CHAPTER 507: I PROMISE!

"Are you alright?" Nat shook her head as she sat on the sofa. She wanted to return to her room and rest but she did not have the courage to be alone. What if there was another sniper waiting for her too.

"I have underestimated Chris. Or I have overestimated Nora. I have always believed that she was untouchable. But today... She was lying in my arms bleeding and hurt. I.." she stared at her now cleaned hands as if she could still see blood in them. Nat looked horrified.

Max sat beside her and looked at her hesitating. After that night when she had confronted him about Lisa and he had told her that he could not just leave her. She had been ignoring him and only talking when necessary.

He was ignoring Lisa too. He felt like he had wronged both of them.

"No one will harm you. I am here." Nat let out a dry, bitter laugh at Max’s words.

"You already have a girlfriend waiting for you to marry her, Doc. you are not here for me, you can never be. So it will be better that you do not make promises you can fulfil again. I do not need a deception to rely on, no matter how beautiful it is." Max flinched. Her words struck like a blade. He opened his mouth to respond, but there was nothing he could say that would change what had already happened.

"I was scared, Max," she continued, her voice rising, her hands trembling as she clutched the edge of her coat. "Do you know how that feels? I wanted to call you. I wanted to scream your name. But I didn’t. Because I knew only Lisa had that right." He reached for her, hesitant at first, then firm as he pulled her into his arms. She resisted, fists pushing weakly at his chest. But he didn’t let go.

"Let me go," she whispered, but her voice had no conviction. "You don’t get to hold me now..."

"I’m sorry," he murmured into her hair. "I’m sorry for all of it."

Her breathing hitched, her fists still against him. "You made me weak," she whispered. "I hate you for being kind to me, showing me emotions when it meant nothing. When you already have someone in your life, why are you holding me like this?"

"I know," he said quietly with his arms tightening around her. "You can hate me all you want. But let me hold you for now, only for tonight."

After a moment, her arms slid around him and she buried her face in his shoulder, sobbing.

"I hate you," she said again, softer this time. "But I don’t want to be alone right now." he rubbed her back as she softly wept in his arms.

"You are not," he promised. "You will never be alone anymore now." Max carried her into his arms in her room. He softly placed her on the bed.

Nat turned away slightly, wiping her face with the sleeve of her coat, trying to regain control, but her body trembled as if the emotions had exhausted every part of her.

"You should go," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

He sat on the edge of the bed instead. "I will, if you really want me to."

She didn’t answer, she just stared at him. he reached for her, slowly, and when she didn’t pull away, he laced his fingers through hers.

she let out a shaky breath as she resigned herself to her emotions. Her eyes met his and she reached up. her fingers grazing the side of his face.

His eyes fluttered shut at her touch, and when they opened again, there was a quiet desperation in them. He leaned in, giving her the space to move away if she chose to, but she didn’t.

Their lips met softly at first, uncertain. A gentle kiss, tasting of sorrow and every unsaid word. But when her hand gripped the front of his shirt, pulling him closer, it deepened. It was so urgent and needy.

Like they were trying to fill the silence that had stood between them for weeks.

He lay beside her, careful with every movement, as if afraid she would vanish if he held her too tightly. She traced his jaw with her fingertips, her breathing uneven.

"I still hate you," she whispered.

"I know," he murmured against her skin. "But I promise I will not leave you alone."

They kissed again slowly. Her hands tangled in his hair, and he wrapped his arms around her like he was trying to be one with her. Her body responded to his touch. Her skin tingled and her body trembled under his touch.

Her hands reached for his hair and she held him tightly as if needing an anchor. When he let her go, her forehead rested on his. She inhaled her breath as if she was starving for it.

"Natalie! i ..." she covered his lips with her hands and shook her head. Though he did not say it, she heard it already.

"Don’t make promises you can’t keep," she said, her voice barely audible in the dark. But he could hear her fears in it.

"I am not," he replied softly. "Just tonight, let me hold you. I will prove myself to you soon." Nat looked away, ignoring his words. But she did not pull him away from her touch. She leaned on him. And in that moment, he knew what his heart wanted!

She knew he could not let go of Lisa, because of his guilt. So she should let go. But tonight, she needed him, tomorrow, she would leave him for forever because she did not want to be a homewrecker after coming this far. She had a child, an anchor she needs in her life.

She closed her eyes and nodded and he laid behind her while hugging her waist. Tonight, she was his and he was hers. Tomorrow, he will make sure this night never ends.