Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase Novel

Chapter 762: By the time she arrived at Elysium Apartments, a pulse of anticipation stirred beneath her skin. It was already late - Chris should have been home by now, no matter what had delayed him. With deliberate slowness, Maia slid the key into the door, almost holding her breath as she stepped inside - only to find the apartment steeped in darkness. There was no trace of Chris. Maia's heart sank, heavy with unspoken worry. Switching on the light, she caught the faded aroma of the dinner she had prepared, now left untouched - a quiet testament to how long she had been waiting.

A weary sigh slipped from her lips as she collapsed onto the sofa, hands kneading the tension from her temples. Worry gnawed at her - was Chris caught up in trouble? Yet beneath that anxiety, a deeper hurt threatened to surface, one she struggled to ignore. Never before had he failed to keep a promise, let alone left her without even a single text. Even if his phone had died, surely he could have borrowed a charger somewhere, sometime before now. Was this what it felt like to be taken for granted?

Though her heart had grown resilient after Vince, moments like this revealed just how vulnerable she still was. Her thoughts blurred, exhaustion gradually sweeping over her. She reclined against the cushions, eyes fluttering shut, until sleep crept in, quiet and slow. She had no sense of how long she had been waiting when, all at once, the faint sound of footsteps echoed just beyond the door, followed by the quiet click of a key turning in the lock. Startled awake, Maia blinked away the fog of sleep, her gaze instantly fixed on the entrance.

As the door creaked open, a tall, familiar silhouette stepped inside, illuminated only by the faint spill of light from the hallway. Ł@Ŧé$† Çäþŧεяş íπ ĠalπoνεlŞ.cø₥ Maia's eyes drifted to the wall clock without conscious thought. The hour hand had already swept past four in the morning. Straightening on the sofa, she folded her arms and watched in silence as Chris walked through the door. Light flooded the room as he flicked the switch. Chris stopped short when he spotted Maia on the sofa, surprise flickering across his features before his brows drew together.

"Why are you sleeping out here?" Maia lifted her chin, her cool gaze scanning his disheveled hair and dirtied sleeves. Her voice carried a sharp chill. "You finally decided to come home?" Noticing Maia's displeasure, Chris hesitated briefly before approaching her. He crouched down beside her, meeting her eyes directly. "I'm sorry I made you worry. It's my fault for not returning on time." All the words Maia had rehearsed seemed to crumble against his simple apology. Several heartbeats passed before she found her voice again, irritation still sharp in her tone.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you tonight? Couldn't you at least have sent word if something came up?" Chris stilled, his expression tightening. "Something unexpected happened, and my phone got damaged. There was an emergency I had to handle, and I couldn't reach you." The question slipped out before Maia could stop herself. "What kind of emergency?" . . .