The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 315

The man's back was broad and upright, naturally possessing tight, almost flawless musculature. Yet now, stretching across his bronze skin, was a massive, chaotic web of fresh, dark red scars.

The scars spread across his spine and shoulder blades. Some areas, deeply slashed by the jagged stones, bore thick suture marks that crawled across his skin like hideous centipedes.

Even though they had scabbed over, the skin still maintained a sickly, raw pink hue, offering a horrifying glimpse into exactly how brutal the accident had been half a month ago.

Nora stared unblinking at the scars, both hands gripping the thermos handle so tightly her knuckles turned entirely white.

The memory of the dust-choked rubble, the burning blood splashing against her cheek, and his hoarse "don't be afraid" right before he passed out crashed through her mind like a tidal wave.

These grotesque, permanent marks were the price he paid to rip her from the jaws of death.

Nora's throat felt as if it were stuffed with cotton, painfully tight. Her already exhausted, bloodshot eyes uncontrollably filled with a fresh, burning red.

Although Gideon's back was turned, his sharp instincts, honed from years of living on the edge, instantly alerted him to the movement behind him.

He didn't turn around, but hearing that faint, suppressed sniffle, he knew exactly who had walked in.

"What's wrong? Did I scare you?"

Gideon asked, his voice deep and slightly muffled, laced with a hint of teasing amusement.

He assumed Nora, accustomed to a pampered life, was repulsed by the gruesome landscape of his ruined back.

Nora didn't answer. As if compelled by an invisible force, she took slow, unsteady steps toward the hospital bed.

The space between them vanished. She was so close she could vividly feel the heat radiating from his solid torso, surrounded by his unique scent—a mix of iodine and sharp cedar.

"Does it still hurt?"

Gideon's body went completely rigid the second she touched him.

He clearly hadn't expected her to do this. The woman's soft, cool fingertips resting against his warm skin sent a faint, electric jolt through him.

Nora was so close she leaned in slightly, her cheek nearly brushing his back.

Her erratic, warm breath ghosted over the unblemished curve of his neck, rising and falling with her every movement.

Gideon's Adam's apple bobbed violently. The coldness in his eyes was instantly swallowed by a heavy, dark intensity.

Without warning, he brought up his right hand and clamped down on Nora's hand as it roamed over his back.

The man's palm was broad and burning hot, layered with thin calluses from years of holding a pen. He securely locked her cool fingers within his grasp, stopping her from caressing his scars any further.