“Please don’t lie to me. You said that just to keep me from going,” Gabriella said, clenching her fists.
Listening to that denial, Max’s annoyance could no longer be suppressed. While gripping the woman’s arm, he showed seriousness through his eyes.
“I really love you. Why would I hold you back if I don’t have that feeling?”
Gabriella’s lips trembled for a moment. “You’ll definitely torture me when you lose your position.”
Max’s breath suddenly roared again. He realized that Gabriella’s head was harder than rock. Arguing was just a waste of time.
“Believe it or not, you have to stay with me.”
Without further ado, the man locked his wife’s wrist. As Gabriella struggled, he walked briskly, leading the woman to the car.
“Stop it, Max! Let me go!”
“No!” the man said without looking back. His neck seemed to have stiffened, just as his jaw which was throbbing.
Unbeknownst to Max, the woman behind his back was limping. Every now and then, Gabriella sighed. However, it was hard to tell the difference between a groan of pain and despair.
“Then stop for a moment,” the woman pleaded with a grimace.
Instead of slowing down, the man picked up speed. He didn’t want to give Gabriella a chance to escape.
At one point, the woman was unable to keep up with her husband’s speed. She fell and was dragged a few inches.
Thinking that his wife was just faking it, Max snorted and jerked her hand. “What are you doing? Come on, stand up. I will not be deceived by you.”
“I can’t,” the woman shook her head, looking down to hide the pain.
After chuckling in annoyance, the man bent his knees to level his gaze. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. You’re not thinking rationally. Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. I know it.”
A second later, Max stood up and shook his wife’s hand again. “Get up or you’ll be locked up again, without a spare key.”
While biting her lip, Gabriella held back the heat in her chest. With all the remaining strength, she stood up and clenched her jaw.
“Good,” the man mumbled before walking back down. “Now don’t make fuss anymore. I have to focus on finding the mastermind. A little more, we’ll be successful in revealing his identity. And you don’t have to worry if your existence will make things difficult for me.”
A few moments passed, no answer was heard. Feeling uneasy, Max turned around with faintly furrowed brows. “Are you listening to me?”
In just an instant, his eyes widened. He had just caught the tears on his wife’s face and the limp gait.
“What happened to you?” Max asked while holding his wife’s shoulder.
Instead of answering, the woman lowered her head and shed more tears. Receiving such a response, the man suddenly grimaced. He immediately knelt down, examining Gabriella’s ankle.
“Why is this swelling? You stupid! Can’t you take good care of yourself?” Max grumbled before clenching his jaw in front of the woman. “We’re going to the hospital now.”
Without giving a hint, the man picked up his wife and took her to the car. This time, Gabriella no longer resisted. Her courage had shrunk to disappointment.
Along the way, Max was constantly venting his frustrations. He didn’t realize that his wife’s breath grew louder with every word he added. Even, when fastening the seat belt for the woman, his mouth was still giving advice as well as sarcasm.
“This is the consequence if you dare to jump over the fence. Next time, if you don’t want to be in pain, don’t do it again.”
However, Gabriella didn’t seem to understand. The woman looked out of the corner of her swollen eyes. Her shoulders occasionally moved up to compensate for the tightness. That view made Max’s heart feel heavy.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Are you mad at me for continuing to lecture you? You hate me for bringing up your stupidity?”
The woman’s lips suddenly trembled even more violently, as did the air in her lungs.
Watching how hard the wife struggled to contain her emotions, the man finally lowered his head and sighed.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m really upset that you got hurt. Now, stop crying. I won’t lecture you again.”
Instead of abating, Gabriella’s tears only grew heavier. Max was suddenly confused about his wife.
“Hey, why are you still crying?” the man asked, stroking the woman’s bowed head. However, Gabriella slapped his hand away.
“Don’t you see? I’ve always been a burden to you. You should have just left me. Why take me home?”
Hearing that honest statement, the man’s heart twisted. It turned out, he had guessed wrong. The woman wept because of pity for her husband, not herself.
Realizing that the debate would not end if it continued, Max closed the car door and sat behind the wheel. Without speaking, he stepped on the gas towards the hospital.
***
Arriving at home, Gabriella was greeted by worried faces. When she stepped unsteadily, a sigh of compassion immediately rang out.
“What happened to your leg, Madam?” Minnie sighed as she helped the woman walk.
“That’s the punishment for running away from husband,” Max interrupted as he handed the car keys to a driver. His words succeeded in making Gabriella lower her head.
Realizing that his wife’s face was once again overshadowed by guilt, the man stopped talking. After a blink, he picked up Gabriella again to carry her inside.
“Why are you carrying me?” the woman asked with half wide eyes. “I can walk alone.”
Max immediately turned his gaze to the servants. “Do you think Mrs. Evans should be left alone?”
“No, Sir.”
With the corners of his lips raised slightly, the man looked back at his wife. “Did you hear what people said? I’m not the only one who thinks so.”
“But I’m not a child to be carried,” Gabriella whispered, glancing at the smiling faces. Shame had slipped into her heart.
“This is the result of your decision. You’re the one who refused the wheelchair and walking stick,” Max said, making his wife bow down even more.
Looking at the sadness etched on the woman’s face, the butler was moved to change the subject. “We have prepared a delicious meal. Madam must be hungry. Shall we go to the dining room now?”
Getting that kind of attention, Gabriella’s heart became a little more spacious. “Thank you, Auntie,” she said in a low voice.
Before she could said the same thing to the other servants, Max had already brought her in.
“Did you see how much they care about you? Do you have the heart to make them all worry? Because of you, their work has been delayed. If you don’t want to trouble them, never run away again. Understand?” the man said in a soft but firm tone.
Gabriella didn’t answer. She took a deep breath, pursed her lips. Her feeling was very hard to describe.
On the one hand, the woman felt comfortable with the warmth of her new family. However, on the other hand, she could not bear to let her husband suffer due to her presence.
“Will you be able to defeat that mastermind?” Gabriella muttered as Max lowered her into the chair.
Hearing such an unexpected question, the man’s eyebrows rose.
“Do you expect me to win so we can continue to be together?” he asked after a moment of silence. The wife spontaneously gulped.
“No. I … just don’t want an evil to win,” she replied before looking away.
Knowing that his wife was still denying his love, Max could only smile bitterly. After kissing the woman’s head, he sat down, facing the dining table.
“Calm down. A little more, I’ll reveal the truth,” he sighed as he washed his hands in the basin brought by a servant.
“Do you know his identity?” Gabriella asked, not daring to hope.
Unexpectedly, Max nodded confidently. “My guess can’t be wrong.”
“Who?”
The man tilted his head to notice the seriousness on the woman’s face. “Have you ever suspected anyone?”
Gabriella’s brows furrowed. After narrowing her eyes for a moment, she mentioned a name. “Sebastian. Several times, I thought that he was the mastermind.”
In an instant, the man’s blink turned resolute. He really did not expect that the woman could suspect his cousin.
“Why do you think so?” Max asked, leaning forward.
Gabriella raised an eyebrow and replayed the memory. A second later, her brain began to compile the analysis.