Billionaire's Match (by Tangy Candy) novel Chapter 415

Chapter 415

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Nick finally settled into Khloe’s embrace. The tension in his body slowly eased. He needed a quiet moment.

Loretta had quietly sent a maid to bandage Khloe’s hand and tidy the bloodstains on the floor. Arista stayed silent, and Leon steadied Loretta, their eyes filled with worry as they glanced at the two.

Once everyone had discreetly left, the room was left with nothing but the mingled sound of Khloe and Nick’s heartbeats and soft breathing.

She didn’t let go. Instead, she rested her chin lightly on the top of his head, using her uninjured hand to gently stroke the tense muscles along his back, over and over, feeling his trembling body slowly relax.

“All right… everyone’s gone now. It’s over. You’re an adult-why are you acting like a child?” Khloe’s voice was calm, ordinary, almost as if nothing unusual had happened.

But they both knew: the more placid her tone, the more deliberate it was-an attempt to cover up the storm beneath.

“Khloe…”

At last, Nick whispered her name.

She shifted slightly, careful not to break the fragile peace. “Feeling better?”

His head remained lowered. One leg stretched out, the other half-bent, his posture no longer upright and composed as usual; there was a subtle slump to his frame, a trace of desolation.

He didn’t answer. Slowly, he raised his hand, fingertips trembling uncontrollably, and touched her bandaged palm with painstaking gentleness. His eyes… they looked at her hand as if it were a priceless treasure he had shattered with his own hands, full of unbearable pain and self-loathing.

“Does it hurt?” The words came out hoarse, barely more than a whisper, forced from deep in his throat.

“External wounds heal quickly, but if it’s the heart that hurts… that’s much harder to fix.” Khloe’s voice was soft, like a night breeze, soothing and tender.

“I just… I—”

Nick didn’t dare meet her gaze, consumed with regret, wishing he had never existed. He saw the parts of

“Because… my father was right. I really am a lunatic.” He drew a deep breath, leaning back slightly, releasing her arm and bracing himself with his other hand.

Suddenly, the tightly wound nerves, the self-restraint he had clung to for years, all collapsed at once. His jaw tensed, the sharp angles of his face under the light revealing his exhaustion down to the bones.

“Don’t say that. You’re not a lunatic.” Khloe’s tone had grown colder; she refused to hear him degrade himself like that.

“I am.”

He tilted his head, the faint pink in his eyes soft but self-mocking. “Actually… Michelle betrayed me because of this. I’m ill-mentally ill. It could happen again. I might relapse.”

“Stop… just stop.” Khloe lowered her gaze, staring at her own thickly bandaged hand.

No wonder… no wonder Michelle said what she did. She thought only she could tolerate Nick… and it was because of this?

“Khloe… I’ve been so selfish. From the beginning, I never intended to tell you…”