I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 406

When the story was finished, a comfortable silence settled over the room. Nora called his name softly. "Xander, I never imagined you had this side to you."

Xander's gaze was incredibly soft as he tucked her in. "I have many more sides waiting for you to discover. We have decades ahead of us to figure them out."

A wave of warmth flooded Nora's chest. She nodded, slipping her hand out from under the covers to intertwine her fingers with his.

Xander didn't say anything else. He just gently stroked the back of her hand. "Go to sleep. I'll be right here."

Whether it was the story or the comforting heat of his hand, Nora felt the sharp agony in her shoulder begin to fade into a dull, manageable ache.

Her eyelids grew impossibly heavy, and she slowly drifted off into a deep slumber.

Just before she lost consciousness completely, she vaguely felt a warm, feather-light kiss press against her forehead.

A small smile graced Nora's lips as she surrendered to the darkness.

When Nora woke up the next morning, she instinctively reached out to feel the empty side of the bed. It took a moment for her to fully process that she wasn't at home, but in a hospital room.

She turned to look at the cot beside her. It was empty, the blankets neatly folded at the headboard. A fresh glass of water sat on the nightstand.

She grabbed her phone and saw a message from Xander, sent two hours ago.

"Your soup is in the thermos. Eat it while it's hot. I had to step out to handle a few things, but I'll be right back. Text me when you wake up."

Nora couldn't help but smile. She carefully propped herself up. Her shoulder still hurt, but the pain was significantly better than yesterday.

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