Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 86

All those careful, tentative gestures she made—Landon had never once objected.

She thought, perhaps Landon was indulging her all along.

After all, he’d even let her into his master bedroom, the most private space in the house. If that didn’t mean something, what did?

But that was before she learned about Noelle.

The moment she realized Landon would always choose Noelle over her—again and again—something inside her began to unravel.

A story made up is still just a story, no matter how much you want to believe it.

She used to think his restraint, his self-control, was some noble adherence to their agreement, the mark of a true gentleman. The truth was far simpler, and far more painful: he’d simply never wanted her in that way.

What a joke.

And yet, today...

Today Landon lost control.

He’d almost kissed her.

He had come so close to crossing a line she’d only ever dared to cross in her dreams.

But she stopped him.

It had taken her years, nearly a decade, to finally step out of the shadows of unrequited love and see Landon for who he really was—just another man, not some impossible dream. She looked at him now with the detachment of an outsider. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—let herself fall back into that old, suffocating quicksand, where she would always be the one left behind.

Deep down, she knew Landon’s impulsive move was just that—a moment of heat, nothing more. It had nothing to do with love.

And yet, her chest ached with a dull, sour pain, the kind that lingered long after the tears were gone.

She sat for a long time in the dressing room, steadying her breath, forcing her emotions back into their cage. Only when she was sure her composure had returned did she change clothes and finally emerge.

The awkwardness from earlier still hung in the air. Zinnia didn’t have the nerve to walk back out into the living room. Instead, she quietly locked herself in the guestroom for the night.

The next morning, Zinnia went about her routine as usual, getting dressed and ready before emerging from the guestroom.

Landon nodded, coughing again.

For a few seconds, they stood there in silence, the air heavy between them.

“Well, get some rest. I need to head to work,” Zinnia said, breaking the quiet.

She turned away, slipping on her shoes.

Behind her, Landon’s voice, even raspier from the fever, stopped her in her tracks.

“So that’s it? I’m this sick, and you’re not even going to call in sick to look after me?”

Zinnia looked back, surprised, meeting Landon’s plaintive gaze.

She paused in the doorway, uncertain. After a moment, she said, “Wait here. I’ll make a call.”

A faint spark lit in Landon’s eyes, though he tried to hide it. He coughed again, nodded, and, steadying himself, said, “My head’s spinning. I’ll be in my room if you need me.”