?Chapter 1551:


    As Maia drew closer, the underground base beneath Nightshade erupted into chaos. rm sirens wailed as red warning lights shed violently, flooding the entire space in an oppressive crimson glow.


    “Alert! Alert! Unidentified individual approaching—level-one alert!”


    Staff members shouted in panic, fingers flying across keyboards. “Bring up the surveince—now!”


    The massive screen flickered rapidly before freezing on a single figure emerging slowly from the alley entrance. Despite the poor lighting, that calm, unmistakable face was clearly visible.


    “It’s Maia!” one of the guards shouted.


    In an instant, the room fell silent. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned toward the screen. She was the person their leader had strictly forbidden them to approach—yet had ordered them to monitor at all times.


    Seated in themand chair with his eyes closed, Chris had been resting. The moment he heard her name, his eyes snapped open.


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    Chris slowly lifted his eyes toward the massive screen.


    The instant Maia appeared, a shock ran straight through his chest. His heartbeat surged without warning, fast and heavy—a sudden, uncontroble excitement flooding through him, overwhelming and fierce, as though a single nce hadpressed an entire lifetime into one moment.


    For a brief second, he felt unsteady, almost disoriented.


    Without warning, a memory rose vividly in his mind. He was standing at the entrance of City Hall, sunlight spilling across the steps. Back then, Maia had looked at him the same way he was looking now—dazed and uncertain, her breathing uneven, her eyes wide with a trace of innocence she hadn’t yet learned to hide.


    He remembered that moment clearly, and the yful remark he had made. Half-joking, half-teasing, he had said, “You’ve been staring for a while now, Miss Watson.”


    At the thought, the corners of his lips lifted unconsciously into a faint, gentle smile.


    But in the very next moment, the scene shifted. They were walking out of City Hall, marriage documents in hand. Maia had held the documents tightly, her expression solemn, her voice calm. “I’ll keep my end of the bargain, Mr. Cooper. Once Zoey’s request is fulfilled, I won’t stick around. I’ll file for divorce right after.”


    That single word—divorce—cut sharply into his thoughts.


    The smile vanished. His brows drew together, lips tightening.


    Divorce. Yes. That was what reason demanded. He should divorce her. He shouldn’t trap Maia by his side. Someone like her deserved happiness of her own—someone who could love her openly andpletely, far more than he ever could.


    Yet in the very next instant, a stabbing pain surged through him.


    “Ugh…” Chris let out a low groan. His mind felt as though it were being wrenched apart, thoughts tangled and strained, reason and emotion shing violently until the pain became unbearable.


    Another image forced its way forward—Maia turning to leave at the entrance of City Hall while he stood there staring down at the marriage certificate in his hands. He seemed to hear his own voice from that day, clear and resolute. “Divorce? Not happening. Nobody could guess how long I’ve been waiting for this moment.”


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