The Divorced Military Queen Awakens (by Sadie Baxter) novel Chapter 422

Chapter 422 Moonlit Standoff

Quinn leaned toward him, the movement slow and deliberate. Before either of them could breathe, the tip of her nose grazed the sharp edge of Julius‘ jaw.

The man’s entire body instantly went rigid, as though that feather–light touch had fired an electric current straight through his spine.

“What makes you so certain that guilt is the only reason I’m trying to make things right between us?“, she whispered, her lips so close he could taste the heat of her words.

“If it isn’t guilt, then what is it?” Julius‘ voice came out raw, scratched thin by sleepless nights. “Do you honestly think I’ll believe you’ve fallen back in love with me–that love, of all things, is why you’re here now?”

“Why can’t the answer simply be that I love you?”

“Back then, when you still loved me, you didn’t seem to have a problem ending our relationship. I begged–God, how I begged–and yet, you still walked away. Now, after one fire, you expect me to believe you’ve rekindled your love for me?” Julius asked before letting out a hollow laugh. “Or is it because you heard that I’m donating stem cells to Lena, and the noble gesture moved you? Is that why you decided I was worth loving again?”

She had come all the way to Celosia, and just days ago, Gavin had returned home.

With that information, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. The doctor must have told Quinn about the donation.

“I’m grateful that you’re donating your stem cells to Lena,” Quinn explained, her tone steady and crystal clear. “But gratitude alone has never made me fall for someone. I’m not choosing to love you again, Julius… I’ve never stopped loving you.”

His shoulders jerked as if struck. He stared at her, thunderstruck, every feature carved in disbelief.

“Yes. I’ve always loved you,” she affirmed, her voice ringing like glass in the dim room. “I thought ending things would free me. I told myself I could let us go. I acted brave, but the truth is I’ve never laid this love down.”

As Quinn spoke, her fingertips skimmed along the hard plane of Julius‘ cheek, a touch that spoke of both apology and promise. “I know I can be stubborn and difficult at times. But that fire–standing at death’s door–made me realize something. If I’m not even afraid of dying and insist on taking you with me, then why not try to rebuild the trust that was destroyed?”

Still, Julius said nothing, staring as though language itself had deserted him.

“Julius Whitethorn, I love you. You told me I owed you nothing, and you’re right. I saved your life when we were kids, and when we grew up, I saved you once again. So whatever debts there might have been, they’re even now. I love you, and it has nothing to do with guilt!”

Julius‘ eyes widened. “H–How did you know?”

“Know what? That the little girl who saved you all those years ago was me?” Quinn replied, chuckling softly. “When Dr. Huxley visited, he noticed the ruby necklace. That was when everything began falling into place.”

“Yes. I can’t believe we met far earlier than either of us realized,” he muttered, awed by the puzzle finally solved, and the fact that Quinn had been his savior all along.

“If only I’d asked for your contact information,” Quinn said, voice tinged with regret. “That way, maybe when I returned home, I would have written, called, and even searched for you. We might have grown up side by side like childhood sweethearts and fallen in love with each other much, much earlier…”

The images she painted drifted through Julius‘ mind like a fleeting dream–brief, exquisite, dangerously sweet.

“Yes,” Julius answered, his voice flat as winter stone. “I don’t.”

“Have you stopped loving me, then?” she asked, barely daring to breathe.

Julius pressed his parched lips together. “Yes, I don’t—”

Before the lie could finish forming, Quinn’s hand rose and covered his mouth.

“You know what I’m like,” she murmured. “I can stomach silence, but I cannot endure a lie. Say nothing if you must, just don’t lie to me.”

Julius fell into a heavy silence, offering no further protest.

“If you still love me, why won’t you let us try again?” Quinn asked, searching his shadowed eyes. 

He fixed his gaze on hers, then slowly removed her palm from his lips. His thin mouth shaped the words, “Because I don’t want to be abandoned again.”

If I am fated to be cast aside, then it’s kinder never to hope at all.