Billionaire's match novel

---- Chapter 818 Nick fumbled, hastily wiping the tears from her cheeks. Frustration and guilt surged through him, and he grabbed Khloe's hand, pounding it against his chest. "It's my fault... | deserve this!" "You are not allowed to say that word again!" Khloe snapped, more anxious than before. He froze. She wrenched her hand free and shoved him, and he stumbled back against the wall. Silver moonlight spilled through the window, pooling over the two of them, their entwined forms caught in its glow. "Fine... | won't say it," he murmured, his gaze dark and heavy, brows furrowed.

Every piece of his heart felt fractured, shattered by a mixture of guilt and longing. "Nick, you are my husband." Khloe leaned forward, her small frame pressing against his broad chest like a kitten climbing into its owner's embrace. Yet, even through her reddened eyes, every word rang with authority, every syllable brimming with conviction. "I'll say it again: what | want is a husband with blood in his veins, aman who feels pain, who gets tired, who needs me as much as ---- | need him.

Not a hero who only sacrifices himself, who can do everything, who makes me live in constant fear and unease. I'd rather not have that kind of love." Nick's body trembled. His pupils contracted sharply. He had never seen Khloe speak with such intensity, with such solemnity. He had never imagined that all his sacrifices-his endless devotion-could seem so cruel, so unbearable. He realized then, in the rawest way, that when it came to love, he was not as steadfast or courageous as he thought. He was not as brave as Khloe. "Khloe...

don't not want me." His voice was low, humble, buried in dust, yet utterly sincere. He had always believed in her, yet he had always been afraid- afraid that he could no longer stand at her side as before, to bear her burdens, to hold her steady. Khloe did not reply, but her gaze burned steadily into him. "You said 'unless | die'... maybe that truly could have been the end between us. But it wouldn't be life and death that separates us-it would be... the death of the heart." The last few words fell lightly, yet they struck Nick like a hammer. "| won't let your heart die for me.

| won't let our ending be like ---- that." He shook his head, pulling Khloe close, fingers digging into the nape of her neck, teeth gritted. His lips quivered. His hands trembled. His body, strained to the limit, finally betrayed him, and he tilted his head, coughing violently. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Khloe panicked, reaching to wipe the blood from his lips. He coughed again, a thin trickle of blood staining his mouth. "What's happening? Are you in pain? Your stomach?" she asked frantically, voice trembling.

"We need to go to the hospital..." She moved to get up, but he yanked her back into his embrace, holding her tight. Nick looked at her, the corner of his mouth curving slightly. His face was pale, his eyes bottomless with exhaustion. "I'm fine. Seeing you... actually makes me feel better. Now, listen to me. I'll explain everything about my condition, clearly, okay?" His words finally calmed her anger. Her lashes blinked, and she nodded obediently.

He traced her face with his fingers, following the paths of her tear-streaked cheeks, pressing lightly, as if trying to soothe the weight of the past days from her soul. ---- "My tumor is growing very slowly. It hasn't worsened. Right now, I'm just a little uncomfortable... from being too tired. These past days, | didn't come to see you because the treatment is painful And... | couldn't face you, or myself. "Even though | seem normal now... for a while, | was a wreck."