The One He Dismissed Became The One He Died For novel Chapter 277

Miles reached over and shut off the shower. She had open wounds on her legs; they couldn't get wet.

The moment the water stopped, Claire stepped barefoot onto the slick, damp tiles.

The distance between them vanished.

"Claire, you..."

She tilted her head up, her eyes rimmed red. "I would suffer through anything for you. I was just terrified you wouldn't get out. I thought I'd lost you."

Her voice trembled. The tension that had held her together all night finally snapped.

She threw her arms around his waist, holding him impossibly tight.

The flimsy slip she wore left entirely nothing to the imagination.

"Claire, I'm fine. Don't be afraid. Just step outside for a minute..."

Before he could finish, she rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his, desperate to prove to herself that he was truly here, solid and safe in her arms.

The lingering dread and surreal panic evaporated the second he kissed her back.

As he returned the fervor, Claire was backed against the wall, her shoulders bumping against the shower fixture and accidentally nudging the water back on.

The spray instantly drenched them both. Miles pinned her hands against the slick tiles, sending violent, electric shivers through her body.

"Not here, please..." she gasped, turning her head away.

He hoisted her up, supporting her weight as he nipped at her earlobe.

"Right here."

"This angle won't irritate your cuts."

Marmalade paced frantically outside the bathroom door, his tiny paws scratching at the floorboards in distress.

He heard the rushing water, mingled with breathy gasps and low, repressed groans.

Convinced his humans were in terrible danger, the kitten marched back and forth with his tail sticking straight up in the air. Finding no way inside, he eventually just flopped onto his belly to wait it out.

The water ran for a very long time.

Mindful of her wounds, Miles carried her out of the bathroom wrapped snugly in a towel. It was impossible to tell whether the moisture on her skin was from the shower or the scent of their passion.

"A few ounces of contaminated fluids pushed directly into her veins... the pain must have been unimaginable. And all she could do was cry."

Claire's heart broke for him.

"No, that wasn't your fault."

The Zimmermans were ruthless. To drive him out of the family, they had stooped to the most repulsive, unforgivable depths.

"Then what are you planning? Call the cops?"

"It wouldn't do any good." Miles knew the Zimmerman Group was firmly under Victor's control now. They had brought back an illegitimate heir solely to undermine him and placate Alistair. If Victor had the nerve to orchestrate this, he had undoubtedly erased every trace of his involvement.

"Go to sleep. I'll handle it." He rubbed her back, his voice impossibly calm.

The death of the infant and the sight of Claire bleeding had made one thing crystal clear: his previous choices were a mistake.

Even if he walked away from the family fortune and cut ties cleanly, these people would never stop hunting him. If a war was what they wanted, he would give them a war they would never forget.

The following morning, a violent knocking rattled the front door of Grandview Heights.