Page 110 of Open To Negotiation

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Theo

Iwasn’t even sure why I was still in town. Quinn had been discharged, she was fine aside from the broken wrist and bruises. There was no reason for me to still be here, other than my own masochistic tendencies and dread for knowing what I had to do next.

All the men tried to get me to talk but I wouldn’t budge and they were getting pissed off and giving me space. I wasn’t even in a fucking group chat with them anymore.

Which was fine.

I was miserable and didn’t have any interest in talking to anyone anyway.

Quinn had left the hospital this morning with tears in her eyes, according to the passive aggressive text I got from Noah. He informed me that Aubrey was leaving to live with her parents in Vancouver for a while. Quinn had told Noah and then refused to talk to him as Arthur drove her home.

Which was why I was standing outside her door.

I knew I needed to stop this, that I needed to let her go.

So I took a breath and knocked. After some muttered sounds, Quinn pulled open the door.

It didn’t matter that her face was yellow from bruises, that her hair was a mess piled on top of her head or that she had bags under her eyes. She was still the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.

“How did you get in here?” she asked with a frown on her face and one hand on the door, keeping me out.

Now was not the time to tell her that Knight Enterprises had purchased the building. During our first coffee, she mentioned how the building was run down and how the elevator didn’t work. When I’d first shown up here when she was sick, I’d noticed it and asked about it but she had brushed me off like it was a normal problem. I had to do something.

I’d had Noah look up the property and we’d made an offer that the owners couldn’t refuse. Since then, we’d updated the elevator so it was more reliable, updated the security system, hired a door man downstairs and added more lighting to the parking lot to make it safer.

Since I owned the place, I got myself a fob to the building.

That information wasn’t important right now.

“How are you?” I asked instead of answering her question.

“What are you doing here, Theo?” She pulled her cardigan over her chest, like she was trying to protect herself. Her wrist was still in a cast but she no longer winced when she moved.

I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck. “I wanted to let you know that Max has been charged with Impaired Driving causing injury. Will talked to the judge handling the case, he’ll likely be put away for a minimum of two years given Aubrey’s injuries, and some of his co-workers have come forward reporting that they thought he’d been drunk at work.” Quinn’s eyebrows rose as she listened. “Your restraining orders were made permanent this morning. He won’t bother you. Ever.”

Will and Jaxson had visited him and made sure that message was very, very clear. I couldn’t walk away without knowing she was safe.

“Thank you for the update.” Her voice was stiff and unemotional. “If that’s all.” She started to close the door in my face.

Reaching out, I grabbed it before she could shut it. “I need to talk to you about something else.”

Normally Quinn was an open book, her bubbly personality made her easy to read. But not today, she stood there blinking at me, giving away nothing. After a few moments, she walked back into the apartment, leaving the door open for me to follow.

She sat on the couch while I took the armchair. I could tell she was waiting for me, which was fair, I showed up here unannounced. I’d left us in limbo.

I needed that to end. For both of our sanity.

“I’m heading back to London.” I leaned back in the chair and looked at her. Channeling the cool indifference I’d managed to portray before her accident.

She nodded, biting her lip like she wasn’t surprised and she didn’t ask me any questions, didn’t ask when I was coming back.

She brushed her hair behind her ear and finally met my eyes. “This needs to end,” she echoed my own thoughts. “You being around is just confusing me. I appreciate that you showed up for the accident, but it doesn’t change anything. You walked out saying you needed space but I’m pretty sure we both know that it was over that night. I don’t care who you sleep with, but I really don’t need to hear about it or have you in my orbit to see it.”

“What?” I asked with a frown, but she kept going like she hadn’t heard me.

“I’ve changed my emergency contact back to my mom. My bruises are healed enough to cover them with makeup, and my ribs are good enough that I’m going back to work on Monday. We can end this relationship and both just go back to normal life.”