The Love I Begged For Was Never Real novel Chapter 319

Those words struck Nora squarely in the chest without warning, making her breath hitch in a suffocating wave of despair.

Gideon's gaze settled back on Nora's face. He had no idea that his attempt at comfort had only carved deeper, agonizing wounds into her already shattered heart.

The torment he had endured at St. Jude's, and his desperate yearning for a home, overlapped with fragments of her own memories. The sheer emotional weight of it almost brought her to tears again.

Thinking she was just deeply engrossed in his story, he continued speaking.

"After my grandfather's men finally brought me back to the estate, the family's training for the heir became exceptionally brutal."

Gideon shifted his position against the pillows. "I went through rigorous combat and self-defense training. Facing all sorts of assassination attempts and schemes, the injuries I sustained back then were far worse than what you see today. To me, this is just routine."

He shifted his focus back to Nora's pale face, his eyes reflecting a quiet peace that showed he had long since let go of the past.

"Besides, every time I got hurt, Giselle would be incredibly heartbroken for me. You know how she is—so sensitive and spoiled. The moment she saw me bleed, she would cry her heart out by my bed, so devastated she couldn't even eat."

"In this world, she's the only one who would unconditionally shed tears for my pain."

"As long as I was alive, as long as I could stand back up, she would never have to return to the hellhole that was St. Jude's. She could safely remain the Heiress of the Hayes family."

Nora lowered her thick lashes, perfectly concealing the total breakdown threatening to erupt in her eyes.

Seeing her utter silence, Gideon assumed she was still traumatized by what had happened at the factory, so he continued his attempts to soothe her.

"So, Nora. You really don't need to take this incident to heart, and you certainly don't need to take the blame. For me, it was just a typical accident, just a minor flesh wound."

"I won't die. I absolutely will not allow myself to die."

His tone returned to its usual steady, unyielding dominance.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify