Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 244

“That avalanche—it was just a freak accident. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You don’t need to blame yourself for what happened.”

As Zinnia spoke, her eyes grew even more resolute than before.

“Landon, let’s be honest: we’re only married on paper.”

Hearing Zinnia state—yet again—the absurd truth of their relationship, Landon felt panic and helplessness rise sharply within him.

His eyes rimmed red, he stared at Zinnia, his lips trembling slightly. “But we don’t have to be married in name only.”

“Zinnia, can’t we start over? Give us another chance—please?”

There was so much pleading in his voice that it nearly spilled into the room.

If someone had told the Zinnia of the past that one day Landon—aloof, untouchable Landon—would look at her and beg in this way, she would have laughed at the impossibility.

But Zinnia only shook her head. “Let’s not drag this out any longer.”

“No!”

Landon shot up from his chair, panic etched across his face, his eyes bright with unshed tears. “How can we just end things? No, I can’t accept that.”

Seeing how agitated he was, Zinnia could only sigh, a hint of exasperation in her tone.

“Don’t make this harder than it has to be, Landon. It’s just not right—for either of us.”

Not for what lay between them, and not for the image he’d always tried to uphold.

Zinnia’s calm, almost indifferent response only made it harder for Landon to bear.

His eyes, still red, remained fixed on her, desperate and unwilling to give up.

“We could start again, Zinnia. Wipe the slate clean.”

She frowned slightly. “I don’t think so.”

“I know I was wrong before. I made things hard for you, made you feel small and let you down. Back then, I thought I didn’t care about you.”

“But I was wrong. I do care. I really do.”

“Oh?” Zinnia gave a wry, lazy smile, her tone making it clear she wasn’t buying a word of it. “And when did you figure that out?”

“I… I don’t know. All I know is, by the time I started to realize it, you were already gone.”

Landon’s eyes shone with unshed tears as he looked at her.

“For those two weeks when you didn’t reach out, I felt completely empty—like something essential was missing. But I was too stupid to understand what that emptiness meant. I just kept sulking, waiting for you to come to me, never realizing…”

Regret and self-loathing flooded his face.

“I never realized that, during that time, you were fighting for your life. I…”

He couldn’t finish. His eyes shone red as he clutched her hand tightly. “I’m sorry, Zinnia. I’m so sorry…”