Helen was ready. She jogged over, holding a lunchbox in her hands.


    When she saw the girl''s mother, she quickly hid the box behind her back.


    The mother lowered her head in embarrassment.


    I held out my hand to Helen and said, "Bring it out and share some with her."


    Helen shook her head. "No, this is to help you recover. Mr. Hilton specifically ordered that you have to eat this, no matter what."


    That reminded me of what the doctor had said—that it might be very difficult for me to ever get pregnant again.


    Pursing my lips, I obediently ate the food. Chatting with the girl''s mother, I learned her name was Tania and picked up a few everyday phrases. Wearing the new shoes I had bought her earlier, her plump figure jogged back to her house and returned with a book. "This is ournguage. You can learn it," she said.


    I took the heavily worn book. It looked like an old primer, with not a single page fully intact.


    People here could barely secure food and basic necessities, let alone focus on education.


    I lowered my eyes and turned to Helen. "I just thought of a task for you. Teach them how to read, write, and speak ournguage."


    Helen gave me a thumbs-up in agreement. "We''ll start tomorrow, but right now you need to..."


    She leaned in and whispered the rest in my ear.


    Shortly after, we said our goodbyes to Tania.


    Helen pulled me into the small house we had cleaned up. As soon as she nudged me inside, I felt an arm pull me deeper into the room.


    The familiar scent of sandalwood washed over me, instantly putting my mind at


    ease.


    He leaned one arm lightly against the wall and wrapped the other firmly yet gently around me. His warm breath brushed past my ear, sending a shiver down my spine.


    I looked up into his eyes. We were so close that a slight movement would bring our lips together. But instead, I smiled and asked, "How long can you stay?"


    He checked his watch. "Ten minutes."


    "That''s too short," I said, sticking my tongue out yfully.


    He pinched my cheek lightly. "Lily and I are leaving for two days tomorrow. Since I brought so much food over, you need to keep a low profile when distributing it. She''s had people keeping a close eye on this area recently."


    I nodded.


    "Still no news about Garrett?"


    Max''s deep gaze grew slightly cold in the moonlight.


    "Garrett will be fine."


    Resting my head against his shoulder, I said, "Max, Lily is my sister..."


    I stopped mid-sentence and looked up at him again. "I know I can''t be soft-hearted if


    she''s trying to kill me. Just remember to ask her why for me."


    Max gently tilted my chin up and pressed a soft kiss to my lips.


    I added, "Never mind. You don''t need


    to ask. The only reason she wants me dead is because I''m in the way of her bing the Queen of Bravend. Or maybe you could


    ask her how our parents really died?"


    I had spent my entire life feeling insecure, simply because Icked parents. I never


    had that absolute, unconditional love that would never betray me.


    "Forget it, I don''t want to know."


    I was torn, conflicted, and panicked...


    I was conspiring with the man I loved to kill my own sister.


    My hands began to tremble involuntarily.


    Max held my trembling hands and slowly ced them over his heart. "No matter the obstacles, I wille always be by your side and give you a safe way out."


    "Okay."


    "If anything happens over the next two days, have Helen contact me. Be careful."


    Max gave a few more instructions before ncing at his watch, frowning in displeasure. "ire, trust me. This will all be over soon."