Chapter 227
Their eyes met for only a brief moment, yet Khloe immediately understood what Nick intended.
His voice was calm but carried an unmistakable finality.
“The kindness the Keller family—and Michelle in particular—once showed me, I’ve never forgotten. If there is ever a chance to repay it, I will not hesitate.”
A pause.
“But that repayment will never be tied to my personal relationship with Michelle. I will not allow past gratitude to become the source of misunderstanding or unnecessary entanglement.”
His words were measured, decisive—leaving no room for argument.
Michelle’s mother and uncle stiffened. Anything they might have said lost its footing before it could even form.
Nick continued evenly, “Michelle, if you have something to say, you can say it here. Khloe is my wife. There is nothing I cannot speak in front of her. If that feels inconvenient…”
He turned slightly and glanced toward Lenny.
“Lenny can handle anything you need on my behalf.”
That sentence landed like a blade wrapped in silk.
Michelle’s face drained of color.
To her, it felt less like distance—and more like public rejection.
Her lips trembled as she forced herself to hold back tears. Her hands curled tightly into the blanket.
“I’m not trying to make things difficult,” she said hoarsely. “I just wanted to say… the past is the past. From now on, we can just be ordinary friends. I don’t want you treating me like a stranger every time we meet, as if I’m some kind of threat.”
Her voice broke slightly at the end.
Michelle’s mother immediately looked away, heart aching. Her uncle’s jaw tightened, frustration flashing across his face, but neither of them spoke again.
Nick’s expression remained steady. He did not soften, but neither did he become cruel.
“You’re overthinking it,” he said quietly.
The words were restrained but distant.
Sensing the heaviness in the room, Khloe stepped in gently, her tone calm and composed.
“Michelle, don’t worry. Nick has always been a man who understands gratitude and boundaries. He won’t treat you differently because of the past. As for your recovery, I’ll arrange the best medical care. Please focus on healing.”
Her words were neither sharp nor cold—just enough to smooth the atmosphere without yielding ground.
She then looked at Nick.
“Let’s go. We shouldn’t disturb Michelle’s rest.”
Nick tightened his hold on her hand slightly, then gave a brief nod to the Keller elders. Without another glance at Michelle, he turned and walked out with Khloe.
No hesitation.
No looking back.
Michelle’s body trembled as soon as they left. The movement pulled at her injured wrist, and a sharp pain forced a broken sob from her throat.
“My child…” Her mother quickly rushed to her side, gathering her into an embrace. “Let it go now… Nick has already made his choice.”
Her uncle’s expression darkened.
“It’s not worth it anymore. Look at it clearly—he and Khloe are husband and wife now. Men don’t look back once they’ve decided.”
“No…” Michelle shook her head weakly, tears slipping down her cheeks. “Nick is not like that… he’s not that kind of person…”
Only she knew.
Nick had never been cold.
If anything, he had once been the gentlest person in her world.
On the drive back, Nick remained unusually quiet.
He held Khloe close, as if only physical contact could ease the tension he refused to show.
Khloe sensed it but didn’t press him. Some wounds didn’t need questions—they needed time.
Michelle had once said Nick carried old pain.
Khloe understood that too well.
The cruelest people were often the ones who had once been broken.
She shifted slightly in his arms and held his hand more firmly.
She didn’t need explanations.
She didn’t care about anyone else’s version of him.
She only needed one thing—
That he was still okay.