The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 134

He could only become cold and ruthless, raising his guard against everyone and armoring himself in the hardest shell. Yet, he reserved his softest, most vulnerable side exclusively for her.

He poured all his patience, all his tenderness, and all his indulgence into Giselle without a single reservation.

In his eyes, Giselle had illuminated the darkest, most excruciating years of his life, so he had to do everything in his power to treat her well. He protected her, spoiled her, and naturally chalked it all up to his duty as her protector.

He was used to being needed by her; he relished that absolute sense of dependence. He thought their bond of mutual survival would last forever.

He watched her grow up day by day, transforming from an orphan who was too terrified to speak into the most pampered, dazzling socialite of the Hayes family.

Gideon picked the photo album off the floor and brushed the faint dust off its cover.

He wasn't sure when it started, but everything had begun to change.

Giselle had grown up.

She grew taller, losing her baby fat, blossoming into a beautiful young woman.

She started forming her own social circles, discussing designer bags and clothes with girls her age, and noticing the attention of other boys.

Her world expanded, and her gaze no longer rested solely on him.

She went on trips far away with her friends and locked herself in her room to gossip on the phone all night. She no longer ran to him crying over trivial matters. She had her own secrets now, her own private space that she didn't care to share with him.

And then, he got married.

His grandfather's dying wish, combined with the strategic balancing of family interests, forced him to marry Nora.

He couldn't refuse the plea of a dying old man, especially since the Xavier family had once done the Hayes family a massive favor.

He genuinely believed that providing Nora with a life of luxury and the title of Mrs. Hayes was enough to fulfill his duties as a husband.

He didn't understand what this feeling was. He was accustomed to Giselle having eyes only for him, to being the absolute ruler of her universe.

When he realized she was building her own independent life and no longer needed him as desperately, a profound sense of panic seized his throat.

He didn't know how to cope with that emotional freefall, so he instinctively tightened his grip on the bonds he still had, violently defending Giselle's absolute status within the family.

He couldn't tolerate anyone speaking ill of her, and he certainly couldn't tolerate anyone intruding upon their precious shared past.

Even if she was in the wrong, he felt compelled to stand by her without boundaries, using that extreme devotion to constantly reaffirm his unshakable place in her heart.

Gideon placed the wooden box back in its original spot, adjusting it perfectly before turning toward the door.

The image of Nora stumbling out of the room, her face completely drenched in tears, suddenly flashed through his mind.