His Wicked Obsession (Archer and Virginia) novel Chapter 510

Listening to these mundane little details, Gemma couldn't conjure up a single concrete image in her head, yet a strange, swelling ache bloomed deep in her heart.

"I drank a lot at those business dinners and had a terrible stomach, so you'd wake up early every day just to simmer a perfectly warm bowl of Healing Broth for me." Archer turned to look out the window, his eyes incredibly dark.

"The temperature dropped drastically that late autumn, and you knitted me a pair of dark gray Cashmere Gloves. The stitching was a little messy, and there were marks where you'd unraveled and restarted. But it was the first gift you ever gave me. I still keep those gloves in my study drawer to this day."

"And then there was that autumn storm, when you stood outside the hotel with an umbrella waiting for me. That was our first kiss..."

His deep, steady voice was the only sound in the cabin, laced with an agonizingly restrained sense of longing.

"And then what?" Seeing him suddenly fall silent, Gemma frowned and asked instinctively.

Archer's breathing completely stopped.

Then what?

Later, bound by some laughable sense of duty and debt, he had allowed Chloe Caldwell to steal her spot at Mercer Psychiatric Hospital. He had personally handed her those divorce papers, leaving her to face the world's condemnation during her darkest, most desperate hour.

He had pushed her into the abyss time and time again... In fact, the severe PTSD she suffered, and the hell she went through giving birth and surviving alone abroad—it was all because of him.

Not to mention everything she and Cindy were subjected to, all because of his failures...

How was he supposed to voice those bloody, horrific memories?

How could he look at the woman in front of him, who had forgotten everything, and admit that he had been an absolute bastard?

Archer's Adam's apple bobbed with immense difficulty, his thin lips pressed into a hard line, completely unable to utter a single syllable.

A heavy wave of remorse and agony surged in his eyes, completely shattering the usual cold arrogance in his dark gaze.

The temperature inside the car seemed to plummet instantly.

Seeing him like this, Gemma could easily guess that the rest of their story had not ended well... She stared at him but chose not to push the issue.

The cabin descended into silence once more.

After an indiscernible amount of time, Gemma finally spoke again. "Please pull over up ahead."

Her tone was terrifyingly calm, completely devoid of any emotional fluctuation.

Archer stiffened, freezing in place as his deep eyes locked onto her.

He didn't say a word, his eyes pleading for an explanation.

"Thank you for telling me all of this." She unbuckled her seatbelt and shrugged off the black cashmere coat carrying the scent of Oud & Bergamot, leaving it gently on the leather seat.