The Divorced Military Queen Awakens (by Sadie Baxter) novel Chapter 530

nn hurried toward the restroom, heels clicking in a frantic rhythm. The moment the stall door closed, retching overtook her.

Laura was at her heels, worry overtaking composure.

“Are you all right? Is it terrible?” she asked, voice echoing off the tiled walls.

Quinn wiped her lips with a paper towel, breathing slowly. “It’s only morning sickness. Give me a minute and I’ll be fine. Strange- only days ago, fish smells barely bothered me, yet tonight they’re unbearable.”

Watching her friend turn chalk–white, Laura battled an urge to panic, reminding herself that pregnancy could look messy but remain perfectly normal.

Even so, there was nothing she could do except wait and hope the episode passed quickly.

At last, the nausea eased. Quinn straightened, moved to the sink, and gargled.

“Is morning sickness always this dramatic? Do you throw up often?” Laura asked, eyes wide with mingled horror and fascination.

Quinn dabbed her lips dry and offered a reassuring smile. “Honestly, it’s not bad. Some days I heave once or twice, some days not at all for days. Every pregnancy writes its own rulebook, and I’ve been lucky so far since I’m usually healthy.”

Laura released a long breath, her palms still damp from rinsing them. “Wow, being a mom is no joke. It really does wring you out.”

Quinn gave her a gentle smile. “So long as the little one stays well, everything else is manageable. If you start losing sleep, let me know. I can put you in touch with a doctor who helped Julius when insomnia nearly broke him.”

“Who is he?” Laura asked, brows lifting.

“Gavin Huxley–you saw him at the airport when you came to pick me up,” Quinn said.

Recognition flashed through Laura’s eyes; the image of that sun–bright man clicked into place. “Perfect. Which hospital is he from? If the need arises, I’ll make an appointment.”

“I’ll text you his details in a minute.”

Chatting softly, the two women stepped out of the ladies‘ room, only to halt mid–stride. Julius and Harlan stood sentinel at the doorway like stone guardians.

Julius moved toward Quinn, concern etched across his sharp features. “Still feeling sick?”

“Much better now,” Quinn assured him.

Harlan’s brow creased. “Your color’s off.”

“It’s just the morning sickness. I’m otherwise perfectly healthy.”

Suddenly, a voice rang out from farther down the corridor.

“Trent Grafton, your so–called Grafton Technologies is a dumpster fire. You really think you can con me into investing? Do I look stupid?”

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At the mention of Trent’s name, Quinn jerked as though a hidden wire had snapped tight.

Less than a year had passed since the divorce, yet the life she lived now felt worlds away, almost as if that marriage belonged to another lifetime.

She turned and spotted Trent a short distance off, bent nearly in half before a young man, pleading with grim desperation.

Harlan leaned in, voice low. “That guy is Lawrence Lowe, heir to the Lowe family. They’re itching to invest in tech.”

Quinn finally understood–Trent was here hunting for fresh capital.

“I–I’ve still got patents. Managed right, they’ll mint money,” Trent stammered.

Lawrence gave a cutting laugh. “Patents? The one you hold isn’t even updated. It’s useless.”

“Mr. Lowe, believe me. I took my company public in just three years. I can rise again. Invest, and I’ll give you ten percent equity, plus-”

“Rise again?” Lawrence cut him off. “Everyone knows your ex–wife, not you, got Grafton Technologies listed. Rather than sweet–talk me, better beg her to remarry you!”

The air itself seemed to tighten. Laura felt the pressure ripple around them.

As if pricked by needles, Lawrence sensed hostile eyes. He turned and found Julius and Harlan standing with their group.

He blinked. Mr. Whitethorn and Mr. Ingram together? How?

Forgetting everything else, he plastered on a grin and hurried over. “Mr. Whitethorn, Mr. Ingram! What a coincidence running into you here!”

Neither man acknowledged him; their silence sliced deeper than any snub.

Julius‘ gaze locked on Trent, cold and unyielding as winter steel, while Trent approached.

Seeing Quinn’s pale face beside Julius, Trent assumed life with the magnate treated her poorly.

“I know I failed you back then, Quinn. Yet you were willing to marry a man who had nothing, willing to stand beside me while I built my first shaky company. That means you loved me, doesn’t it? Come back to me. I have already cut Sidonie out of my life- completely. Whatever happens to her from this day forward has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with me,” he begged.

Quinn felt Julius‘ fingers curl tighter around her own, subtle but unmistakable.

“Forget it, Trent. If you’re dreaming of remarrying Quinn, wake up right now.”

Julius‘ voice cut through the night–possessive, imperious, leaving no room for negotiation.

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