Chapter 1621:


    She knew Carsen better than most. He was principled,passionate, and possessed a deep sense of justice. Kolton’s crimes had already spread across Wront, sparking outrage throughout the city — the kind of man any decent doctor would refuse to save. And even setting that aside, taking on this surgery, regardless of the oue, would almost certainly drag the surgeon into endless trouble. The fallout from the Cooper family, the threat of retaliation from covert operatives, the weight of public bacsh. It was aplete mess. No one in their right mind would want any part of it.


    Maia let out a quiet sigh, set her phone face down on herp, and shifted her gaze to the window.


    Dawn was just beginning to break in the east. The sky was slowly brightening, and golden light broke through the clouds, spilling across the winding highway and streaming into the car.


    Chris kept his focus on the road ahead, his sleeves rolled up slightly to reveal the defined lines of his forearms. The light traced the edges of his profile, softening his usually sharp features.


    The scene felt strangely familiar — like a long-forgotten morning buried deep in her memory. Another sunrise. Another man behind the wheel, driving her toward the unknown.


    Chris kept his eyes forward, seemingly intent on the road. But from the corner of his eye, he kept ncing at the woman in the passenger seat. That breathtakingly bold strike from earlier kept reying in his mind — thebination of strength and elegance, the fearless calm in the face of danger. Maia had a way of surprising people when they least expected it.


    But the moment that thought crossed his mind, it was as though a switch had flipped, unlocking a sudden flood of fragmented memories.


    This wasn’t the first time.


    This wasn’t the first time he’d been stunned by Maia’s talent.


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    The pieces beganing together. The dimly lit underground arena. The roaring crowd. The towering steel cage. The girl, small in frame but fierce in spirit. Her opponent — a mountain of a man known as “The Tyrant.” All of it came rushing back at once.


    Chris’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.


    “Hey…” His voice came out rough, breaking the quiet in the car. “I think I just remembered something.”


    Maia turned to him, surprised. “What?”


    Chris kept his eyes forward, his gaze distant, as if reaching back into a dream. “Back in that underground arena — you took down your opponent the same way you did today. That guy… ‘The Tyrant,’ right?”


    Maia blinked. Then a spark lit up her eyes. “You remember?”


    “Yeah. Pieces of it,” Chris said, the image of The Tyrant surfacing in his mind before he could stop it.


    And then it struck him.


    For Maia, there was almost nothing he wouldn’t do — even if it meant putting his own life on the line without a second thought. Back then. And today.


    This feeling — if that wasn’t love, what was?


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