[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-26032289AC7C-165":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},165,4,"Chapter 4: Go Make It Up To Her","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He stood there holding a container of homemade soup. Despite the exhaustion etching his features, his usual sharp, composed aura remained intact. He frowned the moment she spoke.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What do you mean, no family? Isn’t that what I’m here for?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Maya, you were the one who went too far with Alexandria first. Your parents and I were just furious. The incident is over—can't we just leave it in the past? Stop being so stubborn.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He paused, his voice softening. \"I’ve cleared my schedule of all the major company business just to stay here and look after you. The recovery period after a miscarriage is critical. If you don't heal properly, you’ll be left with chronic health issues. I have to make sure you're taken care of.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya looked at him—at his eyes, deliberately softened—and listened to the concern in his voice. Yet, inside, she felt only a desolate calm. Not a single ripple stirred in her heart.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She was about to tell him there was no need, but her phone chimed on the bedside table. A video call from Martha Cole.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya swiped to answer.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The faces of her parents and Alexandria appeared on the screen, the backdrop a sun-drenched beach in the Hamptons.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Martha’s voice held a trace of guilt, but mostly, it was filled with a sense of entitlement. \"Maya, you're awake? Listen... Alexandria was so shaken up by everything that she’s been in a bad mood, so we brought her to the coast to clear her head. We probably won’t be able to come to the hospital. You know how it is—what happened last time... you really did cross the line. Just think of this as a way to make it up to Alexandria, okay? Try not to take it to heart.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya watched Alexandria, who was snuggled between her parents with a look of smug satisfaction. A hollow ache bloomed in her chest—so profound that she couldn't even feel the pain anymore.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Mhm.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That was her only reply.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Martha seemed caught off guard by her calm, hesitating for a moment. She seemed like she wanted to say more, but eventually just muttered, \"Is... is Callahan there with you? Put him on the line.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya handed the phone directly to Callahan.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He took it and walked over to the window. Maya couldn't hear the specifics, but bits and pieces drifted over: \"Alexandria hopes you'll come too...\" \"She's still not emotionally stable...\" \"She wants to see you...\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She saw a flicker of hesitation on his face, but deep in his eyes, there was an unmistakable gleam of worry and yearning.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">When Callahan finished the call and walked back to the bedside, his expression was complicated, as if he were struggling to find the right words. She spoke first, her voice devoid of any emotion.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You should go keep Alexandria company. I can hire a private nurse here.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Callahan froze, as if he hadn't heard her correctly. \"...What?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I said, you should go to the Hamptons and help Alexandria relax,\" Maya repeated, her tone indifferent. \"I don't need you here.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Callahan’s face darkened.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A strange, intense surge of frustration and unease gripped him. He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw clenching tightly. He looked at Maya’s pale, tranquil face—a face that once would have clouded with sadness if he so much as glanced at Alexandria, a face that used to show hurt at his every concern for her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">But now, she was actually pushing him toward Alexandria.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Maya,\" his voice dropped, turning cold. \"What is wrong with you lately? Why are you always pushing me away?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya didn't answer. She only asked again, \"So, are you going?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Callahan stood still. He pressed his lips into a thin line, silent for several seconds before finally saying, stiffly, \"Alexandria isn't doing well, and she was terrified by everything. I... I really should go and check on her. Consider it... a way to make amends for you.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh.\" Maya nodded. \"Then make sure you make it up to her well.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You!\" Callahan’s temper flared at her flippant tone. He felt as though there was a hidden jab in her words, some kind of biting sarcasm.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">A nameless fire burned in his chest; the feeling of losing control and the mounting unease reached a breaking point. But in the end, he didn't say another word. He simply turned and strode out of the hospital suite.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">For the following week, Maya remained in the hospital, quietly healing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Alexandria’s messages and photos arrived like a blizzard.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Sometimes it was a photo of her parents with their arms around her, their smiles radiant against the beach backdrop. Other times, it was a shot of Callahan holding an umbrella for her on the sand, his profile gentle and attentive. There were photos of Alexandria in a new swimsuit, showing off her slender figure, with Callahan’s blurred but elegant silhouette in the background.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The captions were always the same mix of boasting and provocation:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">[Sister, look. Mom and Dad still love me the most.]\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">[Callahan said the sunset here is beautiful. It’s a shame you can’t see it.]\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">[I gave you five years, but you still didn't have the capability to keep anyone's heart. Since you’re so useless, I’ll just take back everything that belongs to you.]\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya looked at the carefully angled photos and the malicious text with a gaze as calm as if she were scrolling through the social media feed of a complete stranger.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Finally, she opened the chat with Alexandria and replied with only one word:\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">[Mhm.]\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, she closed the app, muted the notifications, and let the messages pour in. She didn't bother to open or look at another one.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272929892]