The Heir's Secret Bride

Cha The air in the VIP ward of Naso Hospital was thick with the pungent scent of disinfectant, It filled the room, lingering in every corner.

Maeve frowned in her sleep, uneasy, then suddenly woke with art, gasping for air. Her throat burned with a sharp, searing pain, and every breath was a struggle. She had just dreamed of being burned alive, with someone standing in front of her fo shield her....

She thought, "Wait." Maeve blinked, staring up at the pristine white ceiling above her. The sterile hospital room around her finally registered, and she froze for a moment.

"Am I... was I really saved?' she pondered.

"Ms. Reese, you're awake. I'll take your temperature and heart rate now, the nurse said quickly when she saw Maeve's eyes open.

Maeve tried to sit up, but her body felt weak, like a ragdoll with no strength to hold itself up.

"Don't move just yet. The anesthetic hasn't fully worn off, and I have no idea who would do something so cruel," the nurse said as she gently helped Maeve sit up.

Maeve opened her mouth to speak, but her voice cout hoarse, almost unrecognizable. "Are... are there two kids who were brought here as well?" The nurse looked puzzled. "Kids? No you're the only one we brought in from the fire." "Then... where is the person who saved me?" "I... I'm not sure," the nurse said, handing her a cup with a straw. How do you feel now? You were in the fire for so long, your lungs must've inhaled a lot of smoke and dust, and there are sminor burns, but thankfully, it's not too severe." Unlike the other patient, who still hadn't cout of the emergency room.

Maeve took the medication with the water, her mind still foggy took her a while before she remembered to ask the nurse to borrow a phone.

She dialed Will's number first, but it went unanswered. Frustrated, she dialed Nightfall Manor, asking Damian if the kids were home. "They're at the mansion with their grandpa. Mr. Médaniel sent them there this morning, and they won't be back until tonight," Damian replied. "Where is Byron?" Maeve asked, her voice strained with discomfort.

"Mr. Mcdaniel is still at the office. He hasn't returned yet." "I see," Maeve said softly before hanging up.

She handed the phone back to the nurse and lay down again, still unsure of what was happening.

Maeve thought. That figure I saw before passing out... it feels so familiar. It has to be someone I know. A man, but who? Could it be Aiden?' 1/3 Chapter 358 In a nearby room, a man lay motionless in bed, his eyes closedl.handage wrapped around his forehead.

His face was pale and gaunt, but there was still something intimlaring about his stillness.

Archer stood by the window, staring through the glass at the mag His voice trembled as he addressed the attending doctor. "Doctor, how is Mr. Mcdaniel? Is it serious?" The doctor shook his head. "Physically, his condition isn't too b except for his legs. His bones are dislocated, and the burns are severe. If he had been brought in any later, he'd be in a whet hair for life." Archer felt a knot tighten in his chest. "How long will recovery take?" "The doctor gave him a look of approval. "It's not a quick fix. Recovering from injuries like this takes time, at least three months. With the severity of his condition, it will be much longer. But don't worry, we'll do everything we can. People like him, brave enough to risk their own safety for others, are rare these days." Archer gave a dry laugh and nodded. "Thank you, doctor." Thinking back to the situation, Archer couldn't shake the feeling that Mr. Mcdaniel's actions had been reckless, even suicidal The fire had spread across the area, and even the firefighters had hesitated before going in.

At that moment, Mr. Mcdaniel's legs were already badly injured, something Archer had only recently learned.

Archer thought, 'It is hard to imagine what kind of resolve it must have taken for Mr. Mcdaniel to ignore the agony in his legs and carry Maeve out of the flames.

As a man, Archer knew he couldn't have done the same.

He also didn't believe the theory that Mr. Mcdaniel's concern for Maeve was just a passing infatuation.

No one would risk their life over something so fleeting.

Once Maeve regained feeling in her limbs, she decided to get out of bed. She didn't want to lie there, sinking into a pit of despair.

But her body wasn't ready for much movement yet. Just walking a few steps around the ward made the burns on her skin flare up in pain.

She hadn't told the boys about what happened. She didn't want them to worry.

Looking back, she realized how reckless she had been. When she'd heard they were in Naso, and even more, that they'd gone to a dangerous place, she couldn't think straight. Everything else had slipped from her mind. Now, as she pondered it all, she wondered if the fire had been deliberately set to lure her into a trap.

It felt different from the "threats" she had faced in Erancia.

Is it possible it is the sperson behind both?" she wondered.

Maeve's thoughts were clouded with doubt, but she had no evidence to back it up.

Right now, she was more concerned about finding out who the man was who had saved her from the fire.

She had tried calling Aiden yesterday, but he hadn't answered. She wasn't sure if he was too busy or if he had been hurt and was in the hospital too.

2/3 Chapter 300 As she mulled it over, she walked out of the room And that's when she spented Archer coming out of the ward at the end of the hallway.

"Archer?!" Maeve blinked in shock, her eyes widening in disbelief She om thought she hard imagined it at first, but as she approached him. it becclear it was real "What are you doing here? Then it hit her, and her heart skipped a beat. "Wait, Byron is in so tool "Ms. Reese, no," Archer quickly denied, recalling Mr. Mcdaniel's structions. "I just happened to be in Naso visiting a family member who's in the hospital. Mr. Mcdaniel isn't here.

Maeve wasn't easily fooled. She walked past him, heading straight for the door of the room he had just exited.

In a panic, Archer stepped in front of her.

Suddenly. Maeve froze, her gaze fixed on the closed door behind him.

An impossible, absurd thought om flashed into her mind. The person Hinto шпаринет who pulledout of the fire yesterday... was it Byron?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly. Archer didn't expect her to be so perceptive. He stood there, momentarily at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond. Maeve Shessed her lips together in frustration. Without another word, she shoved his hand away and strode toward the door. it open, her heart racing as she looked inside.

The man lying unconscious on the bed cinto view. His usually lively face now appeared pale and eerily still.

From his knees down, his legs were wrapped in bandages, stained with blood that had seeped through, making a gruesome, haunting sight.

Maeve covered her mouth as if struck by a sudden blow. The shock was overwhelming, her mind reeling as her vision blurred. Her eyes immediately filled with tears..

She stood frozen, her strength draining away, unable to move, unsure of what to do.

"What happened to his leg?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"A piece of wood from the house fell on him," Archer replied gravely. "His leg was crushed, bones dislocated, at there were severe burns. The and doctor said he cclose to losing it." Maeve bit down hard on her lower lip, but the tears canyway, spilling from her eyes and dripping onto the back of her hand. She struggled to stifle her sobs, not wanting to disturb the man still lying in a deep, unconscious sleep.

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