Awakened Housewife Ignore Betrayer's Begs (Scarlett) novel Chapter 582

A good man like Nolan? He was one in a million.

Listening to Scarlett describe them so differently—him and Nolan—Damian felt a sharp pang of jealousy. "And what exactly did I do?"

Scarlett shot him a furious look. "You know damn well what you did."

Damian could see she was genuinely upset, but instead of backing down, he leaned into it. "Good. And I'm going to keep doing it. Not just that—I'm going to keep doing it for the rest of my life."

Scarlett had known Damian was shameless from the start. But every time he came out with something this brazen, she found herself completely powerless. All she could do was glare at him, frustrated, because nothing she said ever seemed to get through to him. He just didn't care.

She closed her eyes, done arguing.

But a moment later, the mattress dipped. Damian had climbed onto the bed.

The hospital bed was narrow, but that didn't stop him. He squeezed in anyway, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close like he was staking a claim.

She tried to push him away, but he didn't budge.

So she gave up.

He held her tightly, her back pressed against his chest, his chin resting in the curve of her neck. His breath was warm against her skin, curling into her ear like smoke.

His voice came out low and rough. "Are you scared?"

She blinked. "Scared of what?"

He didn't sugarcoat it. "Your surgery's tomorrow."

She hesitated. "No. I'm not scared."

But that was a lie. She was a doctor—she knew exactly what could go wrong. Every surgery carried risks, especially hers. They'd have to break her leg to reset it. The thought alone made her stomach clench.

Damian felt the tension in her body. He tightened his arms around her and murmured, "It's okay. I'll be right there. When you wake up, I'll be the first thing you see."

Her heart stuttered.

She'd spent years loving Vincent, so she recognized the signs.

She was starting to fall for Damian.

He was overbearing, unreasonable, shameless—but he was also good to her. Genuinely good. She'd wondered before if his kindness was just a means to an end, but after everything that had happened, she realized she was the one who'd taken something that didn't belong to her.

But this feeling? This wasn't hers to keep either.

Her hand drifted down, finding his where it rested against her stomach. She felt the veins on the back of his hand, the heat of his skin. Then she pulled away.

"Damian," she said quietly, her voice rough. "Don't hold me so tight."

She trembled—but for once, she didn't stop him.

Her body had made the choice before her mind could catch up.

His lips wandered down her body, trailing past her stomach, then back up to her mouth.

But he never pushed further.

Even though he was burning up himself.

Their bodies softened, melting into each other. He hovered above her, holding back the desire threatening to spill over, and whispered against her ear, "I know you said yes. But your leg... I don't want to hurt you."

Finally, he pulled her close again, her bare skin against his chest. His voice dropped lower, rough and raw. "Scarlett," he murmured into her ear. "I love you."

It was the first time he'd said it like that. Seriously. Without games.

Hearing it—really hearing it—felt heavy. Weighted.

She buried her face in the curve of his neck. She could feel the stubble on his jaw, smell the faint trace of body wash and the hint of cigarette smoke on his skin.

Everything about him seemed to carry some kind of pull she couldn't explain. And it kept pulling her under.