Chapter 131\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan,\u201d Ellie\u2019s voice cut through the noise like a blade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I let go instantly, stepping back, the fury still humming through my veins. She looked between us, confusion and frustration etched across her face. \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk him,\u201d I said tightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to Kieran. \u201cWhat did you say?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing you didn\u2019t already know,\u201d he said smoothly, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve. \u201cWe were just having a friendly discussion about your future.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her brows drew together, but she didn\u2019t respond. She looked tired-tense in a way that twisted something in my chest. I hated that this was happening here, in front of everyone. I hated even more that he\u2019d made her feel cornered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I took a step toward her. \u201cEllie. Can we talk? Alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She hesitated. Then, slowly, she nodded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
We moved to the edge of the ballroom, into one of the quiet adjoining halls where the music dulled to a distant hum. The second we were out of sight, I finally let out the breath I\u2019d been holding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d I asked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her brow furrowed. \u201cAbout what?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe pregnancy.\u201d The words came out rougher than I meant. \u201cWhy did you hide it from me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened, and for a heartbeat, I saw pure panic flash there. Then she crossed her arms, her chin lifting defensively.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think that\u2019s something I could\u2019ve told you? After everything you did? After the way you looked at me like I was a burden you couldn\u2019t shake?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI would\u2019ve \u201cI started, but she cut me off.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would\u2019ve kept me here,\u201d she said, her voice trembling but steady. \u201cYou would\u2019ve used the babies as another reason to trap me. And I couldn\u2019t do it, Nolan. I couldn\u2019t spend the rest of my life being hated by the man I was bound to.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words hit harder than any punch. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Because she was right. That\u2019s exactly what I would\u2019ve done. Back then, I was too proud, too broken to let her go, even if it meant crushing her spirit to keep her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I swallowed hard, my throat dry. \u201cEllie\u2026\u201d My voice cracked. \u201cI don\u2019t hate you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t answer, just stared at me, searching my face like she was trying to decide if I meant it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finally, I took a breath and forced the truth out. \u201cI love you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened. \u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 13!\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI love you,\u201d I repeated, the words raw, real, terrifying. \u201cI should\u2019ve realized a long time ago, but things were\u2026 it all got away from me. I\u2019m not good at this, at emotions. I was too angry, too proud to admit it, but it\u2019s the truth. I don\u2019t expect you to feel the same. I know that I don\u2019t deserve anything from you after the way I treated you, but I need you to know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her lips parted, but before she could respond, a hush rippled through the corridor. I turned my head and saw movement, figures at the edge of the doorway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two guests, standing frozen, wide-eyed. Then three more. Whispers were starting to spread like wildfire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They\u2019d heard me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The noise from the ballroom began to shift, subtle but unmistakable, the sound of gossip taking form. I felt my stomach sink as realization hit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My confession wasn\u2019t private anymore. The entire hall would know before the night was over.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And Ellie\u2019s eyes told me everything I needed to know about what she was thinking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That I\u2019d just made everything so much worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 131 Chapter 131\u00a0 \u201cNolan,\u201d Ellie\u2019s voice cut through the noise like a blade.\u00a0 I […]<\/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-23700","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\/23700","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=23700"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23700\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23700"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23700"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23700"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}