Chapter 6 Maxine drifted through a long, winding dream. In it, Reid was fourteen again, dressed in a sweat-stained T-shirt, a bruise darkening the corner of his mouth, but grinning with reckless pride. As she dabbed ointment on his injuries, tears stung her eyes, and she scolded him, "Are you out of your mind? One against 30? Not even a superhero could pull that off!" He just shrugged, raising an eyebrow with casual defiance. "What was I supposed to do? Those punks tried to steal your money. No one gets to mess with you." The young Reid lifted his chin, his gaze fierce and unwavering. "As long as I'm here, I won't let you get hurt. Not even a scratch." In the dream, Maxine was sobbing, unable to stop herself from calling his name. "Reid..." But he acted as if he couldn't hear her, taking the hand of her fourteen-year-old self and walking away into the distance. The scene twisted suddenly. Now, in reality, Reid was shielding Kelsey, letting her take the blow, blood clouding her vision. Maxine jerked awake, her pillowcase damp with tears. She barely had time to catch her breath before she saw Kelsey in the hospital room, crying as she threw herself into Reid's arms. "What should I do? It's all my fault... I never should've pulled that cord. If I hadn't, Ms. Valemont wouldn't have gotten hurt... Punish me, please..." Reid sighed, gently wiping away her tears. "You really want to be punished?" Kelsey nodded through her sobs. "Yes. If I do something wrong, I have to be punished. Otherwise, I can't sleep at night..." Reid chuckled softly, pinching her cheek. "Then call me 'hubby."" Kelsey froze. "What?" "Say it." 0.0%. 06:32 Chapter 6 288 Vouchers Blushing, she whispered, "Hubby." Reid ruffled her hair, his voice gentle. "Since you called me hubby, you have to listen to me. I'll handle this my own way. You don't need to worry about it." Kelsey could only obey and quietly leave the room. Maxine watched it all in silence, her fingers absentmindedly knocking over the glass of water by her bed. Crash! Reid spun around, finally realizing she was awake. He hurried over, concern etched across his face. "Max, how are you feeling? Are you in pain any- where?" He took her hand, his voice full of regret. "I'm so sorry. Everything was chaos-I couldn't tell who was who..." Maxine closed her eyes, choosing not to expose his lie. She only asked quietly, "Where's Kelsey?" Reid's expression shifted, assuming she was about to blame Kelsey. He quickly explained, "She didn't mean any harm... But she was in the wrong, and I've already punished her." Maxine thought back to him making Kelsey call him "hubby," and couldn't help but wonder- "Is that his idea of punishment? "Pretty harsh," she thought to herself. She said nothing more. No angry accusations about him mistaking her for someone else, no hysterical demands or bitter com- plaints. She said, in an even voice, "I'm hungry." Reid froze. He stared into her eyes, finally sensing something was off, She was too calm. 45.8 %. 06:32 Chapter 6 288 Vouchers So calm... she seemed utterly hollow inside. He opened his mouth to speak, but Maxine repeated, "I'm hungry." It threw him completely off balance. He could only swallow his unease and nod gently. "Okay, babe, I'll go get you something to eat. Just wait right here." He hurried out. The moment the door closed behind him, Maxine's tears spilled over, unstoppable. But she wiped them away at once. She turned to the window, where the sunlight was blinding, but couldn't reach her heart. Love makes you frantic, hate makes you restless. But now, when it came to Reid, she felt neither love nor hate. 06:32 83.1 %. Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!