Chapter 521
Brielle was still oblivious to the turmoil stirring around her as she awoke to find Max, sitting by her side, closing his laptop after wrapping up some work.
“All set for discharge,” Max said with a gentle smile. “Breakfast’s waiting at home.”
She was about to nod in agreement when she noticed a dark bruise staining his cheek. She had never seen such a mark on Max’s face before. Her hand instinctively reached out to touch the bruise, seeking an explanation. Had Max been in a fight?
Her lips pressed together, and she remained silent, quickly dressing and freshening up.
As they exited the hospital room, they saw Andrew at the end of the corridor. A cigarette was pinched between his fingers; he was clearly about to indulge in a smoke. Upon seeing Max, the cigarette snapped in half. His silence was heavy with unspoken words.
Max didn’t spare him a glance but instead patted Brielle’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”
The tension was palpable, like a bow drawn taut. From their demeanor, Brielle sensed a chilling indifference.
The bruise on Max’s face–it was Andrew’s doing. Over her and Tessa?
A pang of discomfort hit Brielle. Max, who should’ve been untouchable and revered, now seemed to have been dragged through the mud because of her. The realization was deeply unsettling.
Once in the car, Brielle feigned sleep. But as the vehicle jolted, she couldn’t help but steal a glance at Max, sitting by the window, flipping through corporate reports. His expression was calm, but the bruise on his cheek was a jarring sight.
She had always believed that with enough effort, she could stand proudly by his side. Yet, she had to admit that her presence brought undeserved criticism and conflict to Max’s life.
Was it worth it?
The dark mark on his face was a constant reminder to Brielle of her own intrusion into Max’s pristine life, a stain on his otherwise flawless existence. The scariest part was not the absence of love, but the harsh reality lurking beneath the romantic façade.
Back at the Premier Palace, Brielle ate sparingly before announcing her need to rest. Max respected her wish for privacy, tenderly kissing her forehead before she ascended the stairs.
When she entered her bedroom, her gaze fell on the unfinished scarf. Too weary to knit, she sat on the bed as her phone rang–it was Aubree.
“Bri, have you seen the news online?”
Having just left the hospital, Brielle hadn’t checked, “No, what’s up?”
Aubree sounded frantic. “Someone’s leaked info about you and Max. Your name isn’t out yet,
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Chapter 521
but once the media frenzy starts, they’ll expose you.”
Memories of previous online harassment flooded Brielle’s mind, and yet, here it was happening again.
Frowning, she did a quick search and was appalled by the vitriol. She wasn’t bothered by the comments about her, but they weren’t just about her.
“Max is so handsome and rich, and yet he’s a player.”
“Alivia waited for him for years, and now he’s into someone else. Men are fickle.”
“If Max doesn’t marry Alivia, why did he lead her on? I feel sorry for Alivia. She’s so beautiful and accomplished, yet stuck with jerks.”
“Beautiful women should just focus on their careers. Men are unreliable.”
The comments stung Brielle. Her intuition had been right. To the world, she was the unsightly blotch on Max’s impeccable canvas.
If only relationships were only about affection. But it was precisely because of that affection that they had to consider everything else.
She cared for Max and wished for him to remain untarnished, instead of being dragged down by a woman into the mire of human desires and suffering. It was because she cared that she couldn’t bear to see him maligned.
She had never felt this way about anyone before. Only now did she truly understand that love was like honey laced with bitterness.
