I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 427

Nora's voice was resolute, completely severing any lingering delusions he might have held onto. "It's not because of anyone else. It's because of you. The constant betrayals, the endless pain you caused me—it all made me realize that staying by your side meant I would never find happiness."

She let out a long, shuddering breath. "I'm begging you. Just let me go."

Her desperate plea stung more than any vicious argument or cold indifference ever could. It shredded his heart to pieces.

His hands slowly slipped away, falling limply to his sides. He stumbled backward until his back hit the wall with a dull thud.

When he spoke, his voice was so raspy it was barely audible, as if the last drop of life had been siphoned from his body.

"I was wrong, okay?"

He looked up at her, the manic obsession gone from his face, replaced entirely by shattered desperation.

"I won't touch you. I swear I'll never touch you again. I promise this will never happen again. I just couldn't bear to lose you. Nora, can't you just give me one more chance? A chance to make everything right? We have ten years of history together. Are you really willing to throw all of that away?"

Nora looked at him impassively. "Ten years? If you hadn't faked your identity and played dead for the last five, then maybe we would have had ten years."

Finnegan flinched violently, as if an invisible hand had just crushed his heart. He opened his mouth to speak.

He desperately wanted to tell her that he had been by her side during those five years too, even if he was hiding behind a different face. He wanted to say that everything he did was for her. But the words withered on his tongue.

Because what Nora said was the absolute truth. The exact moment he chose to mask his identity and lie to her for five years, he had completely erased himself from their marriage.

The sheer force of the impact sent Finnegan stumbling backward in a daze. He crashed into the nightstand, knocking over a glass of water that shattered violently across the floor.

Finnegan slumped against the wall to keep from collapsing, a trickle of blood instantly slipping down his chin.

Xander didn't even spare him a second glance. He immediately rushed to Nora's side, his hands trembling violently as he fumbled to untie the ropes binding her.

This was a man known for his unshakable composure, a man who never flinched in the face of chaos. Yet here he was, hands shaking so badly he could barely manage a simple knot, his breathing ragged, and his chest rising and falling erratically. The fierce intensity in his eyes looked ready to burn the world down.

Finally, the ropes fell away. He snatched Nora into his arms, pulling her flush against him so tightly it felt as though he were trying to fuse their souls together. Burying his face in her hair, his scorching breaths warmed her scalp as he spoke in a frantic, trembling whisper.

"I'm here. I'm here, don't be afraid."