Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 459:

The words stumbled. She couldn’t quite bring herself to say that she could support him. Biting her lower lip, she regretted saying anything at all.

She had never imagined that his work came with shadows this deep. A wound just a few inches in the wrong direction could have stopped his heart or collapsed a lung. It could have snatched his life away in an instant.

Chris stared at her, startled by her words. Her tense face and hesitant tone caught him off guard. Then, he laughed — a quiet, surprised laugh. “So… you do care after all?”

Chris tilted his head ever so slightly, his tone casual. “Relax. It was just an accident. Besides, my boss already handled that assassin. And thanks to all that chaos, I got promoted.”

He said it lightly, but his words carried weight — meant not only to ease Maia’s nerves but to chip away at the image she had always held of him.

Without warning, Chris reached for her hand, his grip warm and steady. “I can’t let you carry everything alone anymore. We are married now, Maia. It’s time I stepped up. I will find a way to make money. I will take care of us. Wasn’t it you who said I needed to do something worthwhile?”

Maia stared at him, stunned by the conviction in his voice. Where had the lazy, carefree Chris gone? This man sitting before her — sincere, grounded, almost dependable — felt like someone else entirely. And that shift unsettled her more than she cared to admit. A promotion should have been good news. Yet, it came tethered to danger. He had risked his life, and for what? Recognition?

If that was the case, Maia would rather he remained as he was before. At least that way, he was safe.

But now was not the time to crush his spirit. Not right after his triumph. So instead, she let out a breath and softened her voice. “You need rest more than anything. Put work on hold for a while. Just take a few days to heal.”

Chris offered a smile, small and gentle. “Alright. I will listen to you.”

𝙇ⲁ𝓉𝖊𝓼𝓉 с𝖍ⲁρ𝓉𝗲𝓇𝓈 𝖌𝖆𝗅𝗇𝗈𝖛𝖊𝗅𝘀﹒ⅽ𝗼𝗺

“When your injuries have healed enough, I’ll accompany you to the hospital to check on your headaches.” She paused. “Did you have one while you were out this time?”

Chris’s smile widened, a quiet warmth flickering behind his eyes.

“No. I am fine. Do not worry.”

He looked genuinely happy saying it.

Maia felt her cheeks grow hot. She realized, a second too late, what her question had revealed. She had worried about him — all the time. Flustered, she bit her lip and turned away. “Do not get the wrong idea. I am not concerned about you. I just… I would not know how to face Zoey if anything happened to you.”

The excuse was flimsy. She knew it. He knew it.

Chris chuckled, his eyes narrowing with amusement. “I understand.” That smile — lazy, knowing — only made the heat rise in her cheeks.noveldrama

She spun on her heel and hurried into the kitchen.

She flung open the refrigerator door, feigning distraction. Her gaze landed on a slice of strawberry cake, the one she had inexplicably saved from the night before. Her fingers hesitated over it as her eyes flicked back toward the living room.

She grabbed the plate and walked back, placing it in front of him. “You are in luck. I made this last night and forgot to eat it.”

Chris blinked at the cake. It looked exactly like his mother’s — down to the swirls of whipped cream and halved strawberries.

He picked up the spoon with quiet reverence, scooped a bite, and brought it to his lips. The moment it hit his tongue, something inside him sparked — taste and memory colliding in a flood of sensation.

A wave of surprise flashed across his eyes, and when he looked up at Maia again, there was an indescribable emotion in his gaze.

.

.

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