Chapter 299
He had never felt this before.
This helpless. This guilty.
And Graham Lancaster was not a man who handled helplessness well.
The moment the doctor had begun his examination, Graham had turned his back, his jaw locked tight, his muscles tense. His bare chest rose and fell controlled breaths, his fists clenching at his sides. He had seen blood before. He had seen pain before. But never had he been the cause of it. Never h seen her curled up in bed, shaking, eyes wide with something that looked far too close to fear.
And that–that–was what was tearing him apart.
His mind replayed the moment over and over again, torturing him with the image of her trembling beneath him, the sharp cry that had escaped her li way her fingers had gripped him as if trying to endure something unbearable.
He thought he had been careful.
He thought he had prepared her enough.
But now, standing here with his hands trembling at his sides, he wondered if he had been wrong. If he had been too lost in his own need, too overwhel with finally having her, that he hadn’t realized he was hurting her until it was too late.
“Okay, and what happened was–when you started-” the doctor’s voice cut through the heavy silence.
Graham had had enough.
“She started bleeding and screaming her lungs out!” His voice was sharp, but not out of anger–out of self–loathing.
He turned abruptly, his dark, stormy gaze meeting Isla’s from across the room. It was only a brief moment–just the flicker of their eyes locking–but it w
enough.
He saw the emotion there. The raw vulnerability she was trying so hard to mask.
But instead of holding his gaze, she looked away.
And that–that hurt.
Graham exhaled sharply, running a hand through his already tousled hair as he began pacing the room once again. The floor beneath him felt unsteady, 43 the guilt inside him had made everything shift.
He barely registered the doctor continuing his examination, though the discomfort in Isla’s stiff posture made his own stomach twist with unease.
“I don’t think you should blame yourself for your wife’s pain, Mr. Lancaster.” Dr. Holloway’s voice was calm, matter–of–fact “it was not your fail.
Graham stilled.”
His chest rose and fell heavily as he turned, his brows furrowing “What do you mean, Bot my fault? His voice was hoarse now, strained. Of course, it’s my fault! I went in like a danin wild animal, tearing her apart what else would make her bleed like that?”
8:51 am P
M
Chapter 299
There was something broken in his voice, something almost desperate.
The doctor sighed, standing up slowly as Isla sat up and began buttoning her skirt back up, her fingers trembling slightly.
Dr. Holloway turned to Graham, his expression even. “Like I said, it wasn’t your fault.”
Graham didn’t respond. He was barely breathing, his entire body tense as he waited.
The doctor folded his hands in front of him. “Your wife has a condition called a microperforate hymen–a rare variant where the hymen has small o or additional bands of tissue, making penetration extremely painful or difficult.”
A beat of silence passed.
And then, something inside Graham snapped.
His breath left him in a sharp exhale, his shoulders dropping as the weight of the words settled deep into his bones.
So, it wasn’t just him being careless. It wasn’t just him losing control.
She had been in pain because of something beyond his power.
But that didn’t make it better.
If anything, it made it worse.
Because it meant she had suffered through it–not just because of him, but because she hadn’t known. Hadn’t told him. Hadn’t trusted him enough to s something when she had felt pain.
He turned to her again, his chest rising with a heavy breath. “Isla,” he murmured, his voice lower now, but no less intense.
She didn’t look at him.
Instead, she smoothed down the fabric of her skirt, her fingers still trembling slightly, her face pale.
The doctor cleared his throat, breaking the heavy silence. “The bleeding should subside soon, but she will likely experience some discomfort for a while. 1 strongly suggest giving her time before… attempting intimacy again,”
Graham’s jaw tightened. “Of course.” His voice was clipped, final.
The doctor gave a curt nod, gathering his things before glancing at Isla one last time. “If you have any further complications, send for me.”
And with that, he left, the heavy door clicking shut behind him.
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