Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 96

Afraid Zinnia wouldn’t believe him, Landon looked almost sheepish.

Zinnia’s expression didn’t change. But when her gaze fell on the stark smear of blood staining the cream wool rug beside the sofa, her brows knit together.

“Who’s hurt?”

No sooner had she spoken than Landon stepped forward, holding out his hand. His voice was almost apologetic.

“It’s me.”

As if worried she hadn’t seen, he extended his injured hand a little further, head lowered like a schoolboy caught breaking a rule.

“I got hurt.”

Zinnia glanced at his palm.

“It’s a deep cut. You need to take care of it, now.”

Her tone was steady, calm—no hint of panic at all.

Landon watched as she strode off to fetch the first aid kit, then motioned for him to sit. She knelt beside him, working with brisk efficiency as she cleaned and bandaged his hand.

It was all business—methodical, detached. She might as well have been treating a stranger, not her own husband. There was no sign of a wife’s worry or tenderness in her movements.

“The cut is deep. Luckily, you didn’t hit an artery,” she said, inspecting her work. “But it could have damaged the nerves around it. We don’t have the right equipment to stitch it up here. You need to get to the hospital, right away.”

She finished wrapping his hand, then met his eyes.

For once, Landon didn’t argue. He nodded obediently.

“We don’t have time for you to change. I’ll just grab a jacket for you, okay?”

She waited for his approval.

Landon nodded again, surprisingly cooperative.

“Yeah. Whatever you say.”

His tone was softer than he realized.

Off to the side, Noelle watched silently, her eyes growing darker with each passing second.

Zinnia quickly fetched a down jacket from the master bedroom closet and draped it around Landon’s shoulders. She grabbed the car keys from the entryway and turned to him.

“Let’s not wait for your driver. I’ll take you myself.”

Again, Landon nodded.

Afraid of truly angering him, Noelle didn’t insist. She turned to Zinnia instead.

“Zinnia, please take care of him.”

Before Zinnia could reply, the elevator doors slid closed.

Noelle stood outside, her wide-eyed innocence twisting into a look of pure malice.

“Zinnia... you bitch!”

Inside the elevator, Zinnia stood in silence. She had no interest in how Landon had gotten hurt.

Suddenly, a heavy weight slumped against her. She instinctively reached out to steady him.

Looking over, she saw Landon struggling to keep his eyes open, looking as if he might collapse at any moment.

“I feel...lightheaded,” he murmured, voice barely above a whisper.

He was so close, his breath warm against her ear.

With a sigh, Zinnia tightened her grip to keep him upright—more out of basic decency than anything else.

But for someone as tall as Landon, her single arm was hardly enough to hold him steady as he swayed.