Chapter 134
El $5 vouchers
In that instant, Nathan’s heart twisted with pain, and he was left completely dazed, reaching out to her purely on instinct.
But then, remembering that she’d just been bullied, Nathan quickly pulled back, afraid that his actions might make things even worse for her.
“I’m sorry, Eliana. I didn’t mean to do that. I just lost myself for a second…” Nathan said softly.
Nathan met Eliana’s gaze, his eyes sincere. “I’ve always loved you, Eliana. All these years, I’ve never been able to move on.”
As he spoke, his expression grew even more gentle. He softly cupped Eliana’s cheek. “You have no idea how happy I was the moment I heard you were leaving Logan.”
He continued, “I was planning to wait until after your divorce, to take my time, court you again, and let you slowly open your heart to me. But I never thought things would turn out like this.
“Eliana, it hurts so much. I honestly don’t know what to do.
“I just can’t hold it in anymore. I have to tell you how I feel, how much I love you.”
As he spoke, Nathan gently wrapped Eliana in his arms.
When she didn’t push him away, Nathan’s eyes brimmed with tears.
Nathan just held Eliana, not daring to make another move, quietly waiting for her to collect herself.
After a long moment, Eliana finally spoke, her voice muffled against his chest. “Nathan, are you just saying this to make me feel better?”
She continued, “Are you only saying all this because you’re worried I can’t handle it and might do something stupid?”
Nathan’s hold on her tightened for a moment, but he quickly loosened it, worried he might touch her injury.
He took a deep breath and said quietly, “Eliana, I know you’re not that fragile. Not to mention that guy didn’t even really touch you, but even if he had, you’d still have to stay strong and keep living your life.”
He added, “You’re the victim here. You did nothing wrong. Why punish yourself for what someone else did wrong?
‘I’m not just saying this to make you feel better. I just can’t pretend anymore. I can’t get over you. Not once in these ten years have I loved anyone else.
“When I finally wanted to come back to you, that’s when I found out you’d already gotten married.
“I just couldn’t deal with it, so I ran off overseas and kept my distance for all these years, until I heard you were finally leaving him.
As she listened to Nathan, Eliana finally realized why, in her previous life, she never heard any news of him coming back, not even up to the day she died. But in this life, the moment she mentioned divorce to Logan, Nathan appeared.
‘So that’s the reason, she realized.
She thought, ‘If that’s true, then his saying he’s been watching over her all these years… It’s actually believable.”
Thinking about it, Eliana felt her heart soften.
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Chapter 134
She took a deep breath and looked up at Nathan. “So the moment you heard I was getting divorced,
Nathan nodded. “Yeah. I lost you once. I won’t let that happen again.”
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you
came
back?”
As he spoke, Nathan leaned closer, his eyes full of emotion as he looked at Eliana.
‘Eliana, you cold–hearted thing. You’re the only one who could forget me so fast and actually go off and marry someone else, Nathan thought, feeling a wave of frustration.
He was so mad it made his teeth itch.
Nathan thought, ‘If she wasn’t hurt right now, I honestly would’ve given her a piece of my mind.’
But before Nathan could react, Eliana closed the distance between them, her lips finding his in a gentle, unexpected kiss.
Nathan froze, his whole body tense, his eyes rimmed with tears as he leaned in, his gaze full of emotion. “Eliana…”
His voice was so hoarse it was barely a whisper.
But Eliana, the one who started it all, didn’t seem to care at all. She just smiled at him and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Nathan pulled her in by the back of her head and, without a second thought, kissed her deeply.
She was hurt all over, so he didn’t dare touch her anywhere else. Her lips were the only safe spot.
She made the first move, after all.
Nathan kept reminding himself of that, trying not to come off as too forward in this moment.
Nathan had only planned to give her a light, fleeting kiss and then let her go, but the instant his lips met hers, all his self- control vanished. He just couldn’t bring himself to stop.
The kiss deepened, and with every second, his longing for her only grew stronger.
It wasn’t until Eliana let out a quiet, stifled sound that Nathan finally came back to himself. He immediately let go, worry flooding his voice. “I’m sorry, Eliana. Did I hurt you?”
Eliana’s face was burning hot, and she couldn’t meet his eyes.
Honestly, it had been years since she’d had any real intimacy with a man.
Even though Eliana and Logan were still married in name, they hadn’t done it for ages.
Between her previous life and this one, she’d been on her own for so many years that just one kiss was enough to make her heart pound, leaving her flustered for ages.
Hearing Nathan’s words, Eliana’s cheeks flushed even deeper.
Not sure how to respond, she turned her head away, unable to meet his eyes, and murmured. “I’m going to rest.”
Nathan immediately responded, rushing over to help her lie down, his movements gentle and full of concern.
Worried about her injuries, Nathan was extra careful as he eased her onto the bed. Once she was settled, he placed his hands on either side of her, caging her in protectively.
His eyes were filled with worry, and he didn’t even realize how intimate the position was. He asked softly, “Does anything
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Chapter 134
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hurt? Are you in a lot of pain anywhere?”
But as Nathan asked, Eliana’s face grew even hotter, her blush spreading as she tried to avoid his gaze.
Nathan had almost zero experience with intimacy. After years of holding himself back, seeing Eliana’s cheeks flush now sent a tidal wave of emotions crashing through him. He could barely keep it together.
He furrowed his brow and sucked in a shaky breath, doing his best to hold back, but the way his voice trembled totally betrayed him.
“Eliana, you should count yourself lucky you’re injured right now, or trust me, I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back…” Nathan murmured, his voice thick with longing.
All at once, Eliana slowly lifted her gaze to meet his.
She didn’t say a word, but her eyes were filled with emotions she couldn’t hide.
It was like Eliana had him completely under her spell. Nathan kept his hands on either side of her, and before he knew it, he was leaning in and kissing her again. He just couldn’t help himself.
As memories from a decade ago crashed into the present, Nathan was hit with the truth. He’d always loved her, and that feeling had never faded, not for a single moment.
Seeing Eliana not push him away, his heart was nothing but a puddle. He was completely undone.
If Nathan was right, she loved him too. Maybe Irene was spot on, maybe Eliana only ended up marrying Logan because Nathan had disappeared without a word back then.
But none of that mattered anymore. As long as Eliana still wanted him, Nathan didn’t care about anything else.
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