Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Jewel came through safely, and the baby was saved. She returned to her hospital room looking pale and miserable, her eyes red from crying. Combined with her delicate appearance, she looked truly fragile and pitiful.

"Don't worry too much. The baby is fine." Chris reassured her.

"Chris, I'm so scared," Jewel cried.

Chris handed her a tissue, and she took it. She held onto his hand, with her tear-streaked face resting on the back of his hand.

Sure, she looked pitiful, but that didn't mean she could just treat someone else's fiancé like her husband.

I walked over to them. "Mrs. Goodwin, the doctor said that intense emotions aren't good for the baby. You've managed to save your child. It would be a problem if something were to happen because you cried." I gently pulled her away from Chris without making a fuss.

But seeing the tears on Chris' hand back, I couldn't help feeling uncomfortable as if something of mine had been dirtied by someone else.

I was a bit of a clean freak, both in daily life and in relationships.

Jewel seemed surprised when I addressed her as Mrs. Goodwin. Her face visibly stiffened, but she quickly adjusted her emotions.

"Chris, I'm sorry. What am I doing?" She reached for a tissue to wipe Chris' hand, only for me to stop her.

"Mrs. Goodwin, you shouldn't move around right now."

Jewel's face froze, her tearful eyes looked at Chris with obvious admiration.

"Does Jewel like you?" I asked Chris directly as we came out of the ward.

"No," Chris denied it.

"What about you? Do you like her?"

If I was going to ask, I wanted a clear answer. I didn't want to be strung along.

Chris' expression visibly stiffened. After a few seconds, he uttered softly, "We're just friends."

Just friends?

"Ian is gone. Before he died, he held my hand and asked me to take care of Jewel..." Chris' voice trembled, and so did his hand that was hanging by his side.

Whenever he mentioned lan's death, he always seemed emotional. This wasn't the first time he reacted this way.

My heart sank a bit when I saw him this way. "I didn't mean anything else. I just noticed how much Jewel relies on you."

"She... Maybe it's because she's pregnant that she feels insecure by herself," Chris explained on her behalf. His dark eyes settled on my face. "Maddie, I'll be more careful in the future." With him putting it this way, what more could I say? But I still reminded him, "Even if you're taking care of her for lan's sake, you should know that men and women are different."

I didn't want to see what I witnessed just now happen again. I didn't want to feel disgusted with myself.

"Okay, I understand."

He had just finished speaking when we heard the urgent sound of wheels squeaking against the ground not far away.

Turning my head, I saw a group of people pushing a stretcher toward us in haste. Just as I was about to move aside, I heard Chris utter in a low voice, "Watch out." He then pulled me aside. The group rushed past us from behind.

As I nestled into his embrace, the pounding of his heart echoed loudly in my ears. This sound reminded me of the time shortly after I had arrived at the Gildon estate, when I had attended a school event and accidentally fallen from a height.

Chris had rushed over and held me. He had then reassured me and carried me to the infirmary. That was the first time I had heard his heartbeat sounding so frantic.

That was when I had truly fallen for him.

At this moment, his heartbeat was still racing, and it was because of me.

I closed my eyes, unwilling to think about anything else, and nuzzled my face against Chris' chest. "Let's go home. I'm tired."

"Okay, I'll just tell Jewel," Chris said as he released me, kissing my forehead.

Instead of going into the ward, I waited outside the door. I didn't hear what Chris said to Jewel, but when he came out, I heard Jewel sobbing.

When Chris and I returned home, his parents were still awake, sitting on the couch watching TV without speaking to each other. They rarely spoke to each other normally.

I had asked Bree Foster, Chris' mother, about it, and she said that after being married for so long and seeing each other every day, they didn't have anything much to talk to each other about.

Chris told me that his parents used to be passionately in love when they were young. Alas, their love settled into something ordinary and calm.

Perhaps, this was what love eventually looked like.

"Mom, Dad."

"Bree, Zack."

Chris and I greeted them separately.

"Have you two eaten? If not, there's still food left for you," Bree informed us warmly.

"We've already eaten," Chris replied before turning to me. "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"

I had hardly eaten dinner, but at this moment, I didn't feel hungry. "I'm okay."

"In that case, why don't you two go upstairs and rest? The household staff will bring you some milk later." Bree smiled.

It might have been my imagination, but something about that smile didn't sit right with me. However, without dwelling on it, I went upstairs. But as soon as I pushed open the door, I froze and turned to Chris. He was standing at the bedroom door, looking back at me.

Before we could go back downstairs, Bree had already come upstairs. "Maddie, I forgot to mention earlier. We need to clear out Chris' room to make it your shared bedroom. Chris will stay in your room for now."

"Mom, Maddie and I will be moving out after we get married. Why do we need to prepare a shared bedroom here?" Chris countered.

"Just because you're moving out doesn't mean that you won't stay here sometimes, like during the holidays or when it gets too late," Bree scolded him, then took him to my room.

"The two of you will be getting married soon. So, it's fine for you to share a bedroom, right?" Bree turned to me and asked, "Maddie, you don't mind, do you?"

Suddenly, Chris' words to Derick echoed in my mind, and I didn't know how to respond.

"She doesn't mind," Chris unexpectedly answered for me.

As I looked up at him, he put his arm around my shoulder and led me into the room.

"Goodnight, Mom." With that, Chris closed the door behind us.

Chris and I didn't speak, creating an awkward and somewhat suggestive atmosphere. The fancy bedspread on the large bed made it seem like tonight was our wedding night.

My face turned pink. "Um... I'll change it..." I broke free from Chris' embrace, only to have him grab me.

Looking into his deep eyes, I felt my heart beat faster and my breathing grow heavier.

Chris' Adam's apple bobbed as he stepped closer. My entire body tensed up. He got closer and closer, his hand moving from my arm to my shoulder, then to the back of my neck as his face lowered toward mine.

Nervously, I grasped his hand. "Chris..."

The rest of my words were swallowed by his fierce and passionate kiss. It was unlike anything we'd shared before. Over the years, we'd kissed, but it was always brief, never with his tongue exploring my mouth.

Tonight was different.

His kiss was intense. I was so nervous that my teeth chattered, preventing him from deepening the kiss.

Chris paused before he whispered in my ear, "Relax a little."

With that, I felt my body being lifted up as he picked me up and placed me on the bed. When his fingers started unbuttoning my shirt, my toes curled with tension. I could see the veins bulging on his forehead and the prominent movement of his Adam's apple.

Although I had no experience when it came to intimacy, I knew how it went. Perhaps his previous lack of interest was simply due to a lack of opportunity. As the saying went, "Appetite came with eating".

I closed my eyes, anticipating our intimacy. As I felt a cool breeze, indicating that my clothes had been removed, and his lips brushed my neck, Chris' phone rang.

My nerves were on edge, and I instinctively clutched his arm. "Chris..."