Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 545

Chapter 545

Nicholas’ POV

I watched Gwen in silence as she tried to reach for her memories.

I could practically see the gears in her mind straining, like she was trying to force open a locked door without the right key.

Her eyes went distant, fixed on something I couldn’t see. Her brow furrowed slightly. Her lips parted, as if the words were right there, waiting on the tip of her tongue, but couldn’t quite make it out.

“I think so,” she said at last, her voice uncertain. “I mean, I know I do. I know it’s true. But… I don’t

remember. Does that make sense?”

It did.

It made perfect sense, based on everything Dr. Marshall had explained. It wasn’t like her memory would come back all at once, like flipping on a light in a dark room. It was gradual. Fragmented. Pieces slowly falling into place until the full picture formed.

And this was clearly a good sign.

She was moving in that direction, toward a full recovery.

It was better to keep encouraging her. To keep taking her to familiar places. To keep… pretending.

“It does,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “It makes sense. Your memory is probably trying to come back.”

The smile that lit up Gwen’s face was genuine. Warm.

“Thanks to you,” she said.

I took a deep breath, guilt tightening in my chest.

“Gwen, you know your fall down those stairs was kind of an accident on the inn’s part, right?” I began carefully. “I mean, I was on my way to salt the steps, but I should have put up a warning sign, I should

have…”

Gwen laughed, cutting off my spiral of guilt.

“Nick, I have eyes,” she said, shaking her head. “I saw it was dangerous. I saw the ice, the snow. And I still decided to go up carrying that heavy suitcase without asking for help.”

Then her eyes widened.

They fixed on some distant point, processing something.

“I remember that too,” she murmured, almost to herself.

My heart leaped.

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It was good that she held on to that thought when her memory fully returned. Good that she remembered it had been an accident, not negligence. That she wouldn’t decide to sue us and destroy what little we

still had.

But I didn’t say any of that out loud.

Instead, I leaned forward, encouraging.

“And what else do you remember?”

I watched Gwen think, her gaze drifting through empty space as she searched for more fragments in the darkness of her lost memory.

“That I had something very, very important to do here,” she said slowly.

I waited, holding my breath.

She bit her lower lip, concentrating even harder before continuing.

“Meet your family. Make our engagement official.”

And she smiled.

That confident smile of someone who had just solved a difficult puzzle.

But I knew what she was doing.

I recognized the pattern.

She was filling in the gaps with things that made sense within the story her mind had built.

But they didn’t make sense.

Not really.

What could have been so important that she had to do here? Work, maybe. But then wouldn’t a client have come looking for her when she didn’t return? Called, sent messages, something?

And people usually came to the inn just to rest for a weekend or a long holiday. But Gwen had booked an

entire week.

That was completely outside the pattern of our usual guests.

Something didn’t fit.

Something important I was missing.

But I couldn’t push.

I couldn’t ask questions a real fiancé wouldn’t ask.

“We should head back,” I said, pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind. “Bella is dying to show

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you her favorite drawing. And I need to take another group on the afternoon tour.”

Gwen nodded, still smiling, clearly pleased with herself for having “remembered” something.

I turned to grab the jacket I’d left hanging on a hook in the wall.

But as I pulled it down, I felt something heavy slide out of the pocket.

The box.

It hit the stone floor with a soft but unmistakable sound.

And Gwen saw it.

Her eyes went wide. Her hand flew to her mouth. She made a small, muffled sound of pure excitement.

“You really did buy my ring!” she exclaimed, her voice high with joy. “I thought-”

But she cut herself off, already crouching down to grab the box.

“Gwen, no!” I said quickly, louder than I meant to.

She froze mid-motion and looked up at me.

The excitement in her eyes faded into surprise.

Then, slowly, into disappointment.

Damn it.

I still hadn’t decided if I was really going to do what my mother had suggested. If I was going to give her

the ring just to keep up the lie while she believed all of this and couldn’t be contradicted.

It felt like too much.

Like crossing a line.

Like involving something too personal. Too sacred.

That ring represented decades of real love between my parents. Real commitment. Real promises. A future built together through joy and hardship.

And I was about to give it to a woman who believed in a lie.

Even if it wasn’t her fault, it was still a lie.

Maybe if I stayed quiet, she’d forget about the ring. Maybe she’d recover her memory soon, and everything would go back to normal without me having to cross this line too.

But standing there, looking at her…

Watching her expression shift from excitement and wonder to the edge of disappointment. Seeing that

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sadness begin to settle into her blue eyes.

I couldn’t back out now.

I let out a heavy sigh and bent down, picking up the box before she could reach it.

“I wanted to do something romantic,” I said, my voice rougher than usual. “But… I guess I’m not really that

guy.”

Gwen shook her head immediately.

“Just knowing you chose something thinking about me is romantic enough.”

I opened the box.

The ring gleamed under the soft cellar lights. Delicate gold. The center stone catching and reflecting every ray in tiny rainbows.

Gwen’s smile spread wide.

A tear formed at the corner of her eye, trembling there without falling.

I stepped closer, took the box from my hand, and held the ring between my fingers. Then I took her hand, so small, so delicate, and guided the ring to her ring finger.

“Actually, I didn’t choose it,” I began, sliding it on slowly. “It was my mother’s engagement ring. And… well

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I couldn’t finish.

The words got stuck in my throat, heavy with everything that gesture meant.

But Gwen understood.

Maybe more than she should have.

“Nick…” she whispered, her voice reverent. “That’s even more romantic. Even more beautiful.”

The ring fit her perfectly, like it had been made for her.

“Knowing that you believe I’m worthy of carrying your family’s story,” Gwen went on, tears now streaming freely down her face, “I swear I’ll honor that. And our commitment.”

Then she stepped forward, closing the distance between us in two quick strides, and kissed me.

And this time, it wasn’t just a quick peck.

It wasn’t chaste or fleeting like the others we’d shared.

It was a kiss full of intention.

Her lips pressed against mine with urgency. With desire. With a promise of more, if I allowed it.

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