The CEO’s Unspoken Love (Eleanor and Derek) novel Chapter 158

Chapter 158

Eleanor POV

The question hit me like a physical blow. I set my mug down carefully on the coffee table, afraid my shaking hands would spill it.

The ceramic made a soft chink against the wood that seemed to echo in the silence that followed his words.

“Olivia,” I said, understanding immediately, my voice strangely calm despite the turmoil inside me. “She told you.”

“Yes,” Derek said, his voice raw. She told me everything. He set his own mug down with less care, coffee sloshing over the rim. And

only now do I understand what a monster I’ve been. I nearly destroyed you.” His voice broke on the last word, the crack in his

composure more shocking than any shout could have been. And you never said a word. Not one word, Eleanor. Is that how cold and

heartless you think I am? That you couldn’t even tell me you were suffering?*

I struggled to keep my composure, feeling exposed in a way that made me want to run from the room. Instead, I forced myself to

remain seated, my back straight, hands folded in my lap to hide their trembling. ‘It’s in the past,” I said, aiming for a detached tone

but falling short. ‘I was depressed because I was in love with you and couldn’t handle how you felt about our marriage. That wasn’t

your fault. It was mine for not being able to let go of my feelings for you.”

Derek’s eyes were red-rimmed now, either from emotion or the sudden warmth after being in the cold for so long. And now?” he

asked, leaning forward, closing the distance between us. I could smell the coffee on his breath, mingling with that familiar scent

that was uniquely his-expensive cologne and something deeper, more primal. “What about now? Do you still have feelings for me?

Do you still love me at all?”

I looked at him silently, noticing how vulnerable he appeared-so different from the confident, sometimes arrogant man I had

known. The Derek Wells sitting before me now seemed broken in a way I had never seen before. His hair, usually so perfectly styled,

fell across his forehead in damp strands.

Without warning, Derek slid from the sofa to his knees in front of me, the movement so sudden and unexpected that I nearly

jumped. He buried his face against my legs, his forehead pressing into my thighs. The weight and warmth of him against me sent a

shock of awareness through my body. His broad shoulders shook slightly, and I realized with shock that he was crying. In all our

years together, I had never seen Derek cry. Not when his grandfather died, not during our wedding, not even when we signed the

divorce papers.

His hands gripped the fabric of my skirt, and I could feel the heat of his palms through the material, burning like brands against my

thighs. The sensation was both unsettling and thrilling, a dangerous tingle that spread upward.

Something shifted inside me as I watched this proud man break down at my feet. A strange sense of power mixed with tenderness.

The man who had so often left me feeling powerless and vulnerable was now completely at my mercy.

I found myself reaching out, my hand settling on the nape of his neck. His hair was still damp, silky between my fingers. I ran my

hand through it gently, then moved to his face, my fingertips tracing his jawline, feeling the slight roughness of stubble beginning

to form. I tilted his chin up, compelling him to look at me.

Derek’s eyes were red, tears clinging to his lashes like crystals. His lips were parted slightly, his breathing uneven. I had never seen

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14:20 Thu, Jul 2 MAA

Chapter 158

him so undone, so completely stripped of his usual armor. The sight was both disturbing and intoxicating.

“Eleanor,” he said, my name a prayer on his lips, his voice trembling, ‘could you give me another chance? Could you love me again?”

His hands moved from my skirt to my knees, the heat of his touch seeping through the thin fabric of my stockings. Those elegant fingers that had played across my body so skillfully in the past now gripped me with desperate intensity, as if I might dissolve into

the air if he let go.

I studied his face-the vulnerability in his eyes, the tears on his cheeks-and discovered that I was enjoying this moment more than I should. Seeing Derek Wells, who had always been so controlled and distant, completely at my mercy, stirred something complex within me. Desire mingled with a darker satisfaction at his suffering, followed immediately by shame at my own reaction.

Derek leaned upward, his face drawing closer to mine. I could feel his warm breath against my lips, see the question in his eyes. For a moment, I thought he would kiss me, and my body tensed in anticipation. Then, just as our lips were about to touch, he hesitated. A flash of uncertainty crossed his features, and he pulled back slightly. For the first time since I’d known him, Derek Wells was restraining himself, giving me the space to choose-something he had never done before.

The realization sent a surge of emotion through me. This small act of respect, of deference to my feelings, affected me more deeply than any grand gesture could have. I reached out, my fingers gripping his undershirt, bunching the fabric in my fists. With a decisive pull, I drew him back toward me and pressed my lips against his.

It was neither gentle nor hesitant-it was a claiming, an answer to the question he’d been asking with his tears and his words. I felt his momentary surprise, then his response, eager yet somehow tentative, as if he feared I might change my mind at any moment. His hands moved to my waist, holding me with a gentleness that contrasted sharply with the desperation I’d seen in him moments

before.

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The CEO’s Unspoken Love