip.
Quinn was nearly about to explode, clearly it was Elias spending the night away with another woman, yet he reversed the blame questioning her situation with Jonah.
What did he mean by her purposely seeking Jonah? Coming to confront her indiscriminately, is truly unreasonable!
The two stood independently facing different directions, neither willing to admit defeat.
Perhaps out of fear of injuring Quinn, seeing the redness forming under her chin from his grip, Elias slightly furrowed his brow, releasing his fingers.
"Savannah Lowell, answer my question." The man seemed provoked by Quinn’s indifference and resistance, a fury at boiling point roiled in his eyes, bursting forth uncontrollably.
Quinn raised her head, no longer evading, her gaze piercingly looking at Elias, defiantly, her once pure eyes becoming sharply bold.
"Elias Sinclair, let’s divorce." Quinn perceived too many emotions on Elias Sinclair’s face.
Indifference, suspicion, scrutiny, confusion...
She no longer wanted to ponder each of them, nor explain the situation with Jonah, after all, she’ll soon be free, able to act at her own whim without considering others.
Once the divorce procedures are finalized, Elias will be able to blissfully be with Melody Shepherd.
Thinking of Melody leaning in Elias’s embrace, and the smugly concealed look in front of her made Quinn feel heavy and stifled inside.
Her heart seemed on the brink of dying.
When Elias heard Quinn utter the word divorce, he momentarily became dazed, the descending temperature around him ceased spreading.
"What did you say?" The man seemed questioning whether he had misheard, the hand propped behind Quinn curling slightly, the bone joint pressing against her back causing a faint discomfort.
"I’ll have the lawyer prepare the agreement to send to your office, you go care for Miss Shepherd." Quinn’s gaze fell from Elias’s face, losing its focus.
She had envisioned countless times separating from Elias Sinclair.
Now as her dream was about to come true, why does she feel so distressed?
Quinn felt extremely upset, as though the blood in her body were being slowly withdrawn until completely empty, her whole being numbing to the point of losing sensation, the nerve endings controlling her emotions seemingly severed, leaving a numbing bitterness and an endless dark stagnation.
Quinn shoved Elias away, as if urgently trying to sever ties.
However, before Quinn could take a step away, Elias forcefully held her shoulder, pushing her whole being back against the cold tree trunk.
Suddenly, Quinn’s tender lips were covered by another pair of icy thin lips, followed by a lingering kiss that seemed laced with anger.
"Mm, mm..." Feeling herself unexpectedly ambushed, Quinn froze for a moment before regaining her composure.