The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 92

“Gideon, Giselle, go pay your respects to Silas,” an elder of the Hayes family standing nearby prompted.

Gideon released his grip on Giselle's shoulder and took her hand as they walked toward the headstone. The two stood side-by-side in front of the grave as a servant handed them prepared floral arrangements.

Giselle, her eyes red, stood obediently by Gideon's side.

The two bowed slightly in complete unison.

Under the gray sky, the man was tall and upright, standing as firm as a pine; the girl was petite and delicate, strikingly beautiful. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder in the wind and rain, even their movements of respect radiated an absolute synchronicity built over years of companionship.

No one would ever look at them and think they were siblings; in everyone's eyes, they were a match made in heaven.

Nora stood quietly a few steps away, her eyes locked onto the two figures standing side by side.

She watched their synchronized movements, noting how Gideon's arm instinctively shielded Giselle's side, and a prolonged, agonizing ache rippled from the depths of her heart.

What a beautiful picture.

Such a perfect couple.

Nora murmured softly in her heart. They looked so well-suited, so blindingly perfect. If only the man standing over there wasn't the husband she had loved for a whole decade.

If that man hadn't completely monopolized her entire youth and all her obsessions, she probably would have been like everyone else, audibly praising their wonderful bond.

But she couldn't do it.

She had exhausted ten full years of her life, fighting tooth and nail to carve out a space in that man's world, desperate to secure a position where she could stand by his side. She had sacrificed all the pride of the Xavier family's eldest daughter, ground away her sharp edges, and the only thing she received in return was a cold prenuptial agreement and countless nights of being abandoned.

She had bashed her head until it bled for this relationship, ending up bruised and battered. Meanwhile, Giselle didn't have to lift a finger; all she had to do was shed a few tears, and she effortlessly possessed everything Nora had ever dreamed of.

Gideon laid his flowers down but didn't immediately step back, pausing for a moment before the headstone.

Nora stopped in her tracks.

“Nora is doing well too. Work at her atelier is on track. I remember everything you told me.”

He looked directly at the photograph on the headstone. “She and I will live a good life together. You don't have to worry about us.”

The wind stopped.

The surrounding whispers abruptly died out as well.

Suddenly hearing her name called out, Nora froze completely.

Standing rooted to the spot, she raised her head in disbelief, staring blankly at Gideon's back.