"Max Hilton... it hurts so much."


    Tears began to shake free, streaming down my face.


    "Where does it hurt? Huh?" He stopped in his tracks, his panic palpable as he searched for the source of my pain.


    "It''s my heart, Max. I never imagined you''d be so badly hurt. I thought you didn''t care about me, only about your family''s interests. That''s why you didn''te to see me for an entire month."


    My vision blurred with tears, Max''s features bing indistinct.


    He gently held my face, hisughter soft as he kissed away my tears. "Stop crying, I''m right here, aren''t I?"


    I wrapped my arms around him, my sobs growing louder. "Max, I''m so sorry. Maybe I should never have gotten involved with you back at the orphanage. Then you wouldn''t have to suffer like this. You could have been the head of the Hilton family, easily securing a powerful alliance with the Goodwins, without having to fight everyone for it."


    He stroked my hair soothingly andforted me, saying, "Meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. Without you, there would be no ''me'' today. The Hiltons don''t get to dictate my life." He sounded so confident.


    My crying stopped as I began to unbutton his shirt, wanting to inspect his wounds, to see who had operated on him and whether they had done a good job.


    "Look at my ire, taking charge."


    His teasing smile told me he had misunderstood my intentions, but I didn''t correct him. Instead, I was buoyed by him calling me ''his ire.'' It felt like finding solid ground after being stuck in the mud.


    "I just want to see if any doctor is better than me," I said, trying to sound casual. Yet, seeing the bright red scar across his chest, right over his heart, I couldn''t help but feel a surge of emotion, my body going cold.


    "Max, were Richard Price and the


    elders responsible for this? How


    could Richard do this to you?" No wonder Richard had been too busy to see mest month, dealing with Max instead.


    "It''s all in the past, as long as we''re okay now."


    At that moment, the curtains across the vast windows closed, and under the dim light of the bedsidemp, our figures intertwined passionately.


    In the darkness, his protective


    embrace felt like safeguarding a


    treasure, his low growls mingling


    with my soft moans, all our


    grievances and longing pouring into


    the night.


    I didn''t know how I fell asleep, only that after what felt like ages, Max carried me to the bath, and then I sank into a deep sleep in bed.


    Through the night, he held me close, never letting go.


    Half-asleep, I murmured, "Max, do you love me?"


    Even in his sleep, he nodded, murmuring, "Of course."


    Content, I drifted back to sleep.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Waking up, I realized I had spent the night with Max instead of setting up the room with the servants as I had nned. The staff would surely have augh about this.


    But Max, it was well past morning, and he showed no signs of waking, still holding me close. The air conditioning was on low, but his embrace made me feel warm all over.


    I slipped my legs out from under the


    covers to cool down but soon felt


    cold and snuggled back in. He seemed to sense my cold feet, warming them with his own, as if he had chased me across lifetimes just to keep me warm.


    And so, nestled in his arms, I closed my eyes and fell back asleep.


    By the time I woke again, it was already lunchtime, and Max had left the room.