The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 193

The man's deep, cold voice cut through the dense sound of the rain, landing clearly in Nora's ears.

Gideon looked down at her from his commanding height, his brow furrowed in a tight knot.

Nora froze.

Staring at Gideon standing right in front of her, a violent wave of absurdity and despair churned deep in her chest.

Why was it such a coincidence?

She had finally managed to escape that office at Pierce Group headquarters—a place reeking of hypocrisy and calculation. She had finally made it to a place where she could catch her breath and briefly escape reality.

She thought this place was a sanctuary outside of Gideon's world, a place where she could scrape together some lingering sliver of childhood comfort.

She never imagined that on this freezing, hopeless evening—when even drawing breath felt pointless, right here in the orphanage that held the history of her trauma and the absurdity of her reality—she would accidentally run into Gideon of all people.

Gideon stared at Nora sitting on the steps. Her black suit jacket was entirely soaked by the rain, clinging to her fragile shoulders. Her long hair hung loose, a few soaked strands plastered to her deathly pale cheeks. She looked like an absolute wreck.

Seeing her thoroughly drenched by the rain, Gideon's fingers twitched slightly by his side.

He took a deep breath and took two steps up, standing right beside Nora. He tilted the wide black umbrella in his hand over her.

The rainwater slid down the ribs of the umbrella, crashing entirely onto his own shoulder. The dark fabric of his trench coat quickly bloomed with a heavy, wet stain.

He had originally just wanted to stop by the orphanage for a look.

This was one of the very few places in the entire city where he was willing to linger during his free time.

This was the most insignificant of all the charitable projects under the Hayes family's name, but to him, it held an entirely different meaning.

Gideon's dark eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized the woman sitting on the steps from above.

Nora was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Xavier family. She had been married into the Hayes family for three years, and she had never once mentioned this place, nor had she ever participated in any of The Hayes Group's charitable events.

The people at the manor and the Hayes villa kept their mouths shut about this place, and Silas Hayes had wiped all related files and records years ago.

How did she know about this orphanage?

He recalled the fight they had at the Hayes Manor just a few days ago.

Nora had barged into his second-floor bedroom and knocked over the wooden box filled with old belongings.

She had flipped through those photo albums and read those diaries. The very first page of the diary clearly documented the process of him bringing the little girl from the orphanage home, detailing Giselle's origins.