“I’m sorry, Max. I’m sorry,” Gabriella whispered even though she was choking.
Her closed eyes had changed the meaning of crying as her empty heart had been filled with warmth of her husband.
Stroking his wife’s hair, Max took a deep breath. The heavy air no longer weighed on his lungs. He never knew that a hug could free him from suffering.
“I miss you so much, Gaby. Don’t ever disappear from me again.”
After a few moments, the couple looked at each other. Once again, the man dried Gabriella’s face. “Stop crying,” he asked.
“I’m sorry, Max. I thought, it would be easier for you to move on. I thought you could save your job and live a carefree life without me. I didn’t know that it can turn out like this,” the woman said between short breaths.
“Promise me, never repeat such a stupid thing again. Understand?”
Gabriella nodded quickly. “I promise to always be by your side. I won’t run away again.”
The corners of Max’s lips lifted slightly. While placing one hand behind the woman’s head, he landed a warm kiss on her forehead. Everyone who watched them automatically smiled in emotion.
As soon as the man finished immersing himself in the warmth, Gabriella’s mind suddenly became clear. With puffy eyes, she observed her husband’s condition.
“Why are you sitting in a wheelchair?” the woman asked with a stiff blink.
“My balance is disturbed,” Max said casually.
Gabriella’s brows instantly arched high. With a worried sigh, she guessed, “Is it because of a concussion? How bad is your condition? What treatment should you take?”
The curve of Max’s lips suddenly shrunk. He could not bear to see the excessive worry.
“Gaby, I just had a mild concussion, it will get better after a few days rest. You don’t need to worry,” the man explained while stroking his wife’s cheek.
Unexpectedly, the woman shook her head. “But, Mia said that your condition is very worrying. She also mentioned about the last request. You don’t lie to me, do you?”
Hearing her name called, the secretary automatically grimaced. Tilting her head, she put on a pitiful look. “Sorry, Madam. I just wanted to push Rose to not hiding your whereabouts. I didn’t even know it was you.”
A faint sigh suddenly escaped from Gabriella’s mouth. She realized that the panic had dulled logic. “You must have thought I was overreacting,” she muttered in a slow voice and shoulders drooped.
“Not really,” Mia said, not wanting the mistress to feel ridiculous.
A second later, Gabriella turned her gaze to Minnie. “But, why was Auntie crying?”
“Oh, about it, I just feel sorry for Master,” the old woman admitted while secretly glancing at Max.
“I … contacted Mr. Herbert. But, he did not want to visit his son. Mister Herbert said he had nothing to do with the accident. I really don’t understand what the old man is thinking.”
Hearing her father-in-law’s name, Gabriella’s ears suddenly became hot. Taking her husband’s hand and holding it tightly, she said, “You don’t have to be sad, Max. Even though your father doesn’t want to acknowledge you as his son, you still have many people who care about you.”
Max’s gaze suddenly turned sad with a stiff curve of lips. After checking all the gazes, he took a deep breath.
“He is not my real father,” Max said, making some eyes widen.
“Don’t say bad words, Sir,” Minnie misguided. “Even though Mr Herbert has always been cold, he is still your father. Don’t hate him.”
Suddenly, Max let out a breath of laughter. Looking up, he explained, “I’m telling the truth. He himself told about my mother’s affair. I am an illegitimate son. That’s why he hate me all this time.”
Minnie and Mia suddenly gasped. With quivering eyeballs, they took pity on the man.
Noticing that Gabriella hadn’t changed her expression at all, Max reflexively narrowed his eyes. “Do you already know?” he asked in a soft voice.
After blinking flatly, the woman nodded. “Actually, that’s the reason I ran away. Mr. Herbert wants to use me for his ridiculous revenge. But it turns out, I made a mistake. That sly man still managed to hurt you.”
“From now on, no matter what happens, don’t listen to the words of those who want to separate us. Understand?” Max said as if talking to a child, making Gabriella nodded with an open heart.
Suddenly, Julian entered with hasty steps. “It turns out that the MRI results can’t be seen directly. We have to wait a while,” the man said as he didn’t notice Gabriella’s presence. As soon as he found the woman, his eyes immediately opened wide.
“Mrs. Evans is back,” he sighed before raising the corners of his lips.
Instead of greeting, Gabriella stood with her hands clenched tightly. “You! How dare you come here! Aren’t you supposed to be in the CEO’s room? Your father has gone to great lengths to get that chair for you.”
“Gaby,” Max said in a low voice.
“Do you know that Julian has conspired with Amber, Sebastian, and Mr. Herbert? He is involved in those people’s evil plans.”
With a throbbing jaw, the man on the tip of Gabriella’s index finger snorted. “Why are you suddenly accusing me? I didn’t know anything about it.”
“Lie! Even if you are not directly involved, you must have suspected your father or your lover. But you’d rather be silent than thwart their evil plans. Isn’t pretending not to know also a form of support?”
The corners of Julian’s lips began to twitch uncomfortably. “I’m not that vile.”
“Confess!” Gabriella screamed, her eyes turning red again. “From the start, I’ve noticed your gaze on Max. You envy him. You’re afraid he’ll take everything from you. Because of that, you secretly want to see him crumble.”
“Gaby,” Max interjected, grabbing his wife’s wrist and closing his eyes, “I have a headache. Please don’t continue. Besides, Julian has been kind enough to take care of me while in the hospital.”
“It’s because he feels guilty, Max,” Gabriella said in a low, emphatic voice.
A second later, the woman returned to level her gaze with the husband. “I’m sorry if you don’t accept me saying this. But, I don’t want you to be approached by bad people again.”
“He is not a bad person, Gaby, but my brother. He is the only family I have right now. I hope you will understand. So please, don’t be rude to him.”
Hearing Max’s statement, the heavy air immediately weighed on Julian’s lungs. With a slightly downcast face, the man gulped.
“Since your wife has returned, I don’t think I need to take care of you anymore. Now, I have something to do. I will visit you again.”
Just as he was about to turn around, the younger brother said his name, “Julian.”
The man looked again at Max’s pale face.
“Thank you.”
With a thin curve of lips, the older brother nodded. A second later, he rushed out of the room. Without looking to the right or left, the man headed for the parking lot.
In the car, Julian closed his eyes, trying to relieve the heat in his chest with gasping breaths. However, after a few seconds, he started hitting the steering wheel. Emotions had failed to be controlled.
“How could Gabriella say something like that,” he muttered in a low, quivering voice. After ruffling his hair, the man started the engine. “I’m not a bad person at all. I’ll make her believe it.”
With rumbling breath, Julian sped out of the hospital, forgetting the MRI results he had been impatiently waiting for. There’s something he needed more than it.