Billionaire's match novel

---- Chapter 815 The blade inched forward half an inch, the sharp tip nearly piercing his skin. Pain spread faintly along his neck. Yet Nick didn't flinch. His brow remained calm and unshaken. "As long as it's what she wants to see... I'll do it," he said. The words left the men behind momentarily stunned. But before they could fully process his meaning, a violent shoulder strike slammed into one of them, sending a shock up his arm. His grip loosened, and in a flash, Nick pivoted. The dagger spun through the air, landing squarely in the hands of the man whose arms. were bound behind him.

The ropes around Nick's wrists had loosened without him noticing. Swiftly, he seized the dagger and lifted it, forcing the men behind him to stagger back, raising their hands to block. They expected him to attack. But before anything could happen, a sharp, piercing female voice cut through the air, "Nick!" Everyone froze at the sight. The dagger's tip still pressed against Nick's neck, a winding line of blood snaking down his pale skin. Moonlight streamed through a narrow window, casting his broad, upright silhouette across the dark room, stretching all the way to the woman's feet.

---- Khloe almost flew forward, stopping just in front of him. Their eyes met, and in that instant, Nick's fingers relaxed. The dagger clattered to the floor. His lips curved faintly, eyes dark and stormy, lingering in shock for a moment before his body finally moved toward her-the person he had longed for day and night. But before he could reach her, before he could truly see her clearly, a fierce slap landed squarely across his face! The sharp sound echoed through the hollow earthen building. The force almost knocked him off balance.

His face twisted to the side, searing pain wrinkling his brow. Khloe's hand hovered mid-air, trembling slightly. Her chest heaved violently. Her eyes burned red, filled with both furious anger and bottomless fear. A few seconds passed. Tears pooled in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall. "Are you crazy? If you really want to die... don't do it in front of me. | won't bear being heartbroken again!" After so long apart, the person she had been desperate to see stood alive, unharmed, before her.

She thought she would feel nothing but joy and relief, content to have him back safely. ---- But in that moment, the days of worry, fear, and anger boiled over. She finally confronted the truth she had suspected all along: Nick had returned long ago, and he had been deliberately avoiding her. Khloe had wanted to test him-not just to see why he had hidden from her, but to make him pay a little. She had warned him once, long ago: Don't lie to me. No matter what, don't lie to me! Yet he had. Even more infuriating, he had seen through her ploy and responded in this way.

When one person says goodbye, it should only ever happen once. If he truly wanted to leave, he didn't need to make her suffer twice. Her words cut like knives, striking harder than the slap before, harsher than the wound on his neck, suffocating him. He looked at her-tearful, furious, brimming with emotion-and felt his heart tighten, his breath catching in his chest. "Khloe... I'm sorry..." Finally, his voice broke, hoarse and low. He reached out to touch her trembling shoulder-but Khloe stepped back sharply, avoiding him.

"Not every apology is worth forgiveness," she said, voice 'trembling but fierce. "Do you think every self-sacrificing act of ---- yours is heroic? Right now... | hate you more than anything."