[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-2603222E6F78-135":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},135,37,"Chapter 37: \"Forget the Past, Start Anew?\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Perhaps it was because their statuses had both shifted, but this reunion was startlingly serene.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The guests at the gala couldn't help but whisper their praises: one, a world-class jewelry designer; the other, a prodigy pianist. They were a match made in heaven, a portrait of grace and talent.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">On the dance floor, Rose Harrison gazed at Maximus Anderson, hopelessly entranced. As expected, her love for him had breached its walls, spilling out of her control.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maximus, what am I supposed to do? In this moment, I can’t stop myself from wanting to be near you. Your gaze is so incredibly tender, and I am already drowning in the depths of it.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maximus felt the same. Rose looked ethereal, like something pulled from a dream. The tremor in his heart defied his iron-clad control, compelling him to step forward and beg for a dance, forcing him to cast all thoughts of Delilah Kelly aside.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maximus knew, in the marrow of his bones, that he had been completely conquered by Rose.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Perhaps God had truly opened a second window for him, finally gifting him his rose.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He thought to himself silently, *Rose, I am a prisoner of your love. From this day forward, I willingly surrender my heart—every piece of it—entirely to you.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Rose,\" Maximus murmured, looking deep into her eyes. \"Can we forget the past and start over? Please?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Maximus,\" she whispered back. She knew clearly that, in this moment, she had no desire to fight the undertow. She only wanted to sink into him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">As the gala drew to a close, the music faded, and the crowd began to drift away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maximus held Rose’s hand, refusing to let go. With a voice thick with emotion, he asked, \"Rose, let me take you away. Will you come with me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Rose’s dark, almond-shaped eyes were hazy with desire. \"Maximus, can I really trust you?\" A sliver of hesitation pierced through her longing. *Can I really believe in you, Maximus?*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You can,\" Maximus replied, his voice firm and unwavering. \"I will follow you for the rest of our days. I’m never letting go.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He mused to himself, *Rose, thank heaven fate brought you back to my side. I will spend the rest of this life surrounding you in luxury and light.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Rose stared at him, nodding slowly, her dark eyes shimmering with a brilliant, liquid light. She knew that with just a touch of his warmth, her defenses—those walls she had built so painstakingly—had crumbled into dust.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Perhaps every man is destined to have two women in his life. One, the vibrant, crimson rose; the other, the pure, untainted white rose. One wonders which eventually fades into a smear of mosquito blood on the wall or a haunting unattainable love, and which becomes the mundane rice grain or the one that got away.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Inside the presidential suite, the opulence was breathtaking.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maximus cupped Rose’s exquisite face, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead. \"Rose, thank you for giving me this chance. I promise, I will never let you down.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Rose felt a shadow of sorrow lingering in his gaze. She stood on her tiptoes, brushing a kiss over his eyes. \"Maximus, why are you so sad?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maximus offered a soft, gentle smile. He leaned into her, pulling her into a tight embrace. \"Because I waited so long, missed so much time, only to finally find you now.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Rose wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, holding him close. She let her actions speak the truth she couldn't voice.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Maximus, after all this time, I finally have you. Thank God I didn't give up.*\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maximus leaned down, his lips meeting hers—a kiss that was deep, consuming, and tangled.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Rose slowly raised her hands, clutching his shoulders, letting herself drown in the sheer warmth of him.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">With a few deft movements, their clothes fell away. A woman's softness entwined with a man's feverish heat, weaving a sweet, desperate melody in the silence of the night.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Outside the window, the moon hid shyly behind the clouds, unable to bear the weight of their intimate, human devotion.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272922566]