The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 541

Time ticked by, second by agonizing second.

The sky outside the window had turned completely black.

Gale-force winds, mixed with a torrential downpour, slammed against the villa's exterior walls and glass like countless boulders.

The entire house seemed to tremble faintly under the terrifying force of nature.

A piercing howl slipped through the gaps in the doors and windows, sounding like countless wild beasts roaring outside.

Nora curled up under the covers, shrinking herself into a tight ball.

She listened to the crashing ocean waves outside; even muffled by the soundproof glass, the roar was deafening.

It was as if she were cast back into the freezing depths of the ocean. The saltwater filled her lungs, and no matter how hard she struggled, she could only continue plunging downward.

Gideon Hayes pushed open the bedroom door and walked in.

He carried a tray holding a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup.

"Eat something."

Gideon walked to the bed and set the tray down on a low table.

Nora kept her back to him, remaining dead silent.

Gideon looked at her curled-up silhouette, his eyes heavy with intense heartache.

He walked to the other side of the bed, knelt on one knee at the edge, and gently patted her shoulder through the blanket.

"Nora, get up and have a bite. You haven't eaten since noon; your stomach won't be able to handle it."

Nora kept her eyes closed, her voice weak and freezing cold.

"Get out. I don't want to see you."

Gideon's fingers froze in mid-air.

He fell silent for a few seconds before quietly pulling his hand back. He didn't leave; instead, he pulled over a chair and sat down by the bed.

"I'll just sit here. If you don't eat, I'll keep watching over you."

The villa's lights flickered twice right at that moment.

Immediately after, accompanied by a muffled crack of thunder outside, the entire room was plunged into absolute darkness.

A power outage.

The sense of security that the lighting had provided was instantly stripped away.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify