Divorced CEO's Forgotten Wife Strikes Back (Riley and Bryce) novel Chapter 80

**TITLE: Dreams Refuse Gravity by Leo Arden Knox**
**Chapter 80: Hold Her Hand While Sleeping**

The darkness of the room enveloped everything like a thick blanket, yet amidst the stillness, the anguished cries cut through the silence with haunting clarity.

Riley instinctively followed the sound, her heart racing as she navigated her way to the bedside. Thanks to her keen night vision, she didn’t need to flick on the light. There, lying in the bed, was Sebastian. His eyes were tightly shut, and it was painfully evident that he was ensnared in the clutches of a nightmare.

Words, fragmented and desperate, tumbled from his lips, each syllable echoing his torment.

“Sebastian…” Riley called softly, her voice barely above a whisper, as if afraid to shatter the fragile atmosphere.

But he remained lost in his troubled slumber, his murmurs growing more frantic. “It hurts so bad… Stop beating me… I’ll behave. I’ll do as you say…”

Riley felt a jolt of shock surge through her.

Never, not even in her wildest dreams, did she imagine that such pained confessions would escape from Sebastian’s mouth, especially in his sleep.

What kind of horrific nightmare was tormenting him?

A sudden thought struck her—his scars. The vivid memories of the marks that marred his back flickered in her mind like a haunting specter.

With a sense of urgency, Riley reached for the bedside lamp and flicked it on. The gentle light illuminated the room, revealing the sheen of sweat glistening on Sebastian’s forehead and the grimace of agony etched across his face.

“Sebastian!” she called out again, more insistent this time. She slowly extended her hand toward his face, wanting to offer comfort, to reassure him that he was not alone.

But the moment her fingers brushed against his cheek, his hand shot up with startling speed, capturing her wrist in a grip that was both fierce and desperate.

His hold was crushing, knuckles turning bone-white, as if he were grasping not just her hand, but the very last thread of a memory that threatened to drown him. Yet, his voice emerged as a fragile whisper, barely audible, “…Stay.”

Riley fell silent, her breath hitching in her throat, and she remained still, allowing Sebastian to clutch her hand tightly as though it was a lifeline.

Gently, she reached for a tissue from the nightstand, her movements deliberate and soft, as she wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to soothe him in his sleep.

Once upon a time, Riley had viewed Sebastian as a cold, unfeeling figure—a dead-inside ice king, impervious to the warmth of human connection.

But now? He appeared utterly vulnerable, like a frightened child lost in a dark world, yearning for someone to hold him close.

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