His Obsession Began After Losing Her-Chapter 94: Finally Back

The first thing Shuri noticed was Noran's red, swollen eyes. She guessed he had been crying, and now tears began to form in his eyes again. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

"Rin, y-you're finally back... hmm..." He bit his lip to hold back his tears and held onto her hand tighter than before.

His body trembled as if he couldn't contain the turmoil of emotions he had been holding in.

Mirroring him, Shuri's eyes reddened as well.

"I'm sorry, I must have scared you," she said, her voice weak and filled with heartbreak at seeing him in this state.

She had never seen him so miserable.

"Don't cry, Ran. It's okay now..." She tried to comfort him, placing her hand on the side of his wet cheek.

"I missed you, Rin. I really did," he breathed, grabbing her hand gently and leaning his face against her palm. The touch of her hand seemed to soothe his fractured heart.

"I missed you too, Ran, a lot."

He tilted his face and pressed his lips against her palm, closing his eyes as he took in her scent and words.

As Shuri continued to stare at him, she noticed how unkempt and weary he looked. Dark circles under his eyes and an unshaven beard marred his usually pristine appearance. She hadn't seen him looking so wrecked before. Even when they were being held captive, he still looked his best.

So, Shuri suddenly wondered and asked, "How long has it been? Two days? Three days? If not... five days?"

To her, it felt like no time had passed at all. She didn't open her eyes right away after closing them, but the dream didn't last long. That's why she thought only a short amount of time had passed.

However, considering how Noran was acting right now and the weary state he was in, it didn't seem like just a day had passed.

Noran hesitated for a moment before saying, "...Three weeks."

"What?"

The answer was completely unexpected. Shuri was so startled that three weeks had passed that she almost shot out of bed. Her shock was so great that her body bounced back, but Noran was holding her, so she luckily avoided an accident.

"Three weeks?"

Three weeks. That meant Noran had waited almost a month for her.

Shuri felt a mix of shock, astonishment, and deep sorrow. The pain of knowing Noran had been waiting for so long made tears well up in her eyes, too.

"I'm sorry. Hicc, I made you wait for me again. Sorry, I'm sorry."

She apologized to him over and over again with deep regret.

It seemed like in their relationship, he had always been the one waiting for her, and she knew how torturous those waiting moments were after experiencing it herself when she learned that Noran had gone missing.

Shuri felt an overwhelming sense of guilt for making him endure that agony once more.

"Don't apologize. I-It's my fault for failing to protect you again." Noran reached out and wiped the tears from her face, his expression twisted with deep guilt.

He had heard from Roy about Shuri's plan to rescue him, how she willingly allowed herself to get caught and brainwashed by Sigmund as a trap to locate him.

The thought of Shuri enduring such a nightmarish ordeal because of him made Noran loathe himself even more.

"I-I don't deserve you, Rin," he said in a quiet voice, sounding unworthy.

Noticing the guilt in his eyes, Shuri quickly exclaimed, "Why are you blaming yourself? If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been kidnapped by that bastard. It's not your fault!"

She knew that Noran would never have been entangled with Sigmund if it weren't for her. She had indirectly dragged him into this mess.

"But when you got hurt, I couldn't do anything..." Noran retorted, his voice suddenly turning cold as the memories from back then flooded back into him. "That bastard... what he did to you... he even..."

He couldn't continue, and his body began to tremble as he thought about how Sigmund had violated her.

The pain he felt within was so strong that he couldn't feel the pain on his lips, which he had bitten deeply.

"Stop, Ran," Shuri cut him off, noticing the cold anguish in his eyes as he bit into his already wounded lips.

Despite still feeling weak, she reached out and wrapped his head into her arms, pulling him into her embrace.

She gently stroked the back of his head, hoping it would ease him a little. "He didn't... Nothing like that happened to me..."

Noran froze in her embrace at her remark. "W-What do you mean?"

Shuri continued to stroke him as she felt his muscles tense up again. "He didn't hurt me that way... He couldn't..."

Shuri began to explain to Noran about everything, how Sigmund would get severe headaches whenever he tried to get intimate with her.

After hearing Shuri's account, Noran dropped his head and let out a sigh as if a huge weight had lifted off him.

However, he still felt guilty. "But he still hurt you..."

"You suffered a lot more, Ran, more than me..." Shuri's voice cracked as she remembered the torment in Noran's eyes each time Sigmund got intimate with her in front of him. Beyond the mental and emotional abuse, Noran was repeatedly injected with poison.

Shuri thought what she had been through was nothing compared to Noran's sufferings.

"B-But you were hurt so badly..." He recalled the image of her body covered in cuts and bruises, which shattered his heart.

"T-That bastard... For hurting you, I'm going to kill him... in the most horrible way..." His voice was cold and filled with a fury that made his eyes blaze, though Shuri couldn't see them from where she held him.

"I'm fine now, Ran," Shuri continued to soothe him, not frightened by his sudden anger.

No one understood Noran's feelings better than Shuri did. If she could, she would have killed Sigmund a hundred times. She missed her shots, much to her frustration, but she wouldn't let Noran drown in rage.

She held him tighter, trying to offer him the comfort they both desperately needed. After embracing each other for what seemed like an eternity, Noran suddenly remembered to check on Shuri's condition.

He pulled back slightly, his concern evident in his eyes.

"How are you feeling, Rin?" he asked, scanning her with his eyes.

Shuri smiled softly. "I'm fine, just a little weak."

"I'll call the doctors to check on you."

Reluctantly, he released her and pressed the call button in the VIP ward.

A team of doctors quickly arrived, and as they checked on Shuri, Noran remained by her side the entire time. The doctors informed her that her external injuries were nearly healed and that it was a miracle she survived such a deadly poison.

Shuri listened quietly to the diagnosis, glancing at Noran from time to time, her eyes filled with questions. But she didn't get a chance to ask him anything as her family soon arrived.

Shuri's parents were overjoyed to see her awake and looking well, and Karlene burst into tears of relief.

As Shuri spent time with her family, Noran didn't leave her side. He sat quietly beside her, observing her as if afraid she would disappear the moment he took his eyes off her. He remained remarkably silent but always responded to her call.

Finally, when they had some quiet time together, Shuri asked what had been bothering her all day, "Ran, how did I survive?"

Noran, who was peeling an apple for Shuri, accidentally cut his finger at her question.

"Ran, are you okay?" Shuri quickly took his hand into hers to see the cut, a frown on her face.

Fortunately, the cut wasn't deep.

"I'll get the nurse."

"No need. It's just a small cut," Noran insisted.

Shuri gave him a displeased look and tried to get out of bed, but Noran stopped her.

"Where are you going?" he asked anxiously.

"You didn't want me to call for help, so I'm going to get the first aid kit."

Noran helped her sit back on the bed. "I can manage it myself."

He got up and went to retrieve the first aid box.

"Let me help you," Shuri offered.

Noran allowed Shuri to bandage his finger. As she treated his finger with tender care, she said again, "You were anxious when I asked you that question."

Noran pressed his lips into a thin line. He knew he couldn't lie to Shuri, but he didn't want her to know the truth.

"I can't tell you," he finally replied.

"Fine, then tell me, what happened to your blessing?" Shuri asked flatly, her eyes not leaving his finger as she continued to bandage it.

Noran was taken aback. "You knew about my blessing?"

"I can see your blessing," Shuri said, her voice steady as she finished up the last step and looked up at him. "It was with me the entire time when I was unconscious. But now I can't see it around you anymore. What happened to it?"

Her gaze was piercing, and Noran couldn't help but look away.

"I can't tell you that either," he replied, his voice tinged with reluctance.

Unsatisfied with his answer, Shuri grabbed him by the collar with both hands and pulled him close until their lips were almost touching.

Noran's eyes widened, his heart pounding in his chest. "Rin?"

He was surprised by her bold action but didn't resist. He could feel her hot breath against his lips as she spoke softly, "Ran, if you're not going to tell me, then I'm going to look into you."