After everyone had left, Mona looked at Maxwell with a gaze full of enduring affection and relief. Now that Maxwell was back, she felt at ease. "Maxwell, go take a shower first, she said. Tll bring something for you to eat in a bit." "Alright, Mona, wait for me, Maxwell replied, equally eager to rid himself of the smell clinging to him. After speaking to her. he headed upstairs.


    Mona called after him, "Maxwell, use the room next door-someone''s in the one we used to stay in She didn''t specify who, but Maxwell knew it was the imposter upying their former room. Nodding, he headed into the adjacent bedroom.


    Once Maxwell stepped inside, he noticed that everything in the room was singr, all belonging to Mona. Realizing it was the room she had been staying in alone, he felt an unexpected waive of relief.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Mona realized Maxwell had no fresh clothes, so she got some from their former bedroom. However, she hesitated when she reached the doorway; the thought of facing the imposter made her uneasy. Instead, she exined to the guard at the door where to find the items and had him retrieve them.


    "Mona, is it Maxwell who''s back?" came the voice from inside the room.


    Yes Monareplied tly, waiting for the guard to return.


    "Have you decided what to do with me?" he asked again. With Maxwell back, it was clear he wouldn''t be allowed to stay here much longer. He wondered what would happen to him.


    Not yet," Mona said.


    At that moment, the guard returned with everything Maxwell needed, just as Mona had requested. After thanking him, she headed to the adjacent room. Mona had prepared a lot for Maxwell; all the items were brand new.


    She knocked on the door and entered, hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom. Mona smiled softly, "Maxwell, I''ve brought you some fresh clothes. I''ll go prepare supper for you."


    Seeing his gaunt face, she realized he hadn''t eaten well these past few days. She couldn''t help but wonder if someone had mistreated him. Thankfully, the doctor had just examined him, and aside from some minor injuries, he would recover after recuperating. "Okay, Mona, I''ll be ready in a moment," Maxwell said.


    Mona went to the kitchen, where Hattie had already prepared various dishes. Considering howte it was, she served Maxwell some oatmeal and a few easy-to-digest foods and brought them upstairs.


    As she entered, Mona saw Maxwell just stepping out of the bathroom, now dressed in clean pajamas, his face free of dirt and blood. She set the dishes on the coffee table and pulled him beside her. She took a towel from his hand and effortlessly dried his hair on the sofa.


    It had been several days since she had done this, and she worried she might feel awkward, but it came naturally to her. "You should eat first; you''ve lost quite a bit of weight these past few days," Mona said gently, her heart aching for him as she dried his hair. His hair still felt the same as before-somewhat coarse-but it had grown longer and needed a trim. "You know, Mona, you''ve lost quite bit of weight, too," Maxwell said, wrapping his arms around her waist and feeling the warmth of her body.


    The moment Maxwell saw Mona, he noticed how much weight she had lost. Her once slightly fuller face now appeared gaunt and bony, making iwclear that she hadn''t been doing well during his absence. As Mona dried his hair, her arms wrapped around his neck and nuzzled against him.


    "I haven''t been okay without you," she admitted honestly. "But now that you''re back, it''s a relief. Let''s not talk about it now.


    in


    After 1 dry your hair, om meget to eat something, and Til help you with your meheation"


    After a mument of nuzzling, che picked up the towel again, quilly resuming her rask, despite his longer hair, she managed to dry it swiftly.


    While Maxwell ste the oatmeal, Mons carefully applied medication to his ankles with a cotton swab. Alter his shower, the damaged skin was even more pronouncel, and the water had caused the wounds to be inmed Seeing dis male her heart ache; she wished to take his pain.


    Mona carefully applied the medicine to Maxwell, wrapping it in gauze afterward. Every movement was a gentle as if the were handling something very delicate.


    Maxwell nced down and noticed the redness around Mona''s eyes, it was a telltale sign that she was upset. It was how she always was her eyes would betray her feelings whenever she hurt. After eating, he pulled her into his embrace. He gently wiped away the tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.


    "Why are you crying again, huh? Please don''t cry, it hurts me seeing you like this," Maxwell said, wrapping his arms around Mona. Sitting on hisp, she felt a bit hesitant to move, worried that there might be other injuries on his body.


    "I-I''m crying for you. Ithurts me to see you like this. I wish I had discovered sooner that the person beside me was an imposter. If I had, you wouldn''t have suffered so much," Mona said, self-ming. It frustrated her that it had taken her so long jo realize the truth about the imposter.


    Maxwell''s gaze locked on Mona''srge eyes as he gently caressed her face. "I''m fine; please stop crying," he reassured her. "They just locked me in the basement; they didn''t do anything to me."


    The only time he had been hurt was when he tried to escape yesterday and was caught; a few people had teamed up to beat him. Maxwell couldn''t help but think how fortunate he was that they hadn''t injured his face; otherwise, Mona would have been devastated. "Really?" Mona didn''t believe him. After all, he had been gone for so long, and if he hadn''t been beaten, he must have had a difficult time.


    "Yeah, it was just when I tried to escape yesterday that I got beaten up a bit, but it doesn''t hurt anymore," Maxwell said, gently pinching her earlobe.


    At his words, Mona''s brows furrowed in concern as she moved to sit beside him. "Where did they hit you? Does it hurt? I saw youst night and even found your tie. But I felt so weak trying to chase after you that I ended up falling," she said, ncing at her knee, which was swollen from the fall.


    "It''s just my body, and it doesn''t hurt anymore. I knew you saw me, so you came to rescue me today. Let me take a look at your knee," Maxwell said.


    Mona wiped away the tears on her face and reached for the buttons of Maxwell''s shirt, saying, "Let me see so I can put some medicine on it." She felt uneasy, not knowing for sure what injuries he had.


    Maxwell then covered Mona''s hand and said, "Let me check your knee first. You can''t cryter when you see it." He was unsure of his injuries, as he''d only thought about her while showering and hadn''t examined himself closely. Most bruises were on his back, making them hard to see.


    Mona nodded and gently rolled up her pants to show Maxwell where she was injured. She unbuttoned his shirt and said, "Okay, I won''t cry. I''ll just put some medicine on you."


    Maxwell looked at Mona''s swollen knee, hesitating to touch it. His hand moved toward her, but he ultimately pulled it back, feeling unsure.


    Móna undid his pajamas, revealing Maxwell''s muscr back and broad chest, marked by numerous bruises. Her gaze lingered on his right shoulder, where there was no mole. Despite the chilly temperature outside and tire air conditioning in the room, Maxwell didn''t feel cold with his skin exposed.