Time-Limited Love: A Contract Expired, Not Renewed novel Chapter 404

“I never meant to kill those people, I swear…” Yuri’s eyes were red as he tried to defend himself, desperate and flustered, wanting Zinnia to believe he never had such intentions.

He had only wanted to lure Landon there. That was all.

“Zinnia, I’m not that evil. I’m not…” he repeated, his eyes filled with desperation, pain, and sorrow. The hopelessness of knowing the outcome but being powerless to change it pushed him to the verge of a breakdown.

Zinnia rose from the bench. “Yuri… you’re on your own now.”

With that, she turned and walked away.

Yuri remained frozen, unable to find the courage to even call out to her. He knew that the moment he decided not to deny his actions, he had lost the right to ask for her forgiveness.

It had all started so simply. He just wanted to stop Sawyer from hurting her, to eliminate a future threat. He just wanted to climb higher so she would see him. But in the end… he had hurt her, used her.

After that day, Zinnia never saw Yuri again. He had resigned from his position at the medical school. A few times, however, when she happened to turn on the television, she saw reports about him in the news concerning the Ford Group. The media hailed him as the perfect successor, the one who had stepped up to save the company after Landon’s accident. They claimed he was every bit as capable as Landon had been.

But looking at the Yuri on the screen, Zinnia could no longer see the gentle, polite man she once knew. He was no longer the talkative Dr. Ford who would send her long messages. Only his face was the same.

Since learning that Landon was in a coma, Zinnia had visited the hospital several times. He had been crushed under a large stone slab for a significant amount of time, resulting in severe crush syndrome. The muscle tissue across his back had become necrotic, leading to a massive, critical infection.

Though first aid had been administered during the rescue, the damage to his body was profound. The doctors had already performed several major surgeries after extensive evaluations.

“Zinnia.”

Leanna’s voice came from behind her. Zinnia turned to see her walking over slowly, her gaze fixed on the motionless man lying in the private suite. All the usual liveliness was gone from Leanna’s face, replaced by a deep sadness and worry.