Ditched the Cheater, Pregnant by Mr. Righ novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171 No Easy Way Out

Finished

She let out a quiet breath, then said. “If you keep pushing me like this, I might just take everything back. I won’t design the outfit anymore.”

Julian looked at her, caught somewhere between irritation and amusement.

She claimed she was afraid of him, yet somehow she kept finding ways to get under his skin, again and again, in ways no one else ever had.

No one had ever spoken to him like this, and no one had ever brushed him off so bluntly.

And yet, for some reason, he found her like this… kind of adorable.

“Alright, don’t get upset,” he said, his tone softening without him even realizing it. “I’ll drop it, okay?”

He was coaxing her.

Quinn didn’t even notice.

T

A strange sense of being wronged crept up on her, and with it came a flicker of temper she didn’t usually allow herself.

What she also didn’t realize was that, when she was around Julian, she wasn’t as guarded or resistant as before.

Not everyone gets the luxury of feeling hurt.

If no one is there to care, to love you, to have your back, then what does being upset even change?

Quinn turned her face away, her lips pressed tight, her expression stiff with frustration.

Julian let out a soft sigh, then reached into his pocket and placed a small box in front of her.

“What’s this?” Quinn asked.

She assumed it was some kind of embellishment for the outfit.

“Open it.”

Quinn picked it up and flipped open the black velvet box. Inside, a diamond caught the light.

A necklace, clean and minimal, with a single large stone suspended from the chain.

And it was blue. A blue diamond like this was incredibly rare, and at this size, it was practically unheard of

Quinn froze for a second.

A necklace? How would that even work on clothing?

And it was clearly meant for a woman.

12:15 pm

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Chapter 171 No Easy Way Out

“This…” Quinn looked at him, puzzled. “You want this worked into your outfit?”

Finished

Julian let out a quiet breath, almost laughing at himself. “Where exactly do you think I’d put a women’s diamond necklace on my clothes?”

“Then…”

“It’s for you.”

Quinn inhaled sharply. “For me?”

She knew Julian had money, but this was on another level.

A blue diamond like this wasn’t something you could just pick up at a store. Pieces like this were collector items, the kind that showed up at high–end auctions and sold for absurd prices.

“You’re giving this to me?” Quinn immediately set the box back down. “That’s not funny. I can’t take something like this.”

What kind of relationship did they have that made this even remotely appropriate?

“Sometimes I say things the wrong way and end up upsetting you,” Julian said. “This is my way of making it right.”

An apology worth millions was not something Quinn could accept.

Even close friends wouldn’t exchange gifts like this.

“No, you didn’t.”

Julian frowned slightly. “Didn’t what?”

“You didn’t upset me,” Quinn said calmly. “And I’m not mad. You really don’t need to do this.”

“If you’re not mad, then why have you been avoiding me?” Julian asked, his voice lowering. “And why say you hate me?”

Quinn almost smiled. So that was how he interpreted it.

He thought she was upset, and that a gift would smooth things over. Granted, this gift was… ridiculous.

But to Julian, money probably wasn’t even a factor.

“You think I said that because I was mad at you?”

Julian didn’t answer, but the slight dimming in his eyes gave him away.

Quinn shook her head. “I’m not mad.”

She made it clear again.

“I don’t know what I said that made you take it the wrong way…

12:15 pm

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Chapter 171 No Easy Way Out

“Take it the wrong way?” Julian’s gaze flicked past her, sharp and deliberate,

Finished

Before she could turn around, he spoke again, his voice steady but firm. “Fine. Then answer me this. If you say you hate me, tell me why.”

About twenty feet behind her, Lucy stopped mid–step. Julian’s look cut straight through her, a silent warning not to come any closer.

She got it immediately. Yeah… not her problem.

She turned and found a seat farther away, deciding to wait it out.

Julian’s attention returned fully to Quinn.

Right now, he needed this space, just the two of them, and a straight answer.

“Do you really need a reason to dislike someone?” Quinn asked.

Julian’s gaze darkened.

“I’m not being emotional, and I’m not throwing a fit,” she continued. “I’m just saying how I feel. That’s it.”

“No reason at all?” Julian’s voice dropped, quieter now. “You don’t just randomly hate someone.”

There was something off in his tone, something subdued, almost like he was holding something back.

Quinn gave a small, polite smile, distant and controlled.

“You don’t need a reason. It’s just how you feel. Like how I can’t stand black coffee.”

“That’s because it tastes bitter,” Julian replied immediately. “You don’t like it because of what it is. So what is it about me that you don’t like?”

Quinn didn’t understand why he was so determined to get to the bottom of this.

What difference did it make?

More importantly, she didn’t have an answer she could put into words.

She couldn’t just make one up.

“You won’t say it because you don’t know, or because you can’t?” Julian looked straight at her. “Or is this just an excuse to keep your distance from me?”

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