Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 400

“Landon!”

Zinnia lunged forward, desperate to catch Landon’s hand—but her grasp closed on nothing but air.

“Landon, where are you going?” Her voice caught, thick with panic.

She tried to scream his name, but it was as if her vocal cords had been severed. No matter how hard she tried, not a sound came out. All she could do was watch as Landon turned away, taking step after step until he faded from view.

“Landon!” she cried in her mind.

Some instinct screamed at her: if Landon left this time, she might never see him again.

She summoned every ounce of strength she had left to call his name.

A searing pain tore through her throat, as if her voice was being ripped apart.

“Zinnia? Zinnia?”

Familiar voices broke through the darkness, laced with worry, fear, and aching tenderness.

The light in front of her eyes began to fade, and Zinnia slipped back into darkness.

...

When harsh white light once again forced its way into her vision, Zinnia slowly blinked awake.

“Zinnia!”

“Zinnia, you’re awake—oh, sweetheart, you scared me half to death.”

Jessica Spencer’s trembling voice sounded right by her ear.

Turning her head, Zinnia saw Jessica’s exhausted face, her eyes swollen and red from crying.

Her father, Elijah Quinn, stood beside her, worry etched into his features.

“Mom…” Zinnia’s voice was rough and thin, as if scorched by fire—dry, and painful.

“Zinnia, thank God you’re awake. Do you know you’ve been unconscious for a whole month?”

A month…

Elijah gently ruffled Zinnia’s hair. “Dapper misses you, too. I’ll bring him along next time so he can see you.”

“Okay,” Zinnia nodded.

After Elijah left, she turned to Jessica. “Mom, why don’t you lie down next to me for a while? Take a little nap.”

Jessica smiled, relief shining through her weariness. “Alright, sweetheart. Of course.”

The VIP hospital suite was more like a small apartment, with a spare bed set up right beside Zinnia’s. She had Jessica lie down and rest.

Despite her lingering weakness, Zinnia didn’t feel sleepy at all.

“If you’re not tired, I’ll keep you company,” Jessica said softly, settling next to her.

Zinnia nodded. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, “How’s Zoey? And everyone else?”

As she spoke, Jessica deliberately sidestepped the “everyone else” in Zinnia’s question.