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Novel Catalog
Chapter 48
John stood there, watching Cordy as she slept peacefully, her face soft in slumber. His fingers hovered in the air, inches from her cheek, before he slowly pulled back. The bitterness he felt only seemed to deepen. She had opened up to him in a way that was raw and unguarded, and yet he couldn’t shake the sting of her words. The vulnerability she had shown, the discomfort in her body when he had approached, it all made him feel as if he had unwittingly crossed a line—one he wasn’t sure he could step back from.
Her confession echoed in his mind. I detest intimacy. It was hard to reconcile with the Cordy he knew—the strong, capable woman who had a sharp mind and a quiet resilience. To hear her speak of such a painful experience, one that had scarred her in such a deep, emotional way, made John’s chest tighten. He had wanted to reach out to her, to close the distance between them, but in the end, he had only hurt her. His touch, his proximity, had made her feel worse, not better.
He let out a quiet breath, leaning back against the wall. “How disgusted are you with me, Cordy?” he whispered softly, though he knew she couldn’t hear him. His words felt heavy, but the answer wasn’t as simple as yes or no. The truth was more complex, buried deep within the way she had reacted to his touch. And yet, even then, there had been no malice in her words—just pain.
John’s mind wandered, replaying the moments leading up to this. He hadn’t meant to push her. He hadn’t meant to make her feel cornered or uncomfortable. All he had wanted was to offer her some solace, to let her know she wasn’t alone. But it seemed that, despite all of his efforts, he had fallen short.
He sighed, his gaze lingering on her peaceful face. The ache in his chest tightened, and the familiar mix of frustration and helplessness crept over him again. He had always been someone who could solve problems, who could take charge and fix what was broken. But with Cordy, it was different. The lines weren’t clear. There were no simple solutions.
For a moment, he just stood there, watching her sleep. The room was quiet, save for the soft rhythm of her breathing. It was a moment of stillness, of peace, that John didn’t want to disturb, even though he knew it couldn’t last forever.
“I’ll give you time,” he murmured, his voice barely a whisper. “You don’t have to trust me right away. I’ll wait, Cordy. I’ll wait for as long as it takes.”
And with that, he turned away, leaving the room quietly. He didn’t want to push her further. She needed space, and he knew that. He would respect her boundaries, even if it meant waiting for the moment when she would let him in again—if that moment ever came.
As John walked out of the room, his mind still heavy with thoughts of Cordy and the scars she carried, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of resolve. No matter how difficult it was, no matter how many times she pushed him away, he wasn’t going to give up on her. Not when she needed him the most.