The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 91

Nora stepped forward, walking past the crowd to stand alone in front of the headstone.

The butler handed her a pristine white rose. Nora took it with both hands, the misty rain slightly blurring her vision. On the headstone, the photograph of Silas Hayes radiated a kindly smile, just as amiable and approachable as he had been in life.

Silas, I've come to see you.

Amidst the damp chill, Nora spoke silently in her heart.

When you left, you said I was the rightful granddaughter-in-law of the Hayes family, that no one was allowed to bully me.

But did you know? In this house, the person who bullies me the most is the very grandson you entrusted me to take care of.

Nora's fingers trembled slightly.

Silas, I don't know what to do anymore.

I tried working hard to be a good wife. I tried swallowing all my pride to cater to him, but he simply doesn't want it. I tried to leave, but he refuses to let me go.

Silas, I'm just so tired. I can't find a way out.

Silas... what am I supposed to do?

The rain fell lightly as Nora gently placed the white rose before the monument.

Nora recalled a summer from many years ago.

Back when she was rescued from that pitch-black orphanage by the Xavier family, she had already missed her prime developmental years. Severe psychological trauma had stripped away her ability to communicate normally, leaving her an unpresentable, awkward outcast within the Xavier household.

Gideon used his power and wealth to personally forge a flawless crystal palace for Giselle. In that palace, Giselle was the sole princess, while Nora was never more than a passing stranger staring foolishly from outside the walls.

Countless times, Nora had stood in the corner of a private school hallway, watching Gideon wait by the school gates for Giselle to finish class.

Giselle would throw herself into Gideon's arms, sweetly calling his name. Gideon would casually take her backpack, patiently listening as she babbled about her school day, his lips curling into a look of absolute indulgence that Nora had never once received.

Her teenage crush had stubbornly taken root in those unobserved corners, surviving solely on the memory of that half of a dirt-stained cracker.

She had truly believed that if she just kept following his footsteps, one day he would look back at her and recognize her as the little girl who had huddled back-to-back with him for warmth.

Nora opened her eyes, bowing her head deeply in a long moment of reverence before stepping to the side.