She finally understood that Kurt was not joking.
She wrapped the blanket around herself again, then tucked herself in the space between the front and back seats.
Although this was not a big car with ample space, the woman was so petite that she could easily fit in such a cramped space.
She cowered in a corner as she stared blankly out the window at the passing streetlights.
The car soon arrived at the hotel Gwen was at.
Kurt, knowing that Stefan was anxious to find Gwen, had driven exceptionally fast and managed to reach there in only half an hour, despite it being a 40-minutes drive away.
As soon as the car screeched to a halt, Stefan flung the door open and stormed toward the hotel entrance. He was gone by the time the woman popped her head out from between the front and back seats.
She froze and thought out loud, “That was quick…”
“You cant stop him from finding the love of his life.”
Kurt let out a chuckle, then glanced at the woman. “Wait here. I’ll get you a set of fresh clothes. What size do you wear?”
The woman paused, then told him her size and added, “It’s okay. You can just get any size. I dont mind wearing men’s clothes either…”
She had no specific requests; all she wanted was something to cover herself with.
“Alright.”
With that, Kurt got out of the car and made his way toward the nearest supermarket.
The woman watched him leave in silence, her gaze filled with gratitude and awe.
Although this man was not as strong or brave as Luke…she still felt that he respected her very much despite how she had been treated.
Others would think she was impure after what she went through. Kurt, on the other hand, not only respected her but even behaved gentlemanly toward her.
A tall, handsome, courteous man like this…
It was hard for any woman not to fall for him.
However…
The woman lowered her head to glance at her battered, bruised body.
Someone like her did not deserve to be with a man like him.
When Stefan stormed into the lift lobby, all the lifts were occupied on the 40th floor. Gwen, on the other hand, stayed on the 11th floor.
When he saw the numbers above the lift, Stefan swiftly turned and sprinted toward the stairwell.
He wanted to see Gwen as soon as possible!
When he first heard of Gwen’s capture from Diablo and subsequent fate, he risked everything he knew to find her immediately. When he saw those men in the room with her, he almost lost himself to rage, thinking it was Gwen they were assaulting.
Even though he was relieved to find out they had gotten the wrong woman, he still wanted to find Gwen as soon as possible.
He knew that if Ben and that wretched woman had not been messing around in the villa that morning… Gwen would have really been caught!
Stefan had never once felt such fear-fear that he would fail to protect her and lose her once more.
He did not feel an ounce of fear when Kate suggested he sacrifice his life in exchange for Gwen’s. He knew that the most selfless thing he could do for Gwen was guarantee her a safe, healthy life.
However, he finally understood that leaving Gwen alone and with no one else to rely on in this terrible world was the most selfish thing he had ever done.
Gwen’s father Andy was old and could not afford to help care for Gwen too.
Bethan was Gwen’s best friend, and Gwen could easily rely on her, especially considering they had Brettley looking out for them too. However, Bethan had a life of her own, including a family and career and her own set of problems to deal with. She could not possibly keep an eye on Gwen for the rest of their lives.
No one was capable of taking care of Gwen the way he did.
Perhaps the only way to guarantee her safety was to remain by her side and protect her himself.
Stefan finally realized that his so-called act of selfless love was an act of selfishness and irresponsibility.
He thought he had given her the best by sacrificing himself in exchange for her life, but the moment he realized he had failed to protect her from harm’s way…he never wanted to feel this fear again in his life.
Stefan finally arrived at the 11th floor and found Gwen’s room.
He exhaled, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and patted his hair back into place before knocking on Gwen’s door.
Gwen was in the middle of a yawn when she heard the door being knocked. She frowned and asked, “Who is it?”
She remembered telling the front desk receptionist that no one was allowed to come in, not even the room service or cleaning crew unless she specifically requested them to.
She needed all the rest she could get.
Who was knocking on her door?
Was it Stefan?
At the thought of this, Gwen glanced at the number on the phone and was about to dial it when Stefan’s voice rang out, laced with a tinge of worry, “Gwen, open the door. It’s me.”
Gwen’s eyes widened in shock, flung the phone away, and stormed to the door. “Stefan? What are you doing here? You
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Before she could even finish, however, Stefan lunged forward and wrapped her in a tight embrace.
There was a vague scent of blood on him, and he was holding her so tight, it was as though he wanted to feel every inch of her body.
Gwen was so stunned by this that she began to struggle against him. “Let go of me, Stefan!”
Although she had begun to develop feelings for Stefan after spending most of their time together, Gwen did not want things to progress beyond friendship.
After all, she had someone else in her heart and could not allow herself to fall for Stefan and thus deliberately avoided physical contact with him all this while.
Stefan’s actions clearly crossed the line and made her visibly uneasy.
At the thought of this, she began to struggle even harder and exclaimed, “Let go of me, Stefan!”
“I….I’m not Stefan.”
Luke paused when he sensed Gwen’s discomfort. “I’m Luke.”
Gwen’s entire body stiffened when she heard this familiar name.
The blood in her veins ran cold, and every single fiber in her body was standing on end.
How could this be?
She bit her lip, wanting to say something in response, but no words came out.
“It’s me,”
Luke repeated, enunciating his words carefully as he stared at Gwen. “Gwen, look at me. You’re not dreaming. It’s really me. I’m Luke. I’ve always been by your side, and I’m never leaving.
“Stefan is Luke, and Luke is Stefan.”
Gwen’s entire body froze when she heard this.
A split second later, she reached out to wrap her arms around Luke and burst into tears. “Luke! I can’t believe it! I can’t believe you’ve been here all along!”
She finally knew why Stefan always brought her a sense of familiarity.
It was no wonder she had begun to develop feelings toward him. At one point, Gwen accused herself of being disloyal to Luke for having fallen for Stefan…but it turned out that they were the same person all this while!
Stefan was Luke!
The man who had her whole heart, the man whom she would wake up from her dreams crying for, was alive all this while!
Gwen’s weeps made Bethan, who was in her room right adjacent to hers, frown in confusion. She quickly flung the door open to check on Gwen before she spotted the couple embracing each other.
Luke’s arms were wrapped tightly around Gwen’s body with a small smile on his face while Gwen sobbed.
Bethan was momentarily stunned by this sight before chuckling right after.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.