Alexander''s gaze was fixed on her fingers, his expression a study in tranquillity. Quinn held her breath, lifting her eyes to meet his profound gaze. She began to gesture again, but he intercepted her hand before she couldplete her motion. In a low murmur, he asked, "Have you forgotten what I said before?"


    Quinn''s eyshes fluttered, a bitterugh escaping her lips as her hand fell weakly to her side. His words reverberated in her mind. He had warned her not to fall in love with him.


    Alexander sighed, his stern expression softening. He brushed away her tears,forting her as one would a child, "Stop crying. Look, it''s just the two of us here. No one will disturb us. Isn''t that nice?"


    Quinn turned away, evading his touch.His gaze flickered, and he gently but firmly turned her to face him again."You agree, don''t you?" he pressed.


    Quinn bit her lip, refusing to meet his eyes. She didn''t know when it had started, but now, seeing his face, which she used to dream about, felt suffocating. It felt as though he had tethered her to this house with a cor around her neck in the name of family. She had no friends, no freedom. She had nothing left.


    Alexander tilted her chin upwards, silently demanding a response. Quinn had no answer for him, but she couldn''t ignore him either. She realized that whatever she did or said was futile.


    "I''m so good to you. Why do you want someone else?" His whispers were always like the sly murmurings of a demon, filled with beguiling power. Quinn attempted to pull away, but Alexander drew her into his embrace, lowering his head to kiss her. She turned her head to avoid the kiss, but he gripped the back of her head, forcing her to face him. His bite on her lips felt less like a kiss and more like a warning.


    Quinn began to resist, her hands pushing against his chest, but the disparity in their strength was undeniable. Before she knew it, she found herself pushed onto the couch. He tore at her clothes, and a chill enveloped her.Alexander, devil-like, disregarded her wishes and gnawed at her lips until Quinn tasted blood.


    When she felt like she was on the brink of suffocation, she bit his mouth hard in desperation. Their blood mingled instantly, saliva and blood choking Quinn as she coughed violently. Her face turned red with the effort to breathe.Finally, he released her.


    Quinn slid down onto the floor from the couch, propping herself up with her hands and spitting out blood. She gasped for air, mouth wide open, taking long breaths before she finally started to regain herposure. Alexander casually seated himself beside her. He crossed one leg over the other and rested a hand on his knee. After wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he lit a cigarette. The smoke wafted between them, drawing an imprable divide.


    Quinn pulled her clothes around her and cast a nce his way. He smoked quietly, his hair disheveled, and shirt rumpled with two missing buttons at the cor. There were scratch marks on his chest that she must have caused.


    Quinn tugged at his sleeve.Alexander turned his head to look at her, his expression now calm. He acted as though nothing had happened. Quinn gestured, "Can Juliete back?"


    Alexander withdrew his gaze and leaned forward to stub out the cigarette, saying, "You still take my words lightly." Quinn cast her eyes downward, her fingers knotted together. After a long moment, she mustered the courage, opened the drawer in front of her, and presented Alexander with the divorce agreement once more.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    He didn''t get angry but nonchntly took the agreement and flipped through it. Without looking at Quinn, he casually tore it in half, then into quarters, and continued until it was in shreds, tossing the pieces into the air where they scattered like snowkes.It was a poignant reflection of their fragmented rtionship.


    Alexander pushed himself off the ground, buttoning up as he made his way upstairs, "Report to the office tomorrow."