45


    Maeve thought, ''Little girl? Seriously?''


    ""What


    What do you mean, little?" Maeve felt her chest tighten with frustration at hisment.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    like an unripe fruit-still green and far from mature.


    Byron narrowed his dark eyes and gave her a slow, deliberate once-over, a hint of amusement tugging at his lips. "I know what I mean." him, she was Maeve cou


    couldn''t shake the feeling that he was looking down on her. With a pout, she finished helping him get dressed and was about to leave the room. But Byron stopped her. "You''re staying in this room tonight."


    "No way!" Her face was still flushed from the earlier interaction, and she avoided meeting his gaze. Her voice was low as she muttered, "I have my own room, thank you very much." Byron''s tone left no room for negotiation. "It''ll be easier for you to take care of me if you''re here."


    It might be convenient for him, but it was anything but convenient for her.


    All Maeve wanted was some space to clear her mind and figure out how to deal with her family issues.


    "Mr. Mcdaniel, I''m a restless sleeper. I might end up disturbing your rest."


    "You''ll be on the temporary bed. Toss and turn all you want."


    At this point, if she kept refusing, it would seem like all her previous promises were just empty words.


    "Alright."


    Reluctantly, Maeve went back to her room to grab her phone and then settled onto the temporary bed the nurse had prepared.


    With the main lights off, the room was bathed in the soft, warm glow of a wallmp.


    As shey there thinking about Valda, Maeve stared at the ceiling, certain she wouldn''t be able to sleep tonight.


    She let out a soft sigh, barely realizing she''d done it.


    "Maeve." Byron''s deep voice cut through the darkness.


    Maeve instantly held her breath and turned her head. "Did I wake you?"


    She''d momentarily forgotten she wasn''t in her own room and had let that sigh slip out without thinking.


    She was already mulling over how she''d exin herself if he asked why she sighed when his voice came again, calm and steady. "Come help me to the bathroom."


    She thought, ''Alright then. Resigned, Maeve climbed out of bed, turned on the light, and went over to assist him.


    He leaned most of his weight on her, and the close proximity allowed her to catch a faint whiff of his cedarwood scent-it


    softer now, but still fresh and pleasant.


    was


    She helped him into the bathroom and turned away, expecting him to position himself in front of the toilet.


    "Hurry up," she urged quietly.


    "ed to rinse my mouth. Why did you bring me here?" Byron frowned.


    Maeve blinked, dumbfounded. "You... you didn''t need to use the toilet?" "When did I say that?"


    3


    6


    Realizing he''d only said he needed to go to the bathroom, Maeve bit her lip in embarrassment and quickly guided him to the sink instead.


    As Byron began brushing his teeth, he asked casually, "You''ve been out of it all night. Is taking care of me really that much of a burden?" "Of course not." Maeve quickly denied it.


    "If you don''t want to do this, you don''t have toe back tomorrow."


    ITY


    Maeve


    opened her mouth to exin but t found herself at a loss for words.


    After a long pause, she finally said, "I don''t mind at all. I promised to take care of you until you''re fully recovered.


    "It''s just...


    I had a rough phone call with my mom this afternoon, and I''ve been feeling off ever since. It''s got nothing to do with you."


    Understanding shed across Byron''s eyes. "Did you two argue?"


    "More like I got scolded," Maeve muttered, lowering her gaze. "They''re dealing with something difficult and want me to take care of it all, without considering how it might affect me. We had a bit of a disagreement because of it." She didn''t mention the issue with the 200 thousand dors, just gave a vague overview.


    But even with that brief exnation, Maeve felt the weight of her anxiety and frustration start to lift.


    She watched as Byron wiped his face, then softly said, "Mr. Mcdaniel, thank you for listening."


    "Constantly thanking people for every little thing only makes them look down on you," Byron replied as he set the towel down, his deep, dark eyes catching hers through the mirror, devoid of warmth.


    But Maeve wasn''t fazed. "Would you?"


    Byron didn''t answer her question. "Help me back to bed."


    If the


    person giving her trouble was Jeff, given that she was staying at his ce, he wouldn''t mind stepping in. But since it was a family issue, he had no interest in getting involved.


    Once he was settled back in bed, Maeve exhaled softly.


    Although she hadn''t figured out a solution yet, she didn''t feel as weighed down.


    She decided that from now on, she''d focus on living her own life and just visit home less often, as she thought, ''Out of sight, out of mind.


    With that in mind, Maeve nced over at Byron lying across the room. In the dim light, all she could make out was his tall


    silhouette.


    It suddenly urred to her that throughout his stay in the hospital, his parents hadn''t shown up once. No matter how busy they were, they should''ve at least made an appearance. )).


    After thinking it over, Maeve asked, "Mr. Mcdaniel, what are your parents like?"


    Maybe because he had just listened to a lot about her family, Byron didn''t seem as averse to talking about his own.


    "I don''t really know them. We barely spent time together," he said calmly.


    Taon


    Maeve propped herself up and looked at him. "How could you not know your own parents? Didn''t you live together?"


    There was a long silence before Byron''s slightly rough voice broke it. "When I was young, I lived with someone else. It wasn''t until I was older that my grandpa brought me back home. By then, my parents already had an adopted son who had been with them for years, so we weren''t close. "At first, I tried to build a rtionship with them, but I quickly realized they were more concerned about their adopted son''s feelings than mine. So, I let them have their happy family and moved out."


    As he spoke, Byron''s tone grew colder. "I outgrew the need for parents a long time ago. This distant rtionship works just fine for me."


    In reality, aside from specific asions, he could count on one hand the times he saw his parents each year.


    He didn''t have strong ties to family. Other than Gilbert, he didn''t particrly care how the rest of the Mcdaniel family viewed him.


    As he mulled this over, Byron suddenly heard softughter from beside him.


    He narrowed his eyes, his voice turning cold. "Is something funny?"


    "Yes, actually," Maeve nodded without hesitation, a faint smile on her face. "Mr. Mcdaniel, don''t you think you''re acting like a sulking kid?" Byron''s expression darkened. "Are you mocking me?"


    "Not at all. I just think that deep down, you still have some hope for your parents, which is why you''re disappointed in them Maeve said slowly. "If you really didn''t care, you wouldn''t remember everything so clearly.


    Plus,


    I think the reason you keep your distance isn''t because you hate them-it''s because you don''t want to deal with more disappointment." Byron''s gaze snapped toward her, his eyes dark and


    After a long silence, he let out a low, mockingugh, my-intense and anything but calm. There was even a trace of danger in his look.


    a naive conclusion. Don''t assume you know me."


    Maeve shrugged. . "Just a guess. If I''m wrong, then pretend ver said anything.


    Not wanting to dwell on it any longer, shey back down, pulled up her nket, and said, "Good night, Mr. Mcdaniel


    In less than five minutes, Byron could hear her soft, steady breathing.


    Maeve had fallen asleep.


    Byron stared at her sleeping form for a long while, irritation clouding his brow.


    He thought, ''You sure are carefree-stirring up my emotions only to fall asleep right after. But what about me?''