Chapter 336

---- Chapter 336 After a few days away, Giselle returned to the hospital to find Donovan already moving about on his own. He had been in the middle of a video conference, but the moment he saw her step inside, he wrapped things up in a few words and ended the call. "How's your flu? Are you recovered?" he asked casually. Those days she had spent shut away in grief, she had told Donovan she was down with a fever, resting at home so she wouldn't risk infecting him. Seeing his refreshed , healthy complexion , her mood eased a little , though the shadow over her heart refused to lift.

She walked to his bedside, wanting to show some tenderness, but the weight pressing on her chest made it impossible to smile. "What's wrong?" Donovan noticed the hollowness in her eyes, the faint swelling around them. He reached to lift her chin. "Were you that sick?" "'No." She pushed his hand away, sat in silence for a long moment, then spoke flatly. "My dog, Eastin-something happened." "What happened?" "Anne had it killed, then cooked it into stew and tricked me into eating it..." She stated the truth as if it were nothing, but with every word, her heart bled.

---- Donovan's expression hardened, stunned. He had never kept a pet, but he knew how much that dog meant to her. For once, he felt a sting of grief on her behalf. All he could do was reach out and ruffle her hair, saying nothing. Giselle's voice turned into a whisper, almost to herself. "After that, I went to the Holt residence. I stabbed her. I meant to finish her, but they stopped me. She's still alive." Only then did Donovan realize the storm she had weathered in his absence.

He pulled her into his arms and said in a low, steady voice, "When I'm discharged , I'll buy you a hundred dogs-any breed you want. Choose whichever you like." 'To him, a dog was just a pet. Lose one, buy another. The wound could be patched with money, with abundance. But in Giselle's heart, Eastin had been unique, irreplaceable . Even if another dog looked exactly the same, it could never heal the wound left behind. She no longer wanted to vent her grief to him. Instead , she suddenly turned her head and asked, "When is the soonest you can marry me?" He blinked in surprise.

Then he answered, "The soonest would be next month. Weddings take time to plan. But it depends on what you want -an island abroad, a cathedral, a castle, a beach, a cruise, a hotel. Say the word. I've already started arranging a designer ---- for-" "Stop." Giselle cut him off. "No wedding. Just the marriage certificate. I only want us to be legally bound as husband and wife." "That simple?" He had always loathed weddings himself. Yet with her, the thought of giving her a grand, radiant ceremony -a marriage witnessed by the world-had seemed worth it. "Yes." A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

"My reputation's already ruined. A quiet marriage is enough. If we throw a spectacle, people will only laugh at your family. They'd never approve anyway. Since there won't be blessings, why make it a show? We just need to live our own lives." Donovan thought it over. She was right. He didn't mind her past, but he also couldn't silence the gossip, nor endlessly fight his family over it. "Whatever makes you comfortable. You decide everything about our marriage." "Good." She leaned close, her voice brushing his ear. "Then let's get the marriage certificate in secret.

Don't tell anyone in the Kane family-not yet."