His Regret, Her Vengeance

Chapter 4

When Quinn regained consciousness, white-hot agony lanced through her arm. Her brow furrowed as she pried her eyes open, gritting against the pain.

There stood Ethan, meticulously tending to her wound. Instinct made her jerk away, but his grip only tightened like a vice.

His hands never paused, his voice cool and detached. "Hold still. This will scar if we do not treat it right."

"Cut the act, Ethan. I know all the shady things you have been up to." Exhaustion weighed heavy as she turned away. "We are done."

The words died on her lips when a shrill voice cut through the air. "Ethan! What the hell are you doing?"

Ethan recoiled so violently his elbow smashed into her wound. She gasped, pain exploding through her arm.

He did not even glance back. In a heartbeat, he had crossed the room to scoop the trembling girl into his arms. His gaze softened, the warmth in it thick enough to drown in, his voice dripping honey. "Easy, sweetheart. She means nothing to me."

"Bullshit," the girl pouted, stamping her foot. "You swore I was the only one you loved. Were you sleeping with her while I was in a coma?"

The room went dead silent, tension so thick you could choke on it. Quinn's eyes met Ethan's, his gaze dark and unreadable as storm clouds, before he deliberately looked away. His fingers threaded through Vivian's hair like she was spun glass, tender yet possessive.

"How could that be? You are like the sun in this world. The moment you appear, everyone else pales in comparison."

As Ethan's words sank in, Quinn felt as if a dagger were slowly twisting in her heart. Her fingers clenched the bedsheet, her nails digging into the fabric until her knuckles bleached white.

"Fine. Then prove it to me."

Vivian suddenly pointed at the necklace around Quinn's throat. "I heard from the butler you gave Miss Miller a diamond necklace worth a fortune, or so I am told. I want it. Take it off and give it to me."

"No," Quinn recoiled violently, her injured back slamming into the wall with a sickening thud, the impact jarring through her wounded body. A sharp wince twisted her face.

Instinctively, she shielded the necklace. This was no ordinary piece of jewelry. It contained her mother's cremated remains.

On the tenth anniversary of her mother's passing, she had sobbed until she collapsed clutching the urn. Ethan had stayed by her side, secretly gathering a handful of ashes before scouring the city for master jewelers. Three grueling months of meticulous work later, this one-of-a-kind necklace was born.

His promise still echoed in her mind. "Quinn, now your mother can watch over you every single day. I swear on my life, between her and me, we will shield you from all harm."

Yet now he advanced with icy indifference, his hand reaching toward her, his voice now foreign and cold. "Quinn, Vivian only just regained consciousness. Do not be difficult. Give me the necklace. I will buy you a better one."

"Go to hell."

Quinn fixed him with a venomous glare, her fists clenched so tightly they trembled. "Ethan, your hypocritical act makes me want to vomit. I will never give it to you, so forget about it."

Her words struck like a physical blow. In an instant, he sprang up, grabbing the necklace with a hoarse snarl. "Give it to me."

"Over my dead body," she spat back.

They yanked at the chain with savage force. The pendant crashed to the floor with a sharp clang, scattering her mother's ashes in a grotesque sprawl.

Quinn's breath left her in a rush. Ignoring the pain screaming through her wounds, she stumbled off the bed. Her bare feet met broken glass, but she barely registered the cuts as she fell to her knees, desperately gathering the ashes with shaking hands.

For a heartbeat, Ethan froze. The sight of her hunched over the remnants sent ice flooding his veins. 'Was she slipping through his fingers?'

His hand moved on its own, reaching for her shoulder.

"Ethan." Vivian's shrill cry shattered the moment. "My head is killing me."

He recoiled like he had been burned, sprinting to her side without a backward glance. His shoes ground the ashes into the tiles, leaving blackened smears in their wake, obliterating what little remained.

He never saw how each footprint carved through Quinn's chest. The pain was physical, suffocating, as if his heels were crushing her heart to dust.

He strode away without a backward glance, leaving Quinn kneeling amidst the scattered ashes, her trembling hands clutching at the remnants of her shattered world.