I Stopped Loving Him When He Let Me Bleed Out novel Chapter 30

If Finn ignored her, she decided he was just playing hard to get.

For two solid years, she chased him with absolute, bulletproof conviction.

"Sienna?" Landon's voice yanked her back to reality.

"Hmm?"

"You spaced out again."

"Sorry." She looked down and shoved the lotus root into her mouth.

It was stone cold and chewed like wet cardboard.

Landon didn't press the issue.

He tossed a fresh slice of lotus root into the boiling broth, swished it around, and scooped it directly onto her plate.

"Eat this one. It's hot."

Sienna stared at the steaming vegetable.

Warm. Perfect.

"Thank you."

On the ride home after dinner.

Landon pulled up a few photos of historical costumes to show her.

"Have you ever worn period dresses, Sienna?"

The costume in the picture was a stunning pale moonlight color, the collar threaded with silver, and the skirt embossed with a subtle plum blossom pattern.

It wasn't obnoxious or overly flashy; it was pure, understated elegance.

"It's gorgeous."

Landon's lips parted. He desperately wanted to say, 'You'll look even more gorgeous in it.'

But it was way too cheesy, and he swallowed the words.

"Next month is the Regency Heritage Festival at our university," Landon explained. "We're hosting it at Highland Gardens. There's going to be NPCs, a massive market, and a garden tour. They're casting the NPCs right now, and you would be absolutely perfect."

"What do you mean, an NPC?"

"It's a roleplaying thing." He put his phone away, talking with his hands in his excitement. "You wear the costume and wander the gardens. You have a quest line. When guests interact with you, it triggers the quest. You test them, reward them if they pass, or punish them if they fail."

"I've never done anything like that."

"Which is exactly why you have to do it." He looked at her, his eyes burning with absolute certainty. "Sienna, haven't you been playing it way too safe lately?"

Sienna's fingers twitched.

She hadn't always played it safe.

Yolanda gave her a sharp, assessing look before shifting her gaze to Finn.

Finn stood by the massive floor-to-ceiling window with his back to them, entirely silent.

"Finn," Yolanda said, sitting gracefully and placing her tea on the coffee table. "Since you're both here, let's discuss the elephant in the room."

She paused.

"The elders have already picked the wedding date, but you two can decide when to sign the official marriage papers. However, I have one condition. The sooner, the better. What do you say?"

Finn turned around.

He opened his mouth, but Yolanda immediately held up a hand.

"Not you. Let Chloe answer."

A suffocating silence descended on the living room.

Chloe's fingers dug into the fabric of her skirt.

She looked up, stealing a desperate glance at Finn.

Finn didn't even look at her. His deep, brooding eyes were fixed entirely on the scenery outside the window, slightly narrowed.

"Mrs. Fletcher," Chloe began, her throat painfully dry. "As for signing the papers... let's put a pin in it for now."