Shaun Quinn saw her too. He paused, giving her a slight nod in greeting from a few steps away.

Wren Wynter hesitated for a moment before deciding to walk over. "Shaun, what a coincidence. Would you... like to have lunch together?"

Shaun Quinn’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment from behind his glasses. He seemed a little surprised by her invitation but didn’t refuse, offering only a single, terse word in reply.

"Alright."

The two chose a nearby Cantonese restaurant with a quiet, elegant atmosphere.

After they sat down and ordered, an odd silence fell over the table.

Shaun Quinn wasn’t one to initiate conversation, and Wren Wynter didn’t know what to say either.

In the end, it was Shaun Quinn who broke the silence, his voice as calm as ever. "I read the summary you sent last time."

Wren Wynter hadn’t expected him to bring that up and looked up in surprise.

"It was well-written."

Shaun Quinn paused, then elaborated—which for him was already extremely high praise.

"Your thought process was clear, and the details were on point."

Hearing this familiar praise sent Wren Wynter into a momentary daze, as if she were back in medical school all those years ago.

Back then, Shaun Quinn had always been like this.

He would watch her finish an experiment or a report with a stern face, pick out a pile of flaws, and only at the very end would he begrudgingly say it was passable, or that she hadn’t embarrassed their mentor this time.

"Thank you, Shaun."

Wren Wynter thanked him softly, a warmth spreading through her chest along with a faint sense of nostalgia.

"It reminds me of the old days. You were always pushing me to study and take notes. I was actually pretty scared of you back then."

Shaun Quinn’s hand, which was raising his teacup, froze. He glanced at her but didn’t reply.

The dishes began to arrive one by one.

After a few bites, Shaun Quinn suddenly put down his chopsticks and asked a question that caught Wren Wynter completely off guard. "Do you regret it?"

Wren Wynter’s chopsticks froze mid-air. She couldn’t immediately process the question. "...What?"

"Marrying Kaden Xavier."

Shaun Quinn’s voice was flat. "Do you regret it?"

Her fingers tightened around her chopsticks. She lowered her gaze and didn’t answer.

’Do I regret it?’

’Seven years of my youth, a heart full of passion, all for a complete and utter mess.’

’I regret it, and yet I don’t!’

’I don’t regret it because there are some things you’ll never know the answer to unless you experience them for yourself.’

’It’s not too late to turn back after hitting a wall.’

’My only regret is growing distant from my mentor and seniors.’

"I regret—"

Before she could finish, she was interrupted.

"Wren Wynter, what did you just say?!"

Wren Wynter’s body stiffened. She slowly turned her head.

Somehow, Kaden Xavier, Seraphina Sutton, and Nathaniel Quinn were standing there.

Kaden Xavier’s face was ashen, his eyes locked on her.

He had clearly heard Shaun Quinn’s question, and he had heard Wren Wynter’s answer.

Seraphina Sutton was clinging to Kaden Xavier’s arm, looking at Wren Wynter with a worried and wronged expression, before stealing a timid glance at the ice-cold Shaun Quinn.

Nathaniel Quinn, on the other hand, looked like he was enjoying the show.

Wren Wynter never imagined she would run into them here.

’What a ridiculously small world.’

Shaun Quinn also turned around, his gaze coldly sweeping over Kaden Xavier’s group.

His eyes, behind their lenses, grew even colder when he saw Seraphina Sutton clinging to Kaden Xavier’s arm.

Wren Wynter quickly composed herself.

’Fine. It’s better this way. I can make things clear in front of all of them and make a clean break.’

She met Kaden Xavier’s gaze, which was practically shooting flames.

"I regret it. Did you hear me clearly, Kaden Xavier?"

"Wren Wynter! You..." Kaden Xavier’s voice was hoarse. He tried to say more, but Shaun Quinn’s icy tone cut him off.

"Did you hear her?" Shaun Quinn stood up.

He was about the same height as Kaden Xavier, but his aura was far colder and more aloof.

His eyes scanned Kaden Xavier up and down with a hint of mockery. His tone was flat, but every word was a dagger.

"It seems you’re not just blind, your heart is too. You can’t even see what a precious wife you married, which means you don’t deserve to have her."

"Who the hell do you think you are?! Bossing people around here!"

Nathaniel Quinn immediately jumped to Kaden Xavier’s defense, pointing at Wren Wynter and shouting at Shaun Quinn.

"If this woman hadn’t married Cole and relied on the Xavier Family, what would she be? Just an ordinary doctor! What’s she got to be so arrogant about!"

Shaun Quinn didn’t even bother to spare Nathaniel Quinn a glance. He kept his eyes on Kaden Xavier, the mockery in his voice deepening.

"So this is the kind of trash Mr. Xavier keeps around. No wonder."

"And Mr. Xavier has some nerve, not even knowing his own wife."

He paused, his eyes landing on Wren Wynter, his tone softening by a rare, tiny fraction.

"Being around people like this ruins the appetite. Let’s go."

As he spoke, he reached out a hand with extreme naturalness, intending to lead Wren Wynter away.

"Let her go!"

Seeing this, Kaden Xavier’s eyes instantly became bloodshot. He took a step forward, blocking their path.

His eyes were fixed with a terrifying glare on the hand Shaun Quinn had wrapped around Wren Wynter’s wrist.

"Wren Wynter is my wife! Who the hell do you think you are? Let go!"

Shaun Quinn stopped and raised his eyes to meet Kaden Xavier’s bloodshot gaze, not backing down in the slightest.

"Wren Wynter, I’m telling you, if you dare take one step out that door today, there will be no more chances for us."

Wren Wynter stopped walking, a cold laugh echoing in her heart.

Shaun Quinn couldn’t make the decision for Wren Wynter, so he too turned to look at her.

When Kaden Xavier saw Wren Wynter stop, he thought she was scared. A smug look appeared on his face as he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

’Just as I thought,’ he mused. ’How could Wren Wynter ever let me go?’

’She’s always been so in love with me.’

The atmosphere between the two equally outstanding but temperamentally different men was thick with tension, so much so that the air itself seemed to have frozen.

"Kaden Xavier," Wren Wynter’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly to everyone’s ears, "there’s already no chance for us."

She glanced at Seraphina Sutton, who had gone pale and was biting her lower lip, and said softly,

"This is actually perfect timing. Let’s just call this a final farewell. The divorce agreement—whether you sign it or not, the lawsuit will proceed. From now on, you go your way, and I’ll go mine. Let’s leave each other in peace. Don’t look for me again, and stop these ridiculous, futile attempts to hold on."

With that said, she didn’t spare another glance at Kaden Xavier’s ashen face. She turned and left with Shaun Quinn.

Wren Wynter was gone, and so was Shaun Quinn.

In the restaurant, only Kaden Xavier remained, standing there like a wooden statue, his expression terrifyingly grim.

Somewhere in his heart, a place had suddenly become empty, hollow.

Seraphina Sutton looked at his state, her heart filled with jealousy and resentment, but what she felt more strongly was a thrill of delight at having finally driven Wren Wynter away.

She stepped forward, carefully tugging Kaden Xavier’s sleeve, her voice incredibly gentle.

"Kaden, don’t be so upset. Dr. Wynter... she was probably just saying that in the heat of the moment. You still have me. Let’s go home, okay? Come to my place, you can get some rest..."

Kaden Xavier seemed not to hear her, remaining motionless.

Nathaniel Quinn sidled up beside them, trying to smooth things over. He put an arm around Kaden Xavier’s shoulder.

"Cole, come on, let’s go over to Seraphina’s place for a couple of drinks! It’s not worth getting upset over a woman who doesn’t know what’s good for her! Let’s go!"

Kaden Xavier was half-dragged, half-pulled out of the restaurant by the two of them. He moved in a daze, got into the car, his mind completely filled with Wren Wynter’s reply.