Awakening Love Reborn to Be His Duchess (Elowen Hale) novel Chapter 171

Chapter 171 Before Departure

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The faint sound of the wheelchair rolling closer made Elowen tense up without realizing it.

She turned to look. Cassian’s expression was steady, almost unreadable. He reached over and put out the candle by the bed, then settled down beside her.

Elowen felt something she couldn’t quite name.

She shifted slightly and looked at him in the dimness. The line of his face, from his forehead down the bridge of his nose to his jaw, was sharp and clean.

Too clean.

With his eyes closed, he looked distant. She didn’t like that.

She rubbed her fingers together under the blanket and tried, a little hesitant, “Cassian…”

“Mm?” His reply was low, lazy with sleep.

“The wine earlier… is it completely out of your system now?”

Her face burned. She forced herself to keep going, even though her voice dropped almost to nothing. “Do you… want to kiss for a bit?”

Cassian’s eyes opened immediately.

She was right there in front of him.

Her skin looked warm. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, not dramatic, just enough to make her look soft and real and very close.

She had just asked him if he wanted to kiss.

His throat moved.

He always wanted to kiss her. That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that she didn’t love him.

She worried about being a burden. She apologized too much. She never asked him for anything.

That wasn’t what it looked like when someone was in love.

He held her gaze for a moment, then said quietly, “I’m better now.”

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11:08 Fri, May 8

Chapter 11 Betore Departure

Elowen blinked, slow and careful. She understood. “So… no kissing.”

He almost nodded.

But the disappointment on her face hit him instantly. It wasn’t dramatic. Just a small shift in her eyes, like she was trying not to care.

It did something to him. He let out a quiet breath, leaned in, and pressed his lips to hers.

Just once, light. Elowen froze, then looked at him.

“Okay,” he said.

His fingers brushed her cheek. “Ella, it’s late. Go to sleep.”

She paused, then answered softly, “Mm.”

He hadn’t lingered. He had only touched her lips briefly before pulling away.

The warmth faded almost as soon as it appeared.

Would that even help him at all?Or… does he just not like me the way he used to?

Her mind filled with messy, tangled thoughts. She didn’t sleep well.

The next morning, Elowen slept longer than usual. When she woke up, Cassian was already gone.

In the courtyard, she ran into Bran. “Where’s Cassian?”

“He left early,” Bran said. “Didn’t tell me where. Just said it was important.”

Elowen nodded slowly. The next two days were the same. He came back late, when she was already too tired to stay awake.

When she woke, he was gone again.

On the day he was set to leave, she felt movement beside her and opened her immediately.

eyes

Cassian had already risen and was about to get out of bed. Still half asleep, her voice rough, she called, “Cassian…”

He turned back. “Why are you awake?”

“Are you leaving?” she asked, barely coherent.

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11:08 Fri, May 8

Ser1 Before Departure

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He gave a quiet sound of agreement.

She muttered, “If you’re leaving, you can’t just… go like that. You should say goodbye properly.”

She pushed herself upright.

She had lived through real loss before. She knew too well that sometimes you never got another chance.

She didn’t want regrets. So she moved closer on her own and wrapped her arms around him.

“Come back early,” she said softly.

Her voice was thick with sleep, warm and unguarded. Cassian’s heart skipped.

She started to pull away. He didn’t let her.

Instead, he tightened his arms around her, holding her firmly enough that for a moment she felt like she might disappear into him.

“Okay,” he said near her ear.

He added something else after that. But her head was foggy with sleep. She didn’t catch it.

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