NovelEnglish
Chapter 408 I Don’t Want to Lose You Again
Deirdre’s indifference ignited another bomb barrel in Freya. She chucked the mask to the floor, scrunched it under
her shoe, and stomped. “You want your f*cking shame-cover so much? Find it yourself! Are you gonna stay in here
until you find your mask? Or are you going to give up and let everyone jeer at Kyran when you walk beside him
without it?”
Freya put her cap back on and hurried out of the bathroom, not giving Deirdre the time to pull her back in.
Now left all alone, Deirdre had no choice but to get on all fours to look. The wet floor and its putrid smell made her
stomach churn, but she imagined the reception she would receive if she went out as she was and gritted her teeth.
She had to continue searching.
As she scoured the floor repeatedly, she suddenly heard a mechanical voice from her earpiece. “Are you still in
there, Deirdre?”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe broke out in a cold sweat. Taking a deep breath, she gnashed her teeth and tried again. A few people entered
the bathroom and found her on all fours, so one of them asked kindly, “Hey, are you looking for something? Want
us to help?”
Deirdre looked up, and one of the women screamed, “Arrghhhhhhh!”
The crowd’s fear and terror were palpable enough that Deirdre quickly cast her face down as quickly as she could,
shielding it from any more prying eyes.
She panicked. After apologizing as much as she could, she shrunk her neck into her collar, hoping to block her face,
and felt her way outside through the wall. There was still one last wall blocking the entrance from the public, so she
hid there, shivering. Forcing her voice not to tremble, she asked, “K- Kyran, are you there?”
His reply was instant. “Yeah.”
A moment later, he asked again, “What’s wrong? What’s keeping you inside?”
Deirdre touched the lower half of her face. The ragged edge of her scars, the coarseness of her unhealed injuries-
they pricked her fingers all too vividly. She could imagine just how much unkind attention it would attract.
“1… I need more time. Can you please help me buy a new mask?”
There was no reply for a moment. Then, he said, “Sorry, Deirdre, but I can’t leave you here for the time being.
There are too many people here, and you had one stalking incident before. It’s too dangerous to leave you like this.
I just don’t… Don’t want to lose you again.”
“Again?”
“Yes. Again. The last time, you formally rejected me and returned to the hotel. I couldn’t sleep that night.”
Deirdre felt a pang. It had been a rough night for her too.
“Why do you need me to buy a new mask suddenly? What happened?”
She took a deep breath. “It’s complicated, and I don’t think now is the time to explain. All you need to know is that
my mask is gone, and my bandages have come undone.”
Kyran scowled, but he did not ask why. “Is that all? Then why are you still inside? Come outside, okay? We don’t
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmhave to talk with a wall between us. Unless… are you hurt?”
“No! I’m not…”
“Then… why?”
Deirdre almost could not push the words out of her gnashed teeth. “Because…. Because I’m ugly.”
She could not do it. She could not stand being gossiped about, commented on, and gawked at while Kyran suffered
the same fate. It hurt her.
There was only silence in her earpiece. Before she started wondering about it, she heard footsteps. drawing near.
She raised her head and felt the man’s arm wrapping around her and pulling her close to his chest. He had a faint
fragrance-it was a scent she yearned for.
She closed her trembling eyelids. Kyran smoothed her back over and over, comforting her in a way that reached
her heart.
When he finally released her, she stared at the floor.
“Look up, Deirdre.”
She hesitantly raised her head.
Kyran brushed strands of her hair away from her face, his eyes soft. “Ugly? You’re kidding. This is the most
beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Just standing in front of you makes me feel ill-deserving of this honor.”
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