Chapter 288\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan POV\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran arrived without an announcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That alone told me everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Security alerted me only after he was already inside the outer perimeter of the packhouse, his scent sharp with panic and exhaustion, his posture rigid in a way that spoke of a man who had not slept\u2013and likely had not stopped replaying the same moment in his head since it happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had expected to hear from him in some form before the week was out. But it was the morning after the incident at the debate. This wasn\u2019t a diplomatic visit, it wasn\u2019t paying respects. This was something else.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I entered the receiving room, he looked up like he\u2019d been expecting a blow. He was twitchy, uneasy. His gaze locked on me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For a split second, he looked exactly like August had earlier that night\u2013wide\u2013eyed, shaken, and uncertain. He looked young to me, despite being the same age as me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That wasn\u2019t all that I noticed about his appearance. He was pale, his hands clenched tight at his sides to stop himself from fidgeting. Kieran, once so polished and self\u2013assured, looked like he\u2019d seen a ghost.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re here quickly,\u201d I said flatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He swallowed. \u201cI didn\u2019t have a choice.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words were strained and laced with deeper meaning. I narrowed my eyes as I took in his appearance more carefully, looking for a clue to decipher his meaning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked thinner somehow, as if the weight of whatever he carried had already begun to hollow him out. His\u00a0<\/p>\n
gaze\u00a0<\/p>\n
flicked briefly to the guards at the door, then back to me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was like he was expecting someone to jump out at him at any moment. There were only a handful of people who could reduce someone like Kieran to this level of anxiety. I had a feeling I knew who was responsible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to talk to you alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I studied him for a long moment, then nodded once. \u201cGive us the room.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The guards hesitated only briefly before withdrawing. The door shut behind them with a muted click.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silence fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran broke first. He lurched forward as if he meant to grab my arm, then thought better of it. His eyes were fixed on mine with desperation, almost pleading as he moved toward me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was Felicity,\u201d he said hoarsely. \u201cAll of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My jaw tightened, but I said nothing. I had expected this. The timing, the escalation, the particular cruelty of the attack\u2013it all fit too neatly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
+25 Bonus\u00a0<\/p>\n
But how the hell did he know?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been in Pine Ridge,\u201d he continued, voice rushed now, like if he stopped speaking the courage would evaporate. \u201cI hid her there. I gave her money. Protection. I didn\u2019t ask questions.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands curled slowly into fists at my sides.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me she wanted leverage,\u201d he said. \u201cSaid she wanted to sabotage your reconciliation. Embarrass you. Break the bond publicly.\u201d His voice cracked. \u201cI thought she was just bitter. Vengeful. I didn\u2019t think-\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t think she\u2019d hurt Ellie,\u201d I finished coldly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He flinched. \u201cNo. I swear to you, Nolan, I would never have allowed that. I didn\u2019t know what she was capable of! I said she wanted to break you two up, that if she drove Ellie away, you\u2019d take her back. I thought that was all it would be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you possibly trust her after what she did?!\u201d I demanded, a low growl rumbling through my words. \u201c After she had Ellie poisoned!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kieran froze. He stared.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice was a cracked whisper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rogue who attacked Ellie while she was pregnant was hired by Felicity,\u201d I said tensely.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know about the poisoning attempt. I didn\u2019t know she was responsible,\u201d Kieran said, his voice rising in pitch. The look of horror that settled over his features couldn\u2019t be faked.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNolan, I swear on my life, I didn\u2019t know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The words landed heavily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was telling the truth. I knew that.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I had kept that information locked down deliberately, contained within Silver Fang. Even politically, it had been too dangerous to release. Now I understood exactly how blind that choice had left him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And not just him. Felicity may have found other allies. I\u2019d given her the room to lie and manipulate her way into favor and sympathy. My affection for her was coming back to ruin me once again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou funded her,\u201d I said. \u201cYou sheltered her. You gave her access to your resources.\u2018\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c}\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he said miserably. \u201cAnd I see now what that makes me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t correct him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Cold Marriage That Turned Warm 288 Chapter 288\u00a0 Nolan POV\u00a0 Kieran arrived without an announcement.\u00a0 That alone told me […]<\/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-23857","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\/23857","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=23857"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23857\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23857"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23857"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23857"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}