Chapter 18 Mrs. Quinn ? +2 Bonus " Sorry … " Lyra spoke on instinct , only to suddenly remember who the man beside her was . She didn't look up , just took a small step away from him , her brows pulled into a tight frown . She had a feeling the one who grabbed her earlier was probably Maxen , but she had no idea why . Still , Lyra pushed the thought aside . She didn't want to know . She didn't want to start feeding herself delusions again , thinking maybe he actually had feelings for her . If he wanted to , the top names in the medical academic world would gladly send him an invitation . Veronica glanced back at Lyra's seat . Seeing her leaning in to chat with Julian , a flicker of coldness crossed her eyes . 1/6 22:02 Chapter 18 Mrs. Quinn ? +2 Bonus " Max , don't you think Dr. Sheppard and Mr. Quinn make a good match ? " Veronica asked , her gaze fixed on Maxen , carefully gauging his reaction . Maxen scrolled through his phone without looking up . " She's not good enough for him . " Even though he said Lyra wasn't good enough , Veronica still couldn't shake a sense of unease . Meanwhile , Lyra had been chatting casually with Julian when her phone suddenly vibrated . She glanced at the screen and paused in surprise . It was a text from Maxen . It read : [ So you've got your eye on Julian now ? What , planning to trade up and become Mrs. Quinn ? ] Lyra stared at the screen , biting her lip without realizing it . Is he mocking me with this ? Or … Lyra snapped herself out of it , knowing Maxen never texted her about anything this petty . Besides , even if she were interested in someone else , there was no way he'd care . Still , no matter how she looked at it , Maxen's message sounded a lot like jealousy . 2/6 22:02 Chapter 18 Mrs. Quinn ? Jealous ? Is that even possible ? Would he ? +2 Bonus Lyra looked up and glanced in Maxen's direction , only to see him gently tucking Veronica's hair behind her ear . Veronica chatted with him , her smile dazzling , her eyes burning with obvious affection . He didn't shy away , and the two of them looked every bit like a couple head - over - heels in love . Lyra's chest tightened , and that sharp pang crept up again , so she forced herself to look away . Julian seemed to notice something , glancing at her before shifting his gaze to Maxen , eyes narrowing slightly . Well , this just got interesting . Lyra never replied to Maxen's message . During the break halfway through the meeting , she went to the restroom . That was when someone came looking for her . Veronica stepped up beside her , pulling out a lipstick and touching up her makeup . " Dr. Sheppard , I don't know why , but I keep getting the feeling you and Max are really close . You're not keeping it from me because you're worried I'd get upset , are you ? " Veronica asked with a teasing smile , testing the waters . 3/6 22:02 Chapter 18 Mrs. Quinn ? +2 Bonus Lyra could hear the intent behind the words . She gave a dry smile , her expression unreadable . " You're overthinking it , Ms. Wynn . Mr. Hawthorne has been nothing but sincere with you . With a man that devoted , what reason could you possibly have to doubt him ? " Veronica's smile froze for a second , though she tried not to let it show . On the surface , Maxen did treat her well . But deep down , he always kept her at a distance . What she feared most was that one day , even the guilt he felt for her would wear off . When that day came , she'd lose any chance she had . Trying her best to sound unfazed , Veronica said , " Why would I ever doubt Max ? He has been so good to me . Even after I left him all those years ago , he never stopped caring . You have no idea how happy we've been these past few days . He's been staying with me , spending time with Felix and me . " She added with a sultry smile , " Oh , by the way , don't let Max's aloof act around women fool you . He's very energetic in that department , if you know what I mean . If he didn't hold back for my sake , I'd be completely wiped out . " Her tone grew sweeter as she spoke , her whole body softening like she'd just been thoroughly satisfied . Lyra froze where she stood , forgetting to speak for a moment . The reflection in the mirror showed a face drained of all color . 4/6 22:02 Chapter 18 Mrs. Quinn ? 33 +2 Bonus " Dr. Sheppard , are you alright ? " Veronica stepped closer as if in concern , reaching out to steady her , and at the same time , slipped a bracelet into Lyra's bag . She had said all that on purpose , just to gauge Lyra's reaction . And judging by the look on her face , she was now almost certain that something had happened between Lyra and Maxen . There's no way I'm letting any other woman win . Not while I'm still here ! Lyra snapped out of it and gently removed Veronica's hand , her tone calm and composed . " I'm fine . Something just came to mind . " With that , she turned and stepped into the stall . Her mind was buzzing , completely blank . Lyra had suspected the two of them would end up in bed , but no matter how she'd imagined it , nothing ever came close to hearing it said out loud , so vicious and smug . 20 Maxen had never cared about how she felt during those moments . She had loved him , so she went along with it . Even though it always hurt at first , even though the experience left her shaken , she kept telling herself it meant something . Back then , when he was willing to touch her , Lyra convinced 11 AN 5/6 22:02 Chapter 18 Mrs. Quinn ? +2 Bonus herself it was a sign he had feelings for her . But now that she saw things clearly , she no longer believed that . This made it clear that a man's body and emotions , desire and love , didn't always go hand in hand . Lyra could finally see that , in Maxen's eyes , she was less a wife and more just an outlet for his desires . I was such an idiot . Write your comment ir Gifts 6/6