The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 333

The next morning.

Sunlight broke through the heavy blackout curtains after the rain, casting bright patches of light across the hardwood floor.

Nora woke from a deep slumber, struggling to open her heavy, stinging eyes.

Her brain was still swimming in the chemical hangover, leaving her head throbbing. The deep aches echoing through every part of her body served as a vivid reminder of everything that had transpired the night before.

Fragmented, chaotic memories flooded her mind like a tidal wave.

The dim, suffocating private room at the elite club, Winston Walsh's greasy, lecherous face, and the nauseating stench of alcohol.

Then, the flashes shifted to the Maybach tearing through the rainy night, the crisp scent of cedar radiating from Gideon that had chased away the heat, and the completely out-of-control entanglement on this massive, soft bed.

Nora's breath hitched.

The man was completely bare-chested, his broad, muscular back facing her.

He was holding a thick stack of documents, clearly the detailed investigation report his subordinates had rushed to compile overnight regarding the disastrous business dinner.

His head was bowed as he focused intently on the pages.

Nora's gaze landed on his back.

The terrifying, crisscrossing old scars from the factory collapse were still there, rough and menacing.

But etched across those faded pink marks were several fresh, narrow scratches, bright red and angry.

The scratches stood out starkly against the defined lines of his muscles, some even biting deep into the old scars. It wasn't hard to imagine how much force had been used, or how fierce the struggle and passion had been.

He picked up the report and tossed it onto the bench at the foot of the bed. A hint of amusement flashed in his dark eyes, though his tone remained maddeningly flat.

"Fulfilling our obligations as husband and wife is perfectly normal. Looking at your shocked expression, anyone would think I assaulted you."

Leaning against the bedpost, Gideon calmly took in her white-knuckled grip on the blanket, his voice dropping into a low, magnetic register.

"You certainly didn't hold back when you were clawing at me last night. You nearly tore my old wounds right open."

The words hit Nora like a sledgehammer, striking her already fragile nerves.

Her face burned even hotter, and her breathing grew ragged.

Biting her lower lip, she didn't dare look at the marks covering his skin, desperately defending herself with a flushed face.