Chapter 431/The End of Four Years of Hell

Chapter 431

Robert’s POV

Breath pulled entirely from my chest, leaving a bitter, suffocating silence in its wake.

Her head rested warm and damp against my bare skin, her body shivering in my arms with a gut-wrenching fragility. I tightened both my massive arms around her back, pulling her in until her swaying body dissolved against my ribs.

This damned revelation shattered me... Four whole years. Four years of putting her and myself through absolute hell, four years of hunting her with mad, venomous rage, believing she ran because she was a cheap betrayer who couldn’t care less about my heart... while she was battling this dark phantom all on her own!

My hand, trembling with a slowness I had never known in myself, reached out to weave my fingers through the wet strands of hair clinging to her back. I tilted her pale, flushed face up by her chin, forcing her bleary, tear-filled eyes to lock into mine, which burned with utter shock and agony.

My voice came out dry and raspy, torn from the deepest part of my throat:

"What a complete fool you are, Julie... What a crazy, naive fool!"

Julie gasped bitterly, trying to turn her head away from my grip, but I locked my fingers around her chin with firm gentleness. I leaned down until my scorching breath hit her trembling lips.

I hissed out, every word heavy with raw frustration and devastating reproach:

"That damned phone call four years ago... I wasn’t talking to a customer, Julie! I wasn’t negotiating to sell you to any man in this cursed world!"

Her lips parted in drunken disbelief, her pupils losing focus completely as her consciousness slipped deeper into the abyss beneath the toxic fog of liquor.

Her trembling palm extended slowly, cold fingertips tracing my rock-hard cheekbone, moving over the line of my jaw and the bridge of my nose. She tilted her head slightly, whispering in a soft, unsteady, childlike slur:

"You’re so handsome, Robert... Handsome as hell."

Despite the inferno tearing through my chest, and despite the pride encasing my heart, a faint, rare smile touched my lips—a warm curve that hadn’t lit my face in four long years.

I clamped my palm over her hand as it slid across my face, my voice dropping quiet, laced with warmth and quiet authority:

"Alright, you crazy girl... Come on now, you’re sleeping next to me."

I leaned down, sliding my other arm under her knees, scooping her up into my arms with deliberate care. I carried her toward the wide bed sprawling in the middle of the room, setting her down gently onto the smooth silk sheets.

I brushed the damp strands of hair away from her face, pulling the warm blanket over her swaying body. Sliding under the covers beside her, I slowly pulled her in until her heavy head rested against my bare chest, my massive arm locking around her to keep her anchored in place.

She settled into my hold for a few seconds, but her small, trembling fingers wouldn’t stay still. They began tracing the muscles of my chest with hesitant, light touches that sent a numb surge through my veins, before sliding lower... toward the edge of the towel wrapped around my waist.

The moment her hand touched the root of my dick, a burning shock wave ripped through my entire body, every muscle locking tight.

I clamped my fingers around her wrist with solid force, pulling her hand away slowly to draw it back from that inflamed spot. Lifting my head slightly, I leaned close to her ear, my voice raspy, dripping with desire and restraint:

"Don’t do this, Julie... Don’t let me yield to these touches and accept your confession this easily."

I tightened my grip around her wrist, guiding her hand back with painful slowness while holding back my scorching breath.

I enclosed her small hand within my massive palm, resting it directly over my chest, letting the violent hammer of my heartbeat strike beneath her fingertips.

Julie let out a quiet yawn, her flushed eyelids fluttering completely shut as she buried her nose into the crook of my neck. She exhaled a warm breath that melted whatever was left of my self-control, before giving in to the heavy fog of exhaustion and liquor, sinking into a deep sleep in my arms.

I stayed awake, staring down at her pale face.

I dragged my thumb along her cheek, wiping away the dry tear tracks with extreme care, as if terrified my touch might shatter her. She was buried against my chest, small and fragile, resting all her weight on me without knowing that the few words she uttered moments ago had demolished a fortress of pride, malice, and toxic assumptions.

(Four years, Julie... Four years I burned in the hell of an illusion created by a single misunderstood word!)

Leaning down slowly, I pressed a long, deep, and warm kiss onto her forehead, brushing two stray hair strands away from her soft lips.

I locked my arm tighter around her back, pulling the heavy blanket up over us to our shoulders. Closing my eyes, I breathed in the quiet rhythm of her breath pressed against my skin.

Leaning my lips in until my warm breath brushed her soft skin, I whispered in a low, gravelly rasps from the deepest depths of my chest:

"I love you, Julie... I love you far more than you could ever imagine."

She didn’t stir. She just released a slow, warm exhale against my neck, sinking deeper into her sleep, as if those words were all her exhausted heart needed to finally find peace.

I closed my eyes, pulling her closer into my chest, listening to the steady beat of her heart striking against mine closing this dark night with all its secrets and pain, awaiting a new dawn where no other man would ever stand between us again.

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Julie’s POV

I tried to open my eyelids, but they felt heavier than mountains... as if nailed shut with solid steel spikes.

My head was boiling with a excruciating headache, a hammer pounding inside my skull without pause, while a bitter dryness coated my throat. My fingers moved sluggishly across the sheets, brushing against something soft yet firm. A warm heat radiated into my veins from the body pressed against mine, as the sharp, suffocating scent of royal oud filled my nostrils.

I forced my eyes open, wincing in pain at the dim light, only to find a ceiling carved with lavish grandeur completely different from my usual room.

I slowly turned my head to the left... my eyes locking in utter shock!

My head and full weight were resting directly over Robert’s bare chest!

I lifted my head with immense effort, staring down at his sharp, motionless features while he was buried deep in sleep beside me his dark hair disheveled, his quiet breaths causing his solid ribs to rise and fall.

I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head in pain, whispering to myself: (My God!... I’m dreaming again! It’s definitely because of that damned alcohol... My subconscious is painting sick illusions for me once more.)

But this time... a burning wave of rage coursed through my blood.

(Even if this is just a ridiculous dream concocted by my mind, I’m taking my revenge on you, Robert!... I’m going to vent my fury because you played me, because you sold me off like cheap merchandise!)

I raised my trembling hand in the air with all the remaining strength I had, and slapped his rock-hard cheekbone with a loud, resounding crack!

His entire body jolted. He gasped sharply for air, bolting upright in total disbelief, clutching his red cheek as his dark eyes widened in sharp outrage. He barked out in a raspy voice, heavy with sleep:

"Are you out of your fucking mind?!"