?Chapter 883:


    “You never really see me… not unless I bring you to this ce,” he whispered, letting the words settle slowly between them.


    His smile shifted, softer now butced with regret. “If I’d known it would feel this good, I wouldn’t have wasted four years trying to y the part you wanted. I should’ve done this sooner.”


    Without hesitation, Linsey delivered a fierce p across Gorman’s face.


    The sound sliced through the quiet of the room.


    From the impact, Gorman’s head snapped to the side. For a brief moment, he didn’t move. A faint sting crawled along the edge of his mouth, proof that Linsey hadn’t held back.


    A low chuckle slipped from him instead of rage. Just as he began to turn his gaze back to her, something caught his eye—her hand lifting again, ready for another strike.


    Something shifted in Gorman’s expression. In one swift motion, he caught her by the wrist, his grip unyielding as a glint of menace sparked in his eyes. “You really think I’ll keep letting that slide?”


    A bitter smirk yed across Linsey’s lips, her eyes sharp with distrust and simmering with quiet rage. “Do you seriously think people crave your attention?” she said, her voice like ice. “Get over yourself, Gorman. You’re not some gift to the world. Right now, all I see is someone I can’t stand to be near.”


    Gorman didn’t respond right away. His gaze lingered on her, swirling with a mix of things he never put into words.


    “I’ve been by your side for years, waiting, giving everything—and you call that disgusting? All I’m doing now is reiming what’s mine. And this is the thanks I get?” he said, sounding almost wounded.


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    A deep crease appeared between Linsey’s brows. Her voice turned stiff, disbelieving. “What exactly are you reiming?”


    That question made something shift in him. The tension in his face melted into a grin, slow, almost pleased.


    “You’ve always belonged to me. You just never realized it.”


    Linsey’sposure finally cracked. Her voice rose, sharp and furious. “You’re out of your damn mind.”


    For a second, she fought to steady herself, her chest rising and falling as she breathed through the fury. “I already know where this is going. You’ll bring up how I saved your life. Or maybe you’ll say you loved me before Collin ever showed up.”


    That name struck him like an exposed nerve. It never failed to cut deep. His expression soured on the spot, the bitterness wing its way to the surface.


    By now, his obsession had consumed him whole. He had stayed by her side for four years, swallowing his pride, pretending not to see that the children she protected didn’t carry his blood, but Collin’s. And still, he treated them like they were his own.


    It hadn’t even been a full week since Linsey returned to Grester with the kids, yet Collin had already found a way under her skin again. She had handed Zander over to him without hesitation—just to protect the boy from Gorman’s reach.


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