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Novel Catalog
Chapter_20
Alexander’s voice was soft, but it was enough to send a chill down Quinn’s spine.
Nervously, she gestured, “I… I wanted… to buy something.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And what was that?”
“Clothes. I wanted to buy clothes for you.” Her throat tightened as she swallowed.
His deep eyes locked onto hers, and he stared at her for a long moment. Then, to her surprise, he laughed. “Buy clothes for me?”
She nodded, though her heart raced in her chest.
“Quinn,” he suddenly said her name, a rarity these days. The sound of it sent a wave of unease through her. He reached out, his fingers brushing gently against her cheek, but his words were cold. “You’ve gotten quite good at lying. You weren’t like this before. Tell me, did Abigail teach you this? How to lie?”
Quinn’s pupils contracted in shock. She shook her head frantically, denying the accusation.
Before she could explain, Alexander grabbed her hands, holding them in place. With his other arm, he pulled her closer, capturing her lips in a kiss. “Relax,” he murmured against her mouth, “I was just teasing. Now, what kind of clothes were you planning to buy for me?”
Quinn’s hands were trapped, leaving her unable to push him away. She looked at him helplessly, her mind racing.
His lips grazed the corner of her mouth, before biting down on her lower lip with enough force to draw a sharp intake of breath from her. In that moment, while she was dazed, he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, pushing his tongue into her mouth with a fierce hunger. He licked every inch of her mouth, as though he was trying to consume her entirely.
Only when her eyes began to fill with tears did he pull away, his expression unreadable.
Quinn quickly stood from his lap, trying to compose herself. She hastily straightened her clothes and gestured, “I’ll go fix dinner.”
“No need,” he replied coldly, standing as well. He adjusted his collar and took a few steps, then paused and looked back at her. “Don’t do it again.”
Quinn collapsed back onto the sofa, her hand instinctively resting on her lower abdomen. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
‘I know exactly what he meant,’ she thought bitterly. ‘I’m not allowed to see Abigail anymore. I’m not allowed to make money either.’
‘He’s said before that he’d accept a divorce, but only if I paid him back. Yet he won’t allow me to earn anything. He doesn’t love me, but he doesn’t want to let me go either.’
‘Maybe Abigail’s right. He won’t throw away something he doesn’t even want. He’ll never lose control over what he owns.’
‘Even if he doesn’t want me anymore, it will be him who ends things. Me leaving voluntarily won’t be acceptable to him.’
Meanwhile, Alexander was driving to the hospital. Getty had twisted her ankle. It wasn’t serious enough to require hospitalization, but she insisted on staying. She’d been there for two days, and Alexander had only come to check on her once briefly. Now, she was bored and decided to discharge herself, calling him to pick her up.
As he stood in the elevator with a family of four, he overheard their conversation. The woman held a baby in her arms, and the man had his arm around her shoulders. A little boy stood beside them.
“The more I look at her face,” the woman said with a smile, “the rounder it gets. Do you think she’ll still have a round face when she grows up?”
The man laughed. “Round faces are cute. I bet she’ll look like you when she’s older.”
She smiled playfully, “She better look like me. If she looks like you, she won’t find a husband.”
The man chuckled. “Great! Then she can stay with me forever.”
The little boy tugged at the woman’s hand. “Mommy, I wanna hold her.”
The woman ruffled his hair and smiled. “Maybe when we get home. She’s not going anywhere. You have all the time in the world to hold her.”
The elevator doors opened, and the family of four walked out, chatting and laughing. Alexander couldn’t help but glance at the baby in the woman’s arms as they passed. He watched them disappear until the doors closed again.
He thought to himself, ‘Quinn had a round face too when she first came to us.’
‘If our baby had been born, would it have had a round face just like hers?’
