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Home / Romance / THE BILLIONAIRE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE / Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE : Chapter 141 - Chapter 150

215 Chapters

CH.141

EVANGELINEI opened my eyes drowsily when I sensed movement near me on the bed. I was unsure of when I'd fallen asleep or how long I'd been unconscious.Gael moved closer and enveloped me in the warmth of his embrace without asking permission.He patted my back with slow, rhythmic strokes and his voice came out in hoarse whisper, "Go back to sleep."I rested my cheek on his chest and listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. The sound was comforting, hypnotic.My eyes closed again, allowing Gael's presence to bring some measure of peace to my troubled heart.-~The next morning~"Evangeline."I woke to the sound of Gael calling my name with unusual urgency.The tone was different from his usual measured cadence. It carried a note of tension that immediately put me on alert.I forced my heavy eyelids apart, catching glimpses of his face through the narrow slits.There was something different about Gael's expression."You need to get up." He stroked my hair while sitting on the ed

CH.142

EVANGELINEThe journey through the hospital corridors felt like a funeral procession. It was my first time entering an operating room, and the sight was overwhelming.The amount of equipment, monitors, and surgical instruments made my heart race.The room was blindingly bright, with multiple overhead lights focused on the operating table. Every surface was stainless steel and gleaming white."Don't worry, ma'am. Everything will turn out well."I looked at the nurse who had spoken and nodded nervously, though her reassurance did little to calm my racing heart."Wait a minute!" I quickly objected when they began preparing the anesthesia.The nurse looked at me with surprise.I straightened my upper body and looked between the two medical professionals."Can I use the bathroom?"When I saw rejection beginning to form on her face, I added quickly, "Please.""I'm sorry, but this is really not possible. Your operation will begin in just a few minutes, and the doctor will arrive any moment."

CH.143

EVANGELINE"Evangeline!" The sound made my limbs freeze and my heartbeat accelerate."He found me." My words came out as a whisper.Thaddeus stroked the back of my hand. "It's okay. I'll handle this.""Evangeline! I know you're in there! Open this door right now!" The pounding on the door increased in intensity.Thaddeus walked toward the door and opened it.As expected, Gael's frame filled the doorway, his presence overwhelming.He rushed into the apartment like a man possessed, looking disheveled.When his eyes found me, I could see the buried anger flowing behind his dark irises, mixed with something that looked dangerously close to relief.He walked toward me with quick, determined steps and I curled up on myself instinctively.I was surprised when he pulled my body upright and enveloped me in his embrace, pressing me to him.He buried his face in my throat, and I could feel the trembling of his body against mine.He wasn't angry. He was terrified."Why do you keep doing this to m

CH.144

EVANGELINEThe ride back to the penthouse was tense and quiet until I couldn't contain my curiosity any longer.I leaned toward Gael in the passenger seat. "What did you mean by what you said earlier?"He glanced at me from the corner of his eye as he navigated a turn. "What?""You know exactly what I'm talking about. Don't pretend to be ignorant now," I said, frustrated.Gael didn't respond, which only increased my irritation. "I'm talking to you!""Why do you care so much about him? Why are you so curious about his business?" His words came out all at once."It's natural for me to be curious about something like that." I looked at him with indignation and leaned back against the seat with more force than necessary. However, a sudden sharp pain shot through the upper right side of my abdomen, just below my ribs. The sensation was so intense it forced a groan from my lips.Gael slammed on the brakes so hard that my body pitched forward violently, but his palm caught me quickly, suppor

CH.145

EVANGELINEGael pushed me behind him, guiding me toward the stairs."Go to the room and lock the door. Don't open it until you hear my voice."Fear for his safety made me cling to his forearm. "They'll hurt you."The thought of losing him now, when he'd just saved me, was more terrifying than facing my own death."Go quickly. I'll be fine." His tone left no room for argument.He was so confident, as if the outcome was already decided in his favor.I gave him one last look, memorizing his face in case it was the last time I'd see him alive. Sharp cheekbones, determined jaw, cold fire burning in dark eyes.Then I ran up the stairs. Each step took me further from him and closer to safety, but the distance felt like abandonment.I did as told, locking the bedroom door with trembling hands.The bedroom suddenly felt like a cage.I leaned my back on the door and sank to the ground, pressing my face between my knees. Tears came freely. My body shook as I pressed both palms over my ears, tryi

CH.146

EVANGELINEI parted my eyelids with tremendous effort, feeling like I was swimming up from the bottom of a deep, dark ocean.The bright light that immediately hit my vision made me close them again with a groan.The light was harsh, nothing like the soft illumination in Gael's penthouse.A painful groan escaped when I tried to move my inactive body. Every muscle felt stiff and unresponsive, as if I'd been lying still for days.The pain in my abdomen was different now - less sharp but more persistent. It wasn't the stabbing agony from before, but rather a deep, throbbing discomfort that spoke of recent surgery.A gentle palm touched my shoulder, patting it with familiar comfort that immediately made me feel safer.The touch was warm and reassuring.I was unable to open my eyes properly to see who it was."Evangeline, how are you feeling?" The voice seemed distant despite how close the speaker was.I finally forced my eyes open and saw the face hovering above me with concern.I didn't r

CH.147

EVANGELINEThree weeks passed in suffocating silence. No calls. No visits. Nothing from Gael.Thaddeaus and Cordelia became my constant shadows, but it was Thaddeaus who truly never left my side. He slept in the chair beside my bed, checking on me every few hours with worried eyes that asked questions his mouth wouldn't voice.He barely left the suite except when absolutely necessary, anticipating my every need before I could even voice it.But despite his devoted care, my thoughts remained trapped in an endless loop.Where was Gael?"Here," Thaddeaus said softly, bringing a spoon of soup to my lips.I turned away, pushing the spoon aside. "I'm full. Please, it's enough.""Just one more bite, I promise," he coaxed gently but persistent."No!" The word came out sharper than I intended.Thaddeaus's face fell slightly as he set the spoon back in the bowl.He placed the tray on the bedside table and settled on the edge of my bed, his weight causing the mattress to dip."How are you feelin

CH.148

EVANGELINEGael returned to the room alone.Cordelia wasn’t with him.My eyes moved past his shoulder to the doorway, waiting for her to appear, but the hallway behind him stayed empty. A small uneasiness settled under my ribs. Had she left before me without waiting?“What happened with Cordelia?”Gael reached for my hand. I tried to pull away, but his fingers closed around mine, firm enough to stop me without hurting. His thumb moved slowly across the back of my hand while his attention stayed fixed on the motion, as if the answer to my question were hidden somewhere beneath his fingertips.“I asked you what happened with Cordelia.”“Don’t worry about anything except your health.”A dry laugh slipped out of me. “Has my health suddenly become important to you?”I leaned back against the bed rail, tired of his silence and the way he kept offering tenderness in place of answers. “I want to go home.”Someone had already brought me clothes, soft enough not to scrape against my skin but no

CH.149

EVANGELINE“Gael, open the door.”I shook the handle harder. “Gael!”I kept pounding on the bathroom door until my hands began to hurt.“Gael, answer me. Are you okay?”I pressed my ear to the wood and held my breath, listening for movement, for his voice, for anything that proved he was still standing on the other side. Nothing came back except silence, and that silence made the room feel suddenly too narrow.“Gael!”I turned toward the bedroom door, already thinking of Cordelia, Arthur, anyone who could help break the lock if he had collapsed. Before I could take another step, the bathroom lock clicked.I spun around.The door opened, and Gael appeared in the doorway with one hand gripping the frame.He was pale in a way I’d never seen before, all the color drained from his face. His body swayed slightly, his knuckles whitening around the bathroom doorframe as he tried to keep himself upright. His mouth was set in a hard line, but his eyes betrayed what his pride wouldn’t. He was ba

CH.150

EVANGELINEI caught his shoulders and tried to steady him, though my own body protested the sudden movement. “Gael, look at me. We’re going to the hospital.”His lashes lowered. His breathing had turned shallow. “Not the hospital.”“You don’t get to decide that right now.”“I made sure she wasn’t the one.”The words were faint, but they were clear enough to stop me.For a moment, I only looked at him.She. Seraphina.If she wasn’t behind the masked men, then who was? The question struck hard, but I pushed it aside almost immediately. Answers could wait. Bleeding couldn’t.“Your condition is getting worse.” I kept my voice firm because panic wouldn’t help either of us. “We’re going. Now.”I helped him sit on the edge of the bed, supporting as much of his weight as I could without pulling at my incision. He lowered himself stiffly, every movement controlled in that stubborn way of his, though pain had already ruined the act. Once he was seated, I hurried into the closet and found one of

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