?Chapter 1584:


    Chris moved forward with measured strides, every step deliberate and controlled. Yet when he closed in on Maia, his arm rose unconsciously, hovering near her—as though his body meant to steady her, or shield her from unseen danger. Then his fingers froze in the air. Slowly, he drew his hand back and clenched it at his side.


    He dropped his gaze, masking the storm behind his eyes, and fixed his attention on the overloaded cart ahead. Without a word, he stepped closer and wrapped his hand around the handle Maia was pushing.


    “Step aside for a moment,” he murmured. “I’ll take over from here.”


    His quiet words lingered between them, thickening the silence.


    Maia didn’t let go. Her grip whitened her knuckles as she held on. She hesitated, then slowly lifted her chin and fixed Chris with a steady gaze. The looksted only a heartbeat, yet it carried tangled feelings—not the caution of a stranger, but suppressed anger mixed with quiet hurt.


    “I’m fine,” Maia replied evenly, though a sharp edge cut through her calm.


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    Chris studied her face, a faint crease forming between his brows. Without debating her words, he reached out once more, the motion instinctive and unthinking. Hisrge hand settled over hers on the handle, and with a slow, firm tug, he drew both the cart and Maia closer to his chest. The ease of the gesture made it seem like muscle memory—something he had done a thousand times.


    Startled, Maia loosened her fingers, her hand left empty. She staggered a half step, nearly colliding with his solid frame, and caught herself quickly. She turned her head away, her features hardening as she refused to meet his eyes.


    “Chris,” she said quietly, her voice gentler now yet tight with restraint. “You… you don’t have to carry this for me.”


    Chris froze mid-movement, his hand mped around the handle, veins standing out beneath his skin. His throat worked as though words crowded it but wouldn’te.


    After a brief silence, he finally spoke, his tone low and controlled.


    “I know… you’re still angry about what happened earlier… but the people trapped in the tunnel answer to me.” His exnation both justified his help and quietly drew a boundary, softening the intimacy of his earlier gesture. “That call you made—thank you. It meant something to me. This time, let me take over.”


    Maia stiffened, clearly caught off guard. She studied Chris’s hard-set profile, a storm of feelings flickering in her eyes. Then a thin smile curved her lips, stripped of warmth.


    “So that’s how it is,” she said quietly, her voice distant, as thoughmenting on something trivial. “Fine. Then take your turn. But they once dragged me back from death, so now I’m the one who’ll drag them out.”


    Without sparing Chris another nce, Maia turned away and took hold of the cart Dominic had just rolled over. Her movements were sharp and purposeful, charged with pent-up emotion. The cart jolted forward with a hollow rattle.


    Dominic froze, stunned by her sudden action. He lifted his head to see Maia already several yards away, pushing the cart with quick, determined strides.


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