The Divorced Military Queen Awakens (by Sadie Baxter) novel Chapter 420

Chapter 420 The Journey Forward

Every word Gavin delivered landed on Quinn’s heart like a clap of summer thunder–sudden, deafening, impossible to ignore.

By the time he finished speaking, tears were already streaming down her cheeks, hot and unrelenting.

Memories quickly came flooding back. She recalled how Julius knelt before her, begging her not to leave him. She remembered him washing down sleeping pills, yet lying awake all night, eyes wide in despair. More importantly, she remembered the moment on that wind–beaten island when he chose to set her free, even though the decision shattered him.

The images drove her tears harder, faster, until her vision blurred.

Why had she refused to forgive him back then?

He had done so much for her, and only now did she see it.

Quinn pressed a trembling hand to her lips. “I–I need to see him. I have to see Julius as soon as possible!”

Gavin held her gaze for a long, measured second. “All right.”

After Gavin left, Quinn lifted the lid of the jewelry box. Through a haze of tears, she stared at the ruby necklace, its scarlet facets swimming like embers.

So she had met Julius far earlier than she ever realized.

No wonder, when he saw the necklace around her neck in the midst of the fire, shock had flared in his eyes, and he whispered that it had been her all along.

“Julius, I’ll see you soon. You can count on it!” she murmured, her resolve like tempered steel.

The next morning, when Laura learned that Quinn planned to fly to Celosia, surprise flickered across her face.

“Your body hasn’t even healed yet, and your leg is still in a cast. Why are you rushing to Celosia? Even if you want to see your grandmother, there’s no need to be in such a rush.”

“I’m going to see Julius. He’s in Celosia to donate hematopoietic stem cells for Lena,” Quinn explained.

Laura’s eyes widened. “He plans to donate his stem cells? That Lena… She’s the woman who saved your brother’s life, isn’t she?”

“Yes,” Quinn answered, the taste of regret sharp on his tongue. “But his health is nowhere near strong enough for such a procedure. I have to stop him. Even if he insists on donating, the priority is still for him to rest and recover!”

“So you’re going all the way to Celosia just to stop him?”

Quinn gave a self–deprecating smile. “And to tell him exactly how much I love him.”

Alas, she feared the realization had come too late.

Everett’s gaze sharpened with calculation. “Celosia isn’t the Whitethorn family’s territory. If you truly want to be with Julius, I will see to it that he stays there until he finally chooses you.”

For Everett, his late sister’s children had become treasures rarer than anything the Fane family fortune could buy.

So what if Julius was the highest authority in the Whitethorn family? If Quinn wanted him, Everett would stop at nothing to secure the man for her—even if it meant resorting to underhanded means.

Quinn stared, wide–eyed, yet the warmth of her uncle’s indulgent devotion wrapped around her like a heavy, comforting quilt.

The Whitethorn family might be formidable, but Everett still chose to be on her side and help her in every way.

If Mother were still alive, Uncle Everett would have been the perfect elder brother, pouring decades of support and affection into her. Oh, how I wish Mother knew just how wonderful her brother is!

True to his word, Gavin whisked Quinn’s passport away and, within hours, secured the visa; in only one day, they would be airborne for Celosia.

Quinn’s right calf was still trapped in a plaster cast, so Gavin arranged a wheelchair for her, its polished chrome gleaming under harsh fluorescents.

Once they were strapped into their seats high above the clouds, Gavin angled toward her. “Julius still has no clue you’re on your way to Celosia,” he began, his voice low beneath the hum of the engine. “As for the stem cell donation, he deliberately hid it from you. So, what do you intend to do once you’re there? Do you want me to take you to him tomorrow?”

After all, their arrival would be deep into the night; Celosia would be sleeping when the wheels finally kissed the runway.