Chapter 181 Chapter 181
He took her hand and guided her to the bed, where they sat down next to each other. Valerie frowned, recalling the terrible things that had occurred during Halloween. There was one thing that bothered her the most, and she wanted to speak about this first. Tensely, she straightened her back and rested her hands on her knees.
“What exactly happened… with you and… um… that woman?” she asked. “You didn’t even notice when the blood mage took me, it was so scary.”
He swallowed, cringing as he thought back to that moment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect to see her in that house, and I was caught off guard by her appearance. I should have been more careful, but I let my guard down,” he explained, lowering his head. She sensed his guilt and remorse, and she knew that he was being truthful with her. “I noticed that you were gone, but at that point, it was already too late. I couldn’t sense you at all since the bond wasn’t working as it should, and it freaked me out. I realized too late that the impostor’s only means for existing was to stop me from looking for you. She said some things that were hard to bear.”
“What did she say?”
“That I’m responsible for Juliana’s death and that I didn’t care about her,” he breathed. It was rare to see him distraught, and the sight made Valerie’s heart sink. “She threw me off with that.”
“I hope you know that it’s not true, Maxwell,” she said calmly. “What happened isn’t your fault. Don’t hold on to these negative feelings. It’s been years since Juliana died. She wouldn’t want you to suffer still, and I don’t want that either.”
He was silent and gazed at her for a while without speaking. His eyes flitted from the bruise on her cheek to that on her chin. He frowned deeply. “You’re too damn kind. I don’t deserve any of that. Because of my stupidity, you got hurt badly,” he growled. The sadness and frustration he felt were like poison. They burned and stung, and she was saddened by these emotions.
“But you did save me, and you brought me to the hospital too,” she said, dead set on changing his mind. “And not only that, you took care of me this whole time. It’s only thanks to you that I was able to recover my memories so quickly. You’ve been very patient with me, and I’m grateful for that.”
“It was the least I could do,” he said quietly. “You are important to me, Valerie.”
She smiled, and as quickly as her injuries allowed her, she pulled him into an embrace. Her head came to rest below his chin as she held on to the back of his shirt. He was paralyzed by her affectionate gesture, frozen in surprise, but he soon returned the embrace, careful not to touch the injuries on her back. He drew in a breath and exhaled, the tension leaving his body.
“I love you, Maxwell,” she mumbled.
As soon as those words left her mouth, she sensed his guilt receding. The sinking feeling in his chest vanished, chased away by something warmer. A seed of happiness budded within him, and she could almost see it blossoming into a pretty flower as it grew.
“So you aren’t mad at me?” he asked carefully.
“No, I’m not,” she replied. “I was just… confused and hurt by your initial reaction to the impostor. But I know that… you wouldn’t leave me.”
Maxwell heard the insecurity in her voice, and he didn’t like it at all. It reminded him of something important he had yet to do, and he figured that now would be the perfect time to get on with it.
“I have to tell you something,” he said seriously. The gravity in his tone made her sit up straight. She left his embrace and looked at him, not knowing what to expect.
“What is it?” she asked, a shard of nervousness digging into her heart. He held her hands and circled his thumbs over their back, calming her down. His gorgeous eyes were dyed in a mix of blue and red as he studied her.
“You don’t need to worry about me leaving you, and I hope you will remember this,” he said, locking his gaze with hers. “I love you, Valerie. You are the most important person in my life, and nobody would ever change that.”
To say she was surprised would be an understatement. Her eyes grew wide as soft pink dusted her cheeks. The smile on her lips blossomed into a bright beam. She was overflowing with happiness and excitement. Leaning in, she planted a chaste kiss on his lips.
“I love you too,” she breathed. “So, so much.”
She fell into his arms, locking hers behind his back and nuzzling her face into his warm chest. He chuckled and embraced her, caressing her head with his slender hand.
“You’ve really made me wait,” she mumbled, lifting her head to meet his eyes. “What took so long, Maxwell?”
He didn’t like to be confronted this way and promptly avoided her eyes. His ears turned red, and the sight made her giggle. “Aww, are you shy about it? That’s so cute.”
His expression turned sulky. “I am not cute. Stop saying that.”
“Your ears are red,” she smiled. “My adorable demon is blushing.”
He grumbled something under his breath and still refused to look at her, biting his lip. She could have sworn even his cheeks were pink.
“I’m joking,” Valerie said. “I’m relieved you told me about your feelings. When did you start to fall in love with me?”
The question had him tense, and he looked embarrassed, hesitant to answer. It was her hopeful gaze that made him crack and got him to open his mouth. “It was around that time you… you gifted me the new chain,” he said.
“But that was a long time ago.” she said in shock. “Why didn’t you say anything? I… Oh wow, I had no idea.”