Chapter 90\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ellie POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
I heard Cassian curse before I even noticed Nolan. When I lifted my eyes, the sound of heavy footfalls pounding toward me was drowned out completely by the thundering of my own heart.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And then he was there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stormy eyes locked on mine, Nolan\u2019s grip closed around my upper arms-strong, but not painful. Cassian caught him immediately, trying to pull him back, but Nolan didn\u2019t move, rooted to the sidewalk as if glued in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I couldn\u2019t speak at first, stunned not only by his sudden appearance but by the frantic look in his eyes. The way he held me, desperate, unwilling to look away-even as Cassian tried to reason with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie,\u201d he breathed again. His voice shook with disbelief. \u201cYou\u2019re okay. You\u2019re really all right.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound made my chest ache. I had heard from Lance and Rae about the state he\u2019d been in since my disappearance, but seeing it was another matter entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEllie, say something,\u201d Nolan urged, a thread of desperation in his tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan\u2026 why are you here?\u201d I managed. My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears that I wasn\u2019t sure I\u2019d be able to hear his response.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His expression flickered-hurt, raw. He let go of my arms but didn\u2019t step back. I could feel the heat of his body so close to my own and it made warmth spread across my skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI was looking for you. I\u2019ve been looking for you every day since\u2026 Why are you here? Why did you leave? I thought you were kidnapped. Worse-have you been in Moonstone this whole time?\u201d His voice was low, unguarded in a way that I\u2019d never really heard him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I admitted softly, wrapping my arms around myself. \u201cI\u2019ve been here the whole time. I\u2019m sorry, Nolan. I know you must have been worried.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d His voice cut me off, sharp. \u201cWhy would you do this?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know who I could trust,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cI was afraid whoever was behind that attack wouldn\u2019t stop if they learned I\u2019d survived. I needed to be somewhere they couldn\u2019t find me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI could have protected you. I wanted to protect you,\u201d he said softly. The tone made my heard ache.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou wanted to?\u201d I repeated, disbelief lacing my words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course I did. You\u2019re my wife. You were hurt, grieving, and then you were just\u2026 gone. Do you have any idea what I\u2019ve been through, trying to find you? Why didn\u2019t you tell me? Why didn\u2019t you at least send word that you were alive?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He stepped even closer, his hand brushing mine as if he was barely restraining himself from reaching out to hold it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLike I said I didn\u2019t know who I could trust. Cassian agreed to hide me, and that\u2019s what he did. I\u2019ve been here ever since. I got a small apartment, a job\u2026 I\u2019ve just been laying low,\u201d I explained. My words sounded absurd as I said them, especially as Nolan\u2019s eyes widened in confusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCassian hid you here?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 90\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s head snapped toward Cassian, eyes blazing with barely contained rage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve been hiding her from me this whole time?\u201d he demanded, a low growl lacing his words.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have,\u201d Cassian admitted evenly. \u201cSince the moment she left the hospital, she\u2019s been under my protection.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder your protection?\u201d Nolan\u2019s voice was a snarl. \u201cYou took her from her home. From her pack.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Cassian\u2019s expression hardened. \u201cI took her somewhere she could be safe. Where she could process what she\u2019d been through and have a life of her own. A life where she could choose for herself, instead of being treated like a prisoner-or a commodity.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou dare-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough!\u201d I burst out, stepping between them. My voice cracked on the word. \u201cThat\u2019s enough, Nolan. Cassian didn\u2019t do anything I didn\u2019t ask him to. I needed out. I needed somewhere safe to clear my head, and he gave me that. It wasn\u2019t his idea, it wasn\u2019t his plan. It was mine. So stop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 90 Chapter 90\u00a0 Ellie POV\u00a0 I heard Cassian curse before I even noticed Nolan. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-unremembered-mate-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23659","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23659\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}