The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 40

She was putting on a show of absolute resolve just to catch him off guard and trigger a sense of crisis. She wanted to use this unpredictable behavior to make him panic, forcing him to track her down and ultimately apologize.

As long as he kept his cool and ignored her little performance, she would eventually run out of whatever money she had. Once she faced the brutal reality of living without the Hayes family's protection, she would quickly realize her true place.

This farce wouldn't last long.

"Stop tracking her."

Gideon tossed the blank bank statements into the trash can and issued his order to Liam.

Liam paused for a second before nodding.

"If she wants to suffer out there, let her suffer a few more days."

Gideon waved a hand, dismissing Liam from the room.

"Leave her supplementary cards active. When she's done throwing her tantrum, she'll know to swipe the card and buy a ticket home."

The office fell back into silence.

Gideon stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, looking down at the steel forest of the city. The traffic and crowds blurred into abstract colors below him.

He thought of Nora. For ten years, the way she looked at him was always terribly cautious, filled with an almost pathetic desperation to please.

She memorized his every preference. She remembered he hated heavy garlic and onions, and that he only drank pour-over Blue Mountain coffee.

No matter how late he came home, there was always a light left on in the living room and a perfectly warm cup of tea waiting on the table.

Her meticulous care had seeped into every corner of his life, as silent and invisible as air. He had never considered it valuable; he just assumed it was what she was supposed to do as Mrs. Hayes.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify