The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 322

Was it simply because she was nominally his legal wife that he felt entirely justified in doing things reserved strictly for intimate lovers?

What if it were someone else?

If another woman sat in the position of Mrs. Hayes today—if the marriage arrangement hadn't been with Nora Xavier, but with any obedient, sensible heiress in their circle.

As long as she bore the title of Mrs. Hayes, would Gideon have shielded her just as fiercely during a life-or-death crisis? Would he have commanded her to sleep in his arms with the same husky, seductive tone in the dead of night?

He probably would have.

Because he was Gideon Hayes. Protecting his wife and maintaining the family's honor were obligations branded into his very bones.

She couldn't tell which of his actions stemmed from genuine emotion and which were merely a mask worn to uphold family order.

Once upon a time, she could at least clearly sense his disgust.

But now, after he had dragged her back from the grim reaper, locking her in this hospital bed with such gentle yet unyielding dominance, Nora felt a terror she had never known before.

If he loathed her, why didn't he just use this accident as an excuse to finally end their loveless marriage?

When she repeatedly begged for a divorce, desperate to sever the ties of this marriage, why did he dismiss her demands every single time with arrogant indifference?

He could easily let her walk away, clearing the position for a more docile woman, someone who could win Giselle's favor.

When Lawrence Atelier was blacklisted, when Julian Pierce held the livelihoods of dozens over her head, when her own parents drugged the wine to force physical intimacy...

The male chest against her back was as scorchingly hot as ever, but her own heart felt as though it had been submerged in ice, utterly devoid of warmth.

She turned slightly and slowly shifted toward the edge of the bed, trying to put some space between them to ease the suffocating proximity.

But the heavy hand resting on her waist instantly tightened its grip.

Gideon didn't even open his eyes. He merely pulled her firmly back against his chest.

"I told you to stop moving. Go to sleep."

Nora's body froze. Hot liquid silently slipped from the corner of her eyes, instantly vanishing into the pristine white pillowcase, leaving no trace behind.