Shattered Vows: Call Me Auntie Now novel Chapter 7

Her consciousness felt like it was floating at the bottom of an icy ocean for a long time.

The scent of antiseptic, a white ceiling—when Quinn finally opened her eyes, she realized she was in the hospital.

A dull ache lingered in her chest from the severe attack. Turning her head, she saw Tara sitting by her side.

Tara had dark circles under her eyes, her hair was a mess, and dried tear tracks stained her cheeks. She had clearly been watching over her all night.

Seeing her awake, Tara was thrilled but frantic. "Quinn, you're finally awake! You scared me to death!"

After their phone call, Tara hadn't been able to shake a bad feeling and decided to drop by the villa to check on her.

Thank God she did, otherwise...

"Quinn, you almost died! Where the hell is Dante, that bastard?!"

At the mention of Dante, Quinn scoffed coldly. "Dead."

As they spoke, the hospital room door swung open, and Dr. Xavier walked in, accompanied by a nurse.

Dr. Xavier had been Quinn's primary physician for years.

He walked over to the bed, skillfully checked her heart and lungs with his stethoscope, and frowned with a grave expression.

"The attack came on incredibly fast this time. If you had been brought in just a few minutes later, you would have completely suffocated."

Dr. Xavier packed away his stethoscope. "Your asthma is an old ailment caused by extreme cold exposure in your youth. Your airways are highly vulnerable."

"I've warned you countless times. You cannot subject yourself to extreme emotional distress, cold, or exhaustion."

He let out a heavy sigh. "This condition requires rest and peace. If you keep having acute flare-ups like this, it will only worsen. One minor accident is all it takes to kill you."

Hearing this, Tara's heart leaped into her throat.

Lying on the bed, Quinn surprisingly felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

There were only nine days left until her marriage contract with Dante expired, and then everything would finally be over.

After giving her some strict medical advice and reminding her to take her medication on time, the doctor noted that she could head home after a brief observation period.

"Quinn, I feel so sorry for you! In the beginning, you only coughed when the weather got cold. The reason you developed chronic asthma was entirely because of Dante! If you hadn't done all that for him back then..."

Before Tara could finish, Quinn cut her off.

"Tara, drop it."

"It's all in the past."

Seeing the absolute resignation in her eyes, Tara choked on her words.

Her eyes grew red with pity, unable to voice another word of reproach.

Following the doctor's orders, Quinn stayed for observation until she felt fully recovered, and then she and Tara left the room.

But the moment they reached the corner of the corridor, Quinn froze in her tracks.

In the main lobby ahead, she saw Dante carefully supporting Vivienne.

Vivienne's forearm was wrapped in layers of white gauze up to her elbow, and a portable IV drip was hooked up to her wrist.

Noticing the shift in Dante's expression, Vivienne immediately gripped his shirt, her eyes turning red as she stared up at him with a pitiful, pleading gaze.

Dante's feet remained firmly planted next to Vivienne.

Too exhausted to watch this circus act, Quinn grabbed Tara's wrist. "Tara, let's go. Take me home."

Keeping her spine perfectly straight, Quinn brushed past Dante without an ounce of emotion on her face.

Tara paused briefly beside him. "Dante, you are going to regret this!"

Staring at Quinn's retreating back, Dante suddenly felt an inexplicable rush of panic.

But looking at the fragile Vivienne beside him, he ultimately chose to stay.

He justified it to himself—if it weren't for Vivienne, he would have died years ago.

As for Quinn, she loved him so much. Once he went home and gave her a proper apology, she would definitely forgive him.

-

Meanwhile, hidden in a secluded corner not far from the hospital entrance.

Raymond Moretti had taken in the entire spectacle.

"Boss, I've looked into what you asked for," his assistant Caleb reported.

"Dante Hayes has been in frequent contact with your uncle. He is also greasing palms over at the City Planning Bureau. He clearly wants to snatch up the new Eastgate project."