Chapter 923: Yuko’s Confession: “I Love You”
Chapter 923: Yuko’s Confession: “I Love You”
Yuko blinked through her tears—stunned that my fury wasn’t aimed at her, but for her. She shook her head quickly, almost frantically. "That person... is dead. He’s gone... don’t worry... it’s over... but the damage... it stayed with me... turned me into this..."
She looked down again, voice barely audible. "But no matter what... It’s all my fault. I’m willing to kill myself... to end this pain... to make sure I never hurt anyone again... especially you... especially Haruna..."
Before she could spiral further into that dark place, I reached out—fast despite the "agony"—grabbed her wrist with surprising strength, and yanked her forward.
She tumbled onto the bed with a soft gasp, landing half across my chest, her body pressing against the bandages in a way that made me groan theatrically.
"Aa—!" I hissed, wincing dramatically, as if the impact had reopened invisible wounds.
Yuko froze—blushing furiously, her eyes wide with panic and something hotter, more conflicted. "Jack—are you hurt somewhere? Did I make it worse? Oh god... I’m sorry... let me get off—"
I didn’t let go. Instead, I lifted my other hand—slowly, tenderly—and wiped the tears from her cheek with my thumb, tracing the wet trails with gentle care.
"Don’t ever talk about hurting yourself again," I said, voice low and fierce, my eyes locking onto hers—filled with raw worry, protectiveness, and an undercurrent of deeper possession.
"Not ever. You think that would fix this? It would destroy me... destroy Haruna... destroy everything. I won’t let you throw yourself away like that... not when I need you here... alive... with me..."
She stared at me, stunned into silence, fresh tears welling but not falling yet. Her breath came in short, shaky bursts, her body still pressed against mine.
I sighed, letting my voice soften further. "Sister Yuko... I didn’t know you carried that past... that weight... I’m sorry. Truly.’’
"It’s partly my fault—I should have explained everything sooner. I should have sat you down, looked you in the eyes, and told you the truth about Marina... about how it was all a cover to protect her from that bastard Tony... I should have made sure you felt safe... trusted... loved..."
Yuko shook her head violently, more tears spilling. "No... no, Jack... don’t apologize... please... you’ve done nothing wrong... I promise, I’ll never appear in front of you or Haruna again... ever... I’ll disappear... go back to Japan... vanish... so you never have to see the person who almost killed you... who betrayed your trust..."
She tried to pull away—tears streaming harder, her body writhing in a desperate attempt to flee, to escape the guilt and the growing heat between us.
I tightened my grip, pulling her closer until she was fully on the bed beside me, her curves molding against my side, her face inches from mine.
"Where are you going?" I murmured, voice low and unrelenting, my hand sliding to her waist to hold her in place. "Are you going to leave me... after confessing your love? After baring your soul like that?"
Her eyes widened in pure shock, her blush deepening to a fiery crimson. "W-what...? How did you...?"
"I heard someone say it..." I whispered, voice soft but commanding, my thumb brushing her lower lip. "When I was fading in and out... ’Jack... I’m sorry... I didn’t mean it... I love you...’ It echoed in my head... kept me fighting... kept me alive..."
Yuko’s breath hitched sharply. "When did you—? I... I didn’t... Jack, what nonsense are you talking about? Let me go—please... this isn’t right... I don’t deserve—"
"I will never let you go," I said, voice dropping to something darker, more possessive, my grip firming on her waist. "Even if you hate me... even if you beg... you’re mine now. We both know it."
Before she could protest again—before she could rebuild her walls—I cupped the back of her neck with commanding gentleness and kissed her.
Dominating. Deep. Claiming every inch of her trembling lips.
Her mind went blank—I could feel it in the way her body stiffened for one endless heartbeat, then melted against me like wax under flame.
A soft, broken whimper escaped her throat, her hands clutching my hospital gown as if to anchor herself. The kiss lingered—slow, intense, tasting of salt from her tears and the raw desperation we both carried.
When I finally pulled back—just enough to let her breathe—she was panting hard, chest heaving against mine, eyes glazed with a storm of emotions: shock, guilt, longing, fear.
"Jack... don’t..." she whispered, voice cracking, fresh tears tracing down her flushed cheeks. "We can’t... this is wrong... I almost killed you... I don’t deserve this... deserve you... please... stop before I... before I break completely..."
I cupped her face with both hands, forcing her to meet my gaze—my eyes burning with intensity, wiping away her tears with tender thumbs.
"Tell me you don’t love me," I said quietly, my voice a low rumble that vibrated through her. "Look me in the eyes and say it... and I’ll let you go. Right now. Walk out that door and never look back."
She tried to avert her gaze—tried to escape the pull. I held her steady, gentle but unyielding.
"I... don’t..." she started, voice faltering, lips trembling.
Then the dam shattered completely.
She cried harder—ugly, wrenching sobs that shook her entire frame, her hands fisting in my gown as if letting go would mean losing herself forever. "I love you... I love you... I’ve loved you for so long, Jack... from the moment you looked at Haruna with that kindness... from the way you protected us without asking for anything..."
Yuko looked at me with her crying red eyes. "Are you happy now...? You’ve broken me... exposed everything... I love you, and I hate myself for it... because I don’t deserve to feel this... not after what I did..."
Her confessions poured out in a torrent, each word laced with agony and raw vulnerability, her body curling tighter against mine as if seeking shelter from her own storm.
I pulled her up gently, shifting her so she lay fully on my side—head tucked into the crook of my shoulder, legs tangled with mine under the blanket. I stroked her hair slowly, soothingly, my fingers threading through the soft strands like a lifeline.
"Sister Yuko..." I murmured, voice tender and warm, laced with quiet certainty. "Do you know... I love you too. I’ve loved you from the start... your fire, your protectiveness, even your doubts... they drew me in... made me want to prove myself to you... to heal whatever broke you..."
She froze against me—breath stopping for a long moment. Then she shook her head frantically, trying to push away again. "No... Jack... what are you saying...? This can’t be... I... let me go... I’ll pretend this never happened... we can forget... go back to how things were... before I ruined everything..."
I delivered a sharp, resounding slap to her ass—hard enough to make the flesh jiggle under her clothes, the sound echoing softly in the room, drawing a startled yelp from her lips.
"Aaah—!"
Read Novel Full