Chapter 18: Resist touching me
"Your wife-to-be?" Quinn echoed, raising a brow, his eyes never leaving Belle for even a moment. This could not possibly be the same woman he had divorced a year prior. Everything about her was strikingly different. Her figure had filled out, her features more pronounced and alluring. It was as though she had become an entirely new person.
His gaze traveled downward, noting how her hips now swayed with a graceful fullness, and her form exuded a confident charm. This was the Belle he had first fallen in love with, only with a touch more allure. Annoying, old memories began flooding back, stirring something within him he couldn’t quite place. What was this feeling? He reminded himself of his disdain for her, whether Belle was slim or curvaceous, she would never have the power to make him love her again.
"Oh, I see the confusion, Quinn," Hezekiah remarked, noticing the intensity of Quinn’s stare. Drawing Belle closer to him, he added with deliberate clarity, "But it is as it stands, she is mine now."
Quinn’s jaw tightened. *She is mine?* The phrase struck him like a whip. Belle could marry whoever she pleased, yet to him, she would always belong to him. In his mind, their bond was unbreakable, and she would never truly escape him.
"I trust you recall she is my former wife," Quinn began, his tone laced with venom. "Her purity was mine to take, her innocence tainted by me. If you intend to take her as a mistress, that is acceptable..."
Before Quinn could finish, Hezekiah’s fist shot out, landing a sharp punch across his face. The blow sent Quinn staggering, completely unprepared for such a response.
"You will not insult my woman, Quinn!" Hezekiah thundered, his voice reverberating through the hall. "I care not for the friendship we once shared, you will respect me as your king and her as your queen." His gaze darkened, unyielding, a silent promise of consequences for any further disrespect.
Chuckling darkly, Quinn spat blood onto the floor and wiped the corner of his lips with the back of his hand. "How amusing," he sneered. "You have claimed my scraps. Let us see how this ends." His laughter rang out, a sound that was both bitter and devilish.
"By all means, Quinn," Belle interjected sharply before Hezekiah could retort, a smirk tugging at her lips. "I trust that smile will remain on your face when all is said and done."