The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 131

Nora Xavier jolted in terror, whipping her head around.

Gideon Hayes had finished his meeting at some point and was standing in the doorway.

His chest heaved violently, and his usually cold, restrained face was now completely twisted, covered in a chilling, violent gloom.

Nora looked at him, her face streaked with tears.

She opened her mouth, wanting to explain, wanting to say it was an accident, but it felt as though something was tightly blocking her throat. She couldn't utter a single word.

Gideon closed the distance in a few massive strides, moving so fast that Nora didn't even have time to stand up.

He bent down sharply, his large, knuckle-white hand shooting out to lock around her right wrist, hauling her up from the floor.

"I asked you a question! Who allowed you to touch these things?!"

Dragging her by the wrist, he pulled her close, staring down at her tear-stained face with predatory intensity.

Nora's wrist throbbed as it completely lost feeling. The circulation was cut off, her fingertips turning an icy, pale blue. She winced in pain, her tears falling even harder.

Gideon's gaze shifted from her face down to the floor.

He saw the pink handmade card lying face-down in the corner, and the scattered photos documenting every milestone of Giselle Hayes's childhood.

Finally, his eyes locked onto the open diary.

The pages were fragile from age. Because of Nora's initial shock and the impact of the fall, the edges of a few pages were bent, leaving stark creases on the once-smooth paper.

Seeing those crumpled pages pushed the fury in Gideon's eyes to an absolute breaking point.

The grip on Nora's wrist tightened punishingly, his chest rising and falling with heavy, ragged breaths.

She had known Gideon for a full decade. In her memories, he was always the calm, unshakeable leader who wouldn't flinch even if the sky were falling.

Even when facing the most daunting crises in the corporate world, or dealing with the most ruthless rivals, he maintained absolute clarity and detachment.

This was the first time she had ever seen him so enraged.

"I told you to get out!"

He cut off her words with a harsh bark, his massive hand abruptly shoving her away.

The sheer force of his push sent Nora stumbling backward. Her heel caught on the edge of the rug, and losing her balance, her back slammed brutally into the hard wooden doorframe.

The immense impact sent a dull, suffocating pain through her shoulder blades. She leaned against the frame, gasping for air, her face as pale as a sheet.