Chapter 279

---- Chapter 279 Giselle felt a flicker of irritation. "Enough. You know where I was sold during those two months. Don't bring it up in front of me." Vivienne faltered, remembering what Giselle had gone through abroad. "Well, it shouldn't be that bad, right? Didn't you say you were... you know?" Giselle didn't want to answer. Vivienne seemed to pick up on it and offered a half-hearted consolation. "It's fine. If Gideon really does look down on you, dump him fast and find the next one. Men are just spices for life, not essentials.

Don't put so much weight on it." The more Giselle listened, the more it grated. "Enough." They talked for hours, and Vivienne had planned to spend the night, but just as she was about to shower, there was a knock at the door. She went to open it, and found Gideon standing there, dusty and travel-worn, "Mr. Grayson? Weren't you in Tonvara? How did you get back so fast?" He had no patience for small talk with Vivienne. Brushing past her, he stepped inside, and ran straight into Giselle coming out of the bedroom.

---- Seeing the face that had haunted him every hour for months, Gideon's heart pounded wildly. He stared at her as if caught in a spell. Vivienne, sensing the moment, quietly grabbed her bag and slipped out. Giselle was far calmer than the man before her. After only a few seconds of surprise, she stepped toward him with a faint, teasing smile. "Can't believe I'm alive, can you? By the way, what were you doing in Tonvara?" Gideon drew a deep breath and suddenly hauled her into his arms, holding her so tightly it nearly hurt. One large hand slid from the back of her head down to her waist.

Feeling her warmth, breathing in her scent, hearing the steady beat of her heart-only then did he believe she was truly there. "Where the hell did you go?" His voice was hoarse as he clung to her. "I was dying without you. I searched the world, felt like I'd turn the whole earth over just to find you. Tell me I'm not dreaming. Tell me you'll never disappear again. Never." Giselle hadn't expected this kind of depth from him. She'd assumed he'd suffer for a week or two, maybe a month, and then move on to someone else. She never imagined her disappearance had nearly broken him.

"You can let go now." She pushed lightly against him, her tone cool. "Don't get too worked up. Let's sit and talk."" They sat on the couch, but Gideon's gaze never left her, following her every movement, studying her face from every ---- angle. She was thinner, more drawn, but otherwise unchanged -still so beautiful it was hard to look away. Giselle poured him a glass of water. Once the air between them had eased a little, she gave him a concise account of her two-month nightmare. When she finished, Gideon stayed silent for a long time.

"Twas so close to where you were being held," he murmured, head bowed, fingers raking through his hair. It seemed as if he were talking more to himself than to her. "I spent half a day wandering a town less than 20 miles away. We practically crossed paths without knowing it." Then, he began telling her everything he had done during the days she was missing.