The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 18

"Ugh..."

Quinn, who had been sitting quietly on the bench, suddenly swayed. She pressed a hand to her forehead and slumped weakly to the side.

"Quinn!"

Garrison spun around, bridging the distance in a single stride. He caught her right before she hit the floor. Dropping to one knee, he cradled her against his chest, instantly pressing two fingers to her wrist to check her pulse. "Quinn, what's wrong? Where does it hurt?"

Resting heavily against him, her eyelashes fluttered. She stared up at him through half-lidded eyes, her voice fragile as glass. "Garrison... I'm okay... just a little dizzy... Probably just didn't sleep well last night... Don't worry about me. I'll be fine..." Her tone was agonizingly sweet, laced with the perfect amount of vulnerability and dependence.

"It's low blood sugar!"

Instantly abandoning her tirade against Sloane, Rosemary rushed to Quinn's side, digging frantically into her pocket to pull out a piece of chocolate. She pressed it against Quinn's lips.

She held the girl's hand, her voice practically dripping with affection. "Eat up, sweetheart. It's chocolate."

"Mom, why do you carry chocolate around?" Quinn asked, her color already returning after a single bite.

"For you, obviously! You're so delicate, always getting low blood sugar. I nearly had a heart attack the last time it happened. Ugh, this is all because that woman drained the life out of us today!"

Sloane stood perfectly still, her shoes resting in the cold, sticky puddle of soup.

The hallway was filled with nothing but Rosemary's petty grumbles, Garrison's gentle reassurances, and Quinn's delicate, breathless sighs.

And then, the red light above the doors finally clicked off.

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