It was almost sun up when Maxen arrived home, and it felt as though his surroundings were a kaleidoscope image spinning endlessly.

    Reaching the second floor of the mansion, Maxen lazily dragged his foot to the master bedroom.

    He opted to forgo bath time, and shimmied off of his clothes, going commando for bedtime.

    With his eyes closed, he peeled the duvet off and slid underneath the covers. To his surprise, the bed was cold as ice, and his wife was nowhere in sight.

    "Huh?" he uttered, swiping his hand on the bed one more like an angry windshield wiper on a stormy day.

    To validate Olivia''s absence, he forced his eyes to open wide, and true enough, it was only him on the bed.

    Scratching the skin above his eyebrows, he tried to remember Olivia''s schedule, but his mind was cloudy from his exhaustion so he opted on giving her a call instead.

    "Where are you?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

    "I''m down by the beach."

    "Whaaat?"

    "I said, I''m down by the beach."

    "Yes, I heard you the first time. But, why?"

    Olivia took a sharp inhale. She knew Maxen had a lot on his plate lately, and maybe that day was one of the longest days he had in his life.

    So she did her best to tuck in her bitchy self in the closet who was itching to retort nasty words on her husband for forgetting about her whereabouts when they talked about it a hundred times because of his paranoia of her getting kidnapped by the Huks.

    "The turtle hatchlings are going back to the sea, remember? We''re doc.u.menting it. How was your night? Everything went well, I assume?"

    "Oh. Okay. Now I remember. Yeah, every…"

    "Max? Hello?" Suddenly, her lips curled into a smile when the notes of Maxen''s soft snore danced in the air. "Goodnight, Max," she softly spoke, and kept the phone pressed to her ear.

    She had no intention of ending the call because if she did, Maxen would wake up confused, forgetting about their earlier conversation.

    Playing with the torchlight in her hand, she cast a spotlight on the sandy shores, close enough to the nesting site of the turtles where a dozen or more eggs were buried.

    Nature took its course eventually, and tiny little creatures emerged from the pit, forcing their head up to catch a breath for the first time.

    Gray powdery sands were sent flying in the air as the turtle''s flipper pitter-pattered against it while they followed the trail their mother left behind.

    A corner of Olivia''s lips quivered when she felt a needle prick her heart. Somehow, she had an odd connection with the turtles who after hatching would go back to the sea and be lost for a few years before returning to the shores.

    Like the turtles, she was born in Nisia, yet nobody knew of her or nobody dared to acknowledge her existence. Just like them, she, too, left her home and had her lost years.

    Looking back at her old self, she found it silly that she had to beg for attention. Those who truly cared would let their existence be seen and felt.

    It was only until she met Maxen when she realized that people who truly cared about you would pause and spare you a glance.

    You don''t have to give them hints to notice you. You don''t have to beg for their time.

    That person who saw your worth would always go the extra mile for you. They would reach out a hand, hold you close, and never let you go.

    "I''m coming home, Max," she whispered while her attention was glued to the hatchlings who were nearing the waters.

    Her nose scrunched when salty air tickled her nose when a breeze flew past, giving her the taste of the sea. It snapped her out from her reverie as well.

    Peeling the phone off of her ear, she snorted when she realized the reason why her ears felt hot was the fact that she had been on the phone for almost thirty minutes.

    She kept the call running, occasionally speaking with a few researchers in the team. Soon, cheers erupted by the beach when the last turtle reached the water and disappeared into the waves.

    The team of marine researchers hugged each other in celebration of a fruitful hatchling night.

    Looking over her shoulders, Olivia smiled at Shadow, who took that as a cue that they would be heading home.

    Shaking hands with everyone, and a few photos later, the group called it a night and went home.

    Arriving in their bedroom, Olivia''s face brightened up at the sight of a n.a.k.e.d Maxen sprawled in their bed.

    She then kneeled and picked up his clothing, tiptoeing to the ensuite, and dumping Maxen''s clothes on the hamper before changing into her pajamas.

    As she laid on the bed, she finally ended the call, and as she expected, Maxen jolted from his sleep, sitting on a ninety-degree angle.

    "Hello, Olivia. Can you hear me?" Maxen groggily said, thinking he was still on the phone with his wife.

    But his senses awakened at his close contact with his wife. He could smell her apple-scented hair with a whiff of the sea to it.

    "Don''t laugh at me," he said before Olivia could giggle, plopping back on the bed.

    Stifling a smile, Olivia protested, "No, I''m nooot."

    "I can see your teeth, baby. It''s blinding my eyes."

    In synch, Olivia buried her face on his c.h.e.s.t, enjoying a few hours of their borrowed time because once she opened her eyes to a new day, Maxen won''t be beside her anymore just like the past days.

    Feeling cheeky, she took her chance to ask Maxen a question despite her intuition telling her that he would be back asleep the instant the back of his head hit the pillow. "Besides my teeth, what else did I blind you with?"

    "Afuwevuwevu."

    Olivia''s c.h.e.s.t rambled. She thought there was no harm in trying anyway. Patting her fingers on Maxen''s c.h.e.s.t, she uttered, "Sweet dreams to you too, Max."

    Olivia Sparks Volume I has ended! Check out chapter 297 for a chance to win a $20 gift card. :)