?Chapter 1363:


    She wanted to be rational. Nate had nearly died—his life hanging by a thread—and maybe, just maybe, she didn’t have the right to be angry. He had been protecting her, hadn’t he?


    But the betrayal still stung. He had made decisions behind her back, hidden the truth from her, even when the cost was his life.


    Plus, that voice in her kept whispering: Love shouldn’t require silence. No one should justify hiding things from her.


    Still, Maddox’s words had left a mark. They made her question everything.


    Was it truly wrong to feel hurt? Was she asking for too much?


    Lost in her thoughts, she turned to the night outside, to its vast and uncaring darkness. Her voice came low, rough at the edges, barely more than a whisper. “It was my fault…”


    The words slipped out like a confession, and they rattled Maddox. He didn’t know how to respond.


    He’d said what he came to say, and anything more felt like crossing a line. So he kept his thoughts to himself, masking them with a tired sigh.


    Love makes fools of everyone. Even the ones who swear it won’t.


    The car eased to a stop outside Corrine’s hotel. She got out without another word.


    Maddox remained in the vehicle, watching as she walked into the lobby. Then, almost mechanically, he pulled out his phone and recorded a quick clip. “She’s safely back at the hotel.” He hit send. No reply.


    He wasn’t surprised. Nate had always been the type to leave messages on read. Still, his fingers moved again, typing out another message. “Are you serious about this woman? Can she handle the heat? Can your rtionship survive what’sing?”


    Because Nate’s world wasn’t one of flowers and promises. It was bullets and blood.


    Take thest incident—he had been shot in the heart. Only sheer instinct and careful nning had kept him alive. Any slower, and he would have been dead.


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    Maddox’s phone buzzed. One new message from Nate.


    “She has no choice.”


    He stared at the screen for a beat, then chuckled, shaking his head. “Damn, he’s in deep, man…”


    This was Nate—always calcting, alwaysposed. And here he was, tossing logic to the wind for a woman.


    Love really did have ws.


    “Boss, should we head back?” the driver asked, ncing at Maddox through the rearview.


    “Yep.” Maddox’s eyes lingered on the shadows around the hotel, checking every corner with instinctive precision. Then he nodded, a slow, satisfied smile spreading across his face. “She’s safe. We’re done here.”


    Meanwhile, Corrine didn’t go straight to her room. She wandered. The ache inside her needed air, and four walls wouldn’t help. Eventually, she found herself in the hotel’s bar. She grabbed a bottle of wine, ignoring the curious looks from the staff, and climbed the stairs to the rooftop terrace.


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