The Divorced Military Queen Awakens (by Sadie Baxter) novel Chapter 348

Quinn froze, the promise landing harder than any threat. Honor it? Is Julius really ready to bury what we shared?

Quinn lifted her chin. “Then how long do you intend to keep me marooned on this island?”

Julius’ gaze drifted to her bandaged left shoulder, as clinical as a surgeon studying a chart. “Judging by the way your body heals, you’ll need about two weeks. I’ll keep you here for that fortnight, and I’ve stocked every medicine you could need.”

Quinn weighed the preparation behind his words; since he made such preparations, he never planned to let her escape.

If she continued defying him, it would only make things worse.

“Very well—just see that, for once, you do exactly what you promise,” Quinn said, steel threaded through every syllable.

“Always,” Julius answered, the word soft but unwavering.

Quinn pulled her phone from her pocket; the screen was black, the battery long dead.

When she powered it up, a cascade of missed calls and voice mails flooded the display—dozens from Laura and a nearly equal swarm from Harlan.

She dialed Laura first. The moment the line opened, her friend’s voice exploded with frantic energy. “Quinn, is that you? Are you all right? Tell me Julius Whitethorn hasn’t crossed the line!”

“I’m fine,” Quinn answered, though a wry thought flickered through her mind. Does imprisoning me on a private island count as crossing the line?

“Really?” Laura pressed, suspicion thick.

“Really,” Quinn insisted. “Julius only ferried me to an island to recuperate. In roughly two weeks, I’ll be back.”

“An island? Recuperate? Which island?” Laura asked, disbelief cracking in her voice.

Quinn cast a sideways glance at Julius. They were standing close enough for him to catch every syllable, yet he remained silent, clearly unwilling to reveal their location.

“I’m not sure,” she told Laura. “But don’t worry—he isn’t going to hurt me.”

After a brief pause, Laura asked, “Do you at least have unrestricted communication?”

“I do. He hasn’t taken my phone, and he isn’t policing my calls,” Quinn said.

“Then promise you’ll text or call me every single day—and if anything feels off, you tell me immediately,” Laura demanded.

“Deal,” Quinn replied.

“Harlan, investigate all you like,” Julius said, voice smooth and cold. “For the next two weeks, you won’t find where Quinn and I are—no matter how hard you search.”

“If you so much as harm her, Julius, I won’t care that the entire Whitethorn clan stands behind you,” Harlan snarled. “I will come for you.”

“Harm her?” Julius repeated, letting his gaze settle on Quinn. “Even if it kills me, I will never hurt her.”

Quinn felt her heart jolt, a single violent thud. The promise seemed meant for Harlan, yet somehow it wrapped around her too, sinking deeper than words should reach.

She reached out, reclaimed the phone, and spoke quickly. “Harlan, really, don’t worry. I’m all right.”

“But—” he tried, frustration hitching on the single syllable.

“One more thing,” she added. “Please keep an eye on the Fane family and on my brother Rowan’s movements.” Given the present tangle, she wouldn’t reach Celosia for at least two weeks.

“All right. I will,” Harlan said, the words pulled from somewhere beneath his worry.

The call ended. Harlan stared at the dark screen, then slammed his fist onto the desk. The wood shuddered beneath the blow.