An hour had psed by the time Quinn finally emerged from the confines of the bathroom.


    She found herself back in the sanctuary of her bed, though she had no recollection of how she managed to get there. Exhaustion had imed her, leaving her incapable of even the smallest of movements.


    Through the narrow slits of her barely opened eyes, she caught sight of Alexander preparing to leave. She watched him, her mind in a daze, as he slipped into a dark sweater and exited the room, the closing door severing her view of him. Her eyelids, too heavy to resist, fell shut, surrendering her to the beckoning arms of sleep.She was roused from her slumber by a sharp, piercing pain in her lower abdomen.


    Huddled in bed, her skin pale and slick with sweat, the sensation was hauntingly familiar-it echoed the pain she had endured after the loss of her child.


    Summoning all her strength, Quinn managed to rise from the bed. Leaning heavily against the wall for support, she navigated her way downstairs with shaky steps.She located the painkillers, her hand trembling as she poured several into her palm.


    She knew one would be insufficient. Swiftly, she popped the pills into her mouth and rushed to the faucet, washing them down with gulps of tap water.


    Afterwards, she allowed herself to crumple onto the cold kitchen floor.She nced at the painkillers still clutched in her hand and forced a bitter smile onto her face.A thought crossed her mind: if she were to die, Getty would undoubtedly be overjoyed.


    But what about Alexander? Would he share in that happiness?With her eyes closed, shey on the kitchen floor, her body devoid of strength. The only sound was the rhythmic patter of the rain outside.Such heavy rain... The following day dawned.


    Quinn awoke to find herself still sprawled on the floor, the realization dawning on her that Alexander had not returned home the previous night.


    Her memory of the preceding night was hazy-her stomach pain, her descent downstairs for medication, her copse onto the floor without any recollection of how she ended up there.Propping herself up against the stove, she gingerly touched her abdomen, which still pulsed with a faint ache.


    Ignoring the pain as she had grown ustomed to, Quinn busied herself with preparing breakfast. Once the meal was ready and set on the table, she sat in anticipation for a while.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    It was only when the clock chimed eight that she began to nibble at the food, alone.After changing her clothes, she hailed a cab to the office.


    She found herself on the deserted floor, seated at her desk, her gaze fixed nkly on theputer screen.Before long, Kyle Astor walked in and noticed her idle state. He extended some documents towards her."Quinn, if you''re looking for something to do, could you enter these into theputer? You know how to use spreadsheets, right?"


    Quinn looked up at him, nodded, and epted the papers from his hands. Kyle noticed the pallor of her face and hesitated before querying, "Quinn, are you feeling all right?"Quinn was momentarily taken aback before shaking her head."Alright then, I''ll go get busy."As Kyle exited the office, he ran into Alexander heading in his direction.


    He quickly approached him, "Alexander, do we need to deal with that news story?"Alexander paused, nced at him sideways, "What news?"But then he remembered, "No, let it be."Kyle furrowed his brows in confusion, "But if we leave it, who knows how it''ll develop? Someone is clearly stirring the pot. In just one day, rumors about you and Getty are all over the ce.""And they''ve dug up your entire background."Alexander stepped into his office, responding indifferently, "Then let them stir."Kyle continued, "If it esctes, your marriage might get exposed, and Getty could be dragged through the mud."