The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 250

She had received Julian's threatening text and rushed over here at top speed, her heart racing with anxiety over the future of her studio.

She had desperately thrown herself forward to stop Gideon, trying to prevent a scandal that could ruin both The Hayes Group and Pierce's reputation, only to be rewarded with his merciless, violent shove.

He hadn't even bothered to turn his head, lacking the patience to see who he was grabbing. He just flipped her onto the ground like an irritating stumbling block.

Piercing agony radiated from her kneecaps, jarring every frayed nerve in her body as layers of cold sweat soaked through her shirt. Pressing her hands firmly against the ground, Nora tried to force herself up. But her legs gave out, and she crashed heavily back down.

The sharp gravel scraped mercilessly against her open wounds again, bringing a fresh, intense wave of agony. She clamped her jaw tight, swallowing back any cry of pain.

The surrounding air felt oppressively thick.

Liam York stood at the edge of the field, cold sweat soaking his shirt. He watched Julian walk away with Giselle, then stared at his boss standing there like a corpse. His knees felt weak, and it took him a long moment to find his voice.

Gathering his courage, he took two shaky steps forward, his gaze landing on the ground a short distance away.

"Mr... Mr. Hayes..."

Liam's voice echoed across the empty field, laced with palpable dread.

Gideon didn't react. He kept staring fixedly in the direction Giselle had gone, as if his soul had been sucked dry, completely deaf to the outside world.

"Mr. Hayes!"

Emboldened by necessity, Liam raised his voice. He extended a trembling finger, pointing at the dirt to the right. "Mrs. Hayes... Nora is hurt..."

Gideon finally turned his head with agonizing slowness.

Following Liam's pointing finger, his dead, vacant eyes began to track across the field.

At the end of his line of sight was a familiar figure.

Gideon's pupils contracted violently.

Only then did he realize that Nora had somehow shown up at this secluded equestrian club.

Those delicate hands—the hands she always used to draft intricate blueprints and sketch stunning diamond designs—were hanging limply by her sides. Bright red blood dripped steadily through her fingers, splattering onto the gray rocks in a horrifying display.

Gideon stopped right in front of her, dropping his massive frame into a crouch.

An overwhelming wave of guilt surged through him instantly, crashing over him like a tsunami and temporarily drowning out the lingering heartbreak of his sister's betrayal.

Just moments ago, he had been at the absolute peak of fury, his rationality entirely incinerated by Julian's taunts.

He had felt someone trying to stop him from teaching Julian a lesson, and his raw instinct had been to use maximum force to clear the obstacle.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry."

Gideon's voice was horribly wrecked. All of his usual aloof authority had evaporated completely, leaving behind only the frantic, incoherent panic of a man who realized what he had done.

He reached out his hands, desperate to check the gashes on Nora's palms and lift her up from the freezing ground.

"I didn't know... I didn't know it was you."