Witnessing the silence of his wife, Max’s heart was getting worse. Gently, he pulled Gabriella into a hug.
“This isn’t your fault, so don’t punish yourself. Understand?” the man whispered as he was terrified of the possibility of losing his wife too.
Strangely, a few seconds passed, Gabriella didn’t answer at all. The woman’s gaze was still on the horizon. Her teary eyes refused to shed any sorrow. Every now and then, she sighed. However, still no sound was heard. Her response raised a big question mark for the man.
“Gabby?” Max called while stroking the head that was leaning against him. Again, only his own sobs could be heard.
While fighting the tightness in his chest, the man checked the woman’s expression. As soon as he saw the pale face that was so flat, his brows furrowed deeper. “Gabby? Are you okay?”
Slowly, the woman’s gaze shifted towards the man. When they found each other, Gabriella finally moved her lips.
“So, we’ve lost the Little Prince?” the woman said without intonation or emotion.
At the unexpected response, Max gasped. His crying suddenly stopped, while his eyes flickered to test reality. “Yes,” he sighed with a thin nod.
After a moment of silence, the woman’s hand suddenly moved to brush the traces of tears on her husband’s cheeks.
“I’m fine, Max. Don’t cry. There’s nothing for you to be afraid of. I understand that this world is cruel and unfair,” she said calmly. Too calm.
Realizing the unnatural response, Max spontaneously grabbed his wife’s shoulders. “Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked with round eyes
After a slow blink, Gabriella nodded. “We want a strong Little Prince. Perhaps, this is not the time for him to come. We can still invite him later. When we’re both stronger.”
Hearing words that were too wise, the man was stunned. Carefully, he studied Gabriella’s shady gaze. There were indeed a few tears there. However, the woman held it in very well.
Realizing that her husband doubted her statement, Gabriella immediately raised the corners of her lips slightly higher. With unwrinkled brows, she said, “Take it easy. I won’t blame myself or you. You shouldn’t feel burdened either.”
In just an instant, the man’s chest felt more spacious. His worries turned out to be unfounded. The wife was much stronger than he imagined.
“Forgive your weak husband, Gaby. From now on, I promise to always be vigilant. No one will be able to hurt us again, including the Little Prince later,” Max said as he tightly gripped his wife’s fingers.
Seeing her husband had regained the strength, Gabriella nodded faintly. “Right. This is Max I know. Don’t let anything in this world bend your knees. You can’t give up on the situation. Now, do what you’re supposed to do. Make the criminal get his punishment.”
Seeing the vengeance that flared in his wife’s eyes, the man’s breath caught again. Lowering his gaze, he swallowed hard. “Gaby, actually … I already know who sent him here.”
The woman’s strong expression instantly faded. Tension had slipped between the blinks of her eyes. “Who?”
“My father.”
The atmosphere was suddenly tense and eerie. After taking a breath, Gabriella forced her tongue to move. “What are you going to do with him?”
“Do you want revenge?” Max inquired with a faintly raised eyebrow.
“May I?”
The man’s eyes flashed resolutely. After a few moments, he nodded.
***
It was past midnight, but Max hadn’t slept a second. He was still thinking about his wife’s overly calm response and also the unusual grudge.
“Is Gaby like that because she’s too sad? She must be in a denial phase,” the man thought as he took a deep breath. “Ah, I should have been able to control myself earlier. Gaby must be trying hard so I don’t keep crying.”
After a moment, Max bent the neck, watching the face tucked under his chin. In an instant, a feeling of guilt rose in his heart.
“I’m sorry, Gaby. I’ve almost lost myself. Watching you suffer really drives me crazy. My common sense is often defeated by explosive emotions,” the man thought as he gently stroked his wife’s hair.
A second later, Max let out a faint sigh. “I can’t lose control anymore. Gaby needed someone to rely on. Therefore, I must not falter.”
Suddenly, the woman leaning against him flinched. With furrowed brows, the man whispered, “Gaby?”
Instead of answering, the woman groaned softly. Her head twitched uncomfortably, while her brows continued to frown.
“Do you have a bad dream?” Max asked as he stroked his wife’s cheek, trying to wake her up. However, as soon as it touched the smoldering skin, the man was immediately wide-eyed.
“Gosh, why is your body so hot?” Max sighed, holding his wife’s forehead and arms.
The did feel the warmth of Gabriella before. However, he just realized that the woman’s body temperature was not normal.
Carefully, Max turned his wife over and laid her on the bed. The woman’s pale face was seen more clearly, making the man’s heart beat wildly.
“Gaby, wake up,” the man said as he patted Gabriella’s cheek.
After a small moan, the woman did not come to her senses. Feeling anxious, Max finally pressed the emergency button. In a minute, a nurse came. After a quick check, she immediately called the doctor on duty.
“There is no need to worry, Sir. Your wife has an ordinary fever,” the doctor said after a brief examination.
“Are you sure, Doc? Before going to bed, my wife was fine. Is it natural for her to suddenly have a fever?” Max said as he was still furrowing his brows.
“Would you mind telling your wife’s reaction when she found out about her miscarriage?”
In an instant, Max’s blink turned stiff. After lowering the gaze to his wife’s face, he began to describe.
“Gabriella wasn’t hysterical or sobbing at all. She looked sincere and tough. She even had time to calm me with wise words.”
“Then your wife is experiencing mental pain, Sir, not physical. She must be holding back too much sadness. It caused a pressure in her mind that carried over to the subconscious.”
Hearing the explanation from the doctor, Max became silent. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed. “Before telling the truth, I asked Gabriella to promise not to blame herself. Is that the cause?”
The man in the white coat suddenly raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps, Mrs. Gabriella doesn’t want to burden your mind. Therefore, she pretended to be fine. Do I need to make a referral letter to a psychiatrist? Your wife can consult and express her feelings to calm down.”
“So, the cure is to make my wife vent her grief?” Max ignored suggestions about the referral.
“Yes, not all sorrow should be suppressed or forgotten, Sir. Some of them have to be faced directly, so that they can more easily make peace with the situation. For now, you don’t have to worry. I will make a fever reducer recipe. Your wife will get better soon …, physically.”
Listening to the doctor’s explanation, Max spontaneously clutched his head and took a deep breath. Closing his eyes, he regretted what he had said. “I shouldn’t have forced Gaby to be strong enough to face reality.”
Knowing Max’s heavy burden, the doctor patted the man on the shoulder. “I don’t know you personally. But, if I may be honest, what you did was not wrong, Sir. You’re just trapped by the circumstances.”
“Trapped?” the man muttered as he tilting his head.
A second later, the doctor nodded. “The person we love the most is indeed our greatest weakness. When she’s hurt, we will experience double pain. It seems, you are trapped in that reality.”
A quick sigh and a sudden nod confirmed the wise words. “Lately, I also feel like this mind is very muddled. I’m not being myself, Doc.”
“But, you must also remember, Sir. The person we love the most is also our greatest strength. For her good, we can do anything, including becoming stronger than suffering itself.”
Max slowly straightened his face again. Something had just activated the courage that had been sleeping within him.
“And I am sure, you will be able to overcome whatever problems are going on, for the sake of the wife you love so much,” the doctor continued, successfully making the breath of the man in front of him roar.
After pondering the advice, Max pursed his lips and clenched his fists. “You are right. I should have made Gabriella a source of strength. I have to be able to get her up, not down too.”
Seeing the change in the man’s eyes, the doctor smiled. He finally met the real Max Evans.