The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 516

She was still wearing the same light-colored dress from yesterday, her long hair draped messily over her shoulders.

Because he had trapped one of her wrists, she was forced into an awkward seated posture, half her cheek pressed against the edge of her arm, her breathing steady and even.

Gideon stared down at her quiet profile, his deep eyes surging with endless tenderness and profound relief.

She had softened her heart after all.

He hadn't died in the rain.

She had finally let him in.

Even though her words were absolute, even though she had swept all of his belongings into the storm, the moment he truly collapsed, she still had him brought inside. She even kept watch by his bed.

He knew using these tactics was despicable, but he didn't care.

As long as he could stay by her side, as long as he could stop her from looking at him with those freezing eyes, he was willing to pay any price—even his own life.

He gently raised his hand, wanting to touch her hair.

His fingertips stopped just millimeters away from her strands.

He was terrified of waking her up. He was terrified of seeing that immediate layer of cold distance wash over her eyes the second they fluttered open. Most of all, he was terrified of shattering this agonizingly fragile moment of peace.

Carefully, he loosened the fingers gripping her wrist. Fighting through the pounding headache and the heavy soreness in his limbs, he threw off the thin blanket and slipped silently out of bed.

The freshly bandaged wounds on his arm throbbed with a dull ache, and his body still felt weak and floaty, but he didn't pause for a second. He simply tucked the slipped blanket snugly around Nora, lightened his footsteps, and walked out of the bedroom.

After washing up, Gideon walked into the bright, spacious open kitchen on the first floor and tied a dark apron around his waist.

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