Chapter 47 Hurting Her Is Hurting Me
"Mr. Jennings, the past is in the past."
With that, Quinley walked away with finality. Zachary's face instantly darkened. He raised his fist and slammed it hard against the elevator wall.
He couldn't keep her. He'd said everything he could say, done everything he could do, but that stubborn woman still refused to stay.
In the lobby, Lucas waited respectfully by the elevators. Three elevators went up and down, but Zachary was nowhere to be seen.
After a long wait, he finally came down. Lucas didn't pay much attention to Zachary's grim expression—his face had been stormy ever since Quinley left, and Lucas was getting used to it.
However, he noticed Zachary's right hand. All the knuckles were scraped and bleeding.
"Mr. Jennings, your hand." Lucas gasped.
Zachary had hit the wall quite hard, but he didn't seem to feel any pain.
"Mr. Jennings, your hand needs bandaging. Let's go to the emergency room," Lucas suggested helpfully.
"No need." Zachary forced out two cold words through gritted teeth.
The wound on his hand would heal on its own, but the gash in his heart kept bleeding.
Leaving the hospital, Zachary returned to Maple Estate and locked himself in his study. Lucas was worried, but as a man, he didn't know how to comfort Zachary.
After leaving the estate, on impulse, he drove back to the hospital.
"Ms. Elikin." Lucas appeared while Quinley was dozing by Colin's bedside, her chin propped on one hand.
He stood in the doorway, anxiously calling her name. Quinley was a light sleeper and woke quickly. She hurried out of the room and followed Lucas to the fire escape.
"Did you need something?" Quinley asked.
Lucas didn't like meddling in others' affairs, but seeing Zachary in this state made him feel suffocated too.
"Mr. Jennings injured his hand." After holding it in for a while, Lucas said this one sentence.
"Mr. Murphy, if Mr. Jennings injured his hand, you should find a doctor." Quinley's expression was bland—she even managed a smile.
"He won't let anyone help. He's locked himself in his study." Lucas continued.
In his memory, Quinley had been thoughtful and caring, taking meticulous care of Zachary. Even a single cough from Zachary would make her nervous.
But now, she seemed completely indifferent to Zachary's affairs.
Quinley's eyes dimmed slightly, then she looked up and smiled again. "Mr. Murphy, I've already resigned from Apex Global Group. What you're telling me has nothing to do with me. Is there anything else? If not, I need to get back."
She finished speaking and moved to walk around Lucas.
Lucas was a rough man who didn't understand romantic entanglements, but Quinley's complete indifference angered him. He grabbed her arm, defending Zachary. "Quinley, Mr. Jennings treated you sincerely. Don't be ungrateful."
Quinley met Lucas's gaze. Though she looked fragile, there was steel in her eyes.
"You're not me—how do you know I'm ungrateful?" She yanked her arm free from Lucas.
Lucas stood stunned for a long moment, a fire burning in his chest after being rebuffed by Quinley.
"Bang!" In his anger, he also threw a punch at the wall.
The next morning, Lucas drove to pick up Zachary for work, sporting two large dark circles under his eyes. His impulsive wall-punching the night before had left his hand too painful to sleep, and by morning it was swollen like a steamed bun.
Zachary hadn't slept well either, his dark circles equally prominent. When he reached for the car door, his right hand—also swollen like a steamed bun—was exposed.
"Mr. Jennings, let me take you to the hospital." Lucas quickly got out to open Zachary's door with his left hand. Zachary immediately noticed Lucas's swollen right hand.
Both had injured the same hand, swollen to the same shape.
"What happened to your hand?" Zachary asked coldly.
Lucas looked uncomfortable and lied, "I accidentally bumped it."
As soon as he finished speaking, the car door slammed into his right hand with a "bang." He grimaced in pain.
"Let's go to the hospital," Zachary said, settling into the back seat.
Half an hour later, both men appeared at the hospital. They registered together, got CT scans together—fortunately, nothing serious, just some scrapes that needed anti-inflammatory treatment.
"What a coincidence—you both injured the same spot to the same degree. Did you get into a fight?" The pretty nurse applied medicine to both of them while stealing glances at Zachary and Lucas, indulging in a little gossip.
Lucas was tall and sturdy, a powerfully built man who radiated security. Zachary was tall and elegant, the cold, domineering CEO type whose natural nobility and mysterious aura were fatally attractive to women.
Zachary ignored her completely while Lucas looked embarrassed, not knowing how to respond, and gave an awkward smile.
After getting bandaged, they left the hospital. Just as they reached the main entrance, they ran into Alicia.
She was carrying her silver thermos, swaying as she walked toward them.
"Zach, how did you hurt your hand?" Alicia immediately spotted Zachary's bandaged right hand and looked shocked.
"Mr. Murphy, what happened?" She hadn't noticed that Lucas's right hand was also injured.
"Uh..." Lucas didn't know how to answer and looked to Zachary.
Zachary's face was cold. "It's nothing."
He didn't even want to give her a perfunctory response.
Alicia's eyes reddened. "Zach, I just want to care about you. When you act like this, it breaks my heart."
"When you act like that, it disgusts me." Zachary's eyes blazed as he stared coldly at Alicia, his words loaded with meaning.
"What did I do?" Alicia covered her mouth, nearly in tears.
"Your reach is too long. Be careful you don't lose more than you gain."
Zachary didn't spell it out completely, but his meaning was crystal clear.
"Zach, do you have some misunderstanding about me? I really haven't done anything. Please believe me—I love you so much, I would never do anything to hurt you."
She stepped forward to grab Zachary's arm. He recoiled as if she were diseased and shoved her away.
She collapsed to the ground like she had no bones, the silver thermos rolling away as soup spilled everywhere.
"Hurting her is hurting me. Alicia, let me say this one more time—who I like has nothing to do with you. Stop being delusional and harming innocent people, or else—"
Or else what? He'd be less than polite with her?
Alicia looked up at Zachary through her tears. She was the precious daughter of the Davis family, yet he showed her no mercy. For the sake of such a lowly woman, he'd actually pushed her to the ground in public!
She'd sacrificed so much, humbled herself, been as lowly as dust, yet he turned a blind eye!
Alicia's heart ached with pain, but more than anything, she felt unwilling to accept this.
"I didn't—I really didn't hurt her. I didn't do anything..." She shook her head, tears flowing, continuing her performance.