Divorced But Not Defeated The Military Queen’s Rise Again novel Chapter 340

Chapter 340 Shattered Calm

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Julius surged forward, fist knotting in the front of Harlan’s jacket, yanking him close until their breaths collided. “Why did she end up in a bullet’s path? Were you not the one charged with keeping her safe?”

“Yes. I… I failed to protect her.”

“Why?” Julius‘ voice cracked, equal parts fury and desperation.

“I never thought she would sprint forward to shield Leander–no, I should have anticipated it. Leander is Rowan, her brother. Of course, she’d throw herself between him and a gun.”

Had I been sharper, moved a fraction sooner, Quinn might never have felt that slug tear through her.

Julius‘ grip slackened. His hand slipped away, leaving faint creases in Harlan’s uniform.

Yes–Leander was Rowan, the brother Quinn treasured above all.

The realization settled, heavy and merciless: the one who truly deserved blame was himself.

If he had hauled Rowan out of danger earlier, none of this would be unfolding now. Or, if, at the lab, he had choked down that flare of jealousy and planted himself next to her, they would have arrived at the scene together. Then, when danger came, he could have covered her instead of watching her being carried away, slick with her own blood.

He dropped his gaze to the sandalwood bracelet circling his wrist, the jade beads catching the fluorescent glare.

“May every year bring you peace” was the blessing Quinn wrote when gifting him the bracelet. But if she wasn’t safe, he wouldn’t find peace.

Leander swallowed the pills Serena had pressed into his palm, and at last the iron vise around his temples/loosened.

Serena tipped the empty bottle aside and snapped, “I’m flying home this instant.

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Sun,

Chapter 340 Shattered Calm

Doria is far too dangerous!”

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“Immediately?” Leander echoed, his voice strained by surprise. The image of Quinn, pale and half–conscious on that gurney, flashed before him. He still needed to see her, to learn how deep the bullet had cut.

He yearned to ask how he might ever repay her.

He had warned himself repeatedly that, brother or not, he would never claim the connection.

For now, he had to remain inside the Fane household; only there could he marshal the power to save Lena. Yet shame and regret pooled behind his ribs, thick and sour, mingling with an emotion he could not name.

“Yes, this minute,” Serena insisted, eyes flashing. “I refuse to stay here another second. Leander, you’re coming with me on the first plane home.”

She had not forgotten the way Quinn, after taking that bullet, declared with absolute certainty that Leander was her brother. The memory sent a ripple of panic through Serena’s carefully constructed calm.

If Leander truly belonged to the Bridger bloodline and chose to embrace it, every scheme she had woven inside the Fane family would unravel.

Leander was her most valuable piece on the board; for now, she could not afford to lose him.

Serena leaned closer, voice a cold whisper. “Refuse to do so, and I’ll withdraw the treatment for your precious Lena. If she dies, don’t you dare blame me.”

“You-” Leander’s glare burned, but the rest of the sentence crumbled behind clenched teeth.

He understood better than anyone that he had no room to negotiate,

Lena’s leukemia demanded a matching stem–cell donor. Without one, the doctors could prolong her life only a handful of years.

A handful of years–top brief, an insult to hope. He wanted Lena vibrant, laughing, living a long life.

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14:25 Sun, 24 Aug

Chapter 340 Shattered Calm

He drew in a painful breath. “Fine. I’ll go back with you.”

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When Quinn’s lashes fluttered open, a sterile white ceiling pressed into her vision. Where am I? A hospital room?

She shifted, and fire tore through her left shoulder. A strangled moan escaped before she could stop it.

Two male voices overlapped at the doorway: “You’re awake?”

Quinn focused on Julius and Harlan crowding her bedside. “Where’s my brother? How is he?”

Harlan’s shoulders stayed squared as he spoke, his voice as calm as a man reading coordinates off a map. “He’s fine. When I got you out, the police rolled in right behind us. Every last thug who laid a hand on Serena is now in cuffs. As for the shots we fired and the injuries we caused, I already went to the police station and gave a full statement. Everything was by the book, so nothing is coming back on us.”

Quinn finally let her lungs deflate, shoulders dipping as though she had been carrying a boulder that suddenly rolled away.

Julius slammed his thumb against the bedside call button. The tiny red bulb flared, casting a pulse of warning light over the white sheets and the tangled tubing at Quinn’s wrist. “You’re finally awake. Let’s have the doctor and a nurse come in and

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