After that outburst and out of the blue, very confusing apology from Max earlier in the morning, Sofia noticed for the rest of the day some extremely weird things. What topped the most was the entirely changed Max.

To make matters worse, he was behaving almost like a typical husband from the cliché movies and was attending to her every need.

"Here, drink this water and take the pills."

Sofia merely gaped at Max when he went ahead to help her with the task, holding the back of her head and tipping the glass a little at her gaping mouth. Wordlessly she swallowed the pills along with the soothing water.

"Are you hurting? Should I call the doctor?" Max panicked when Sofia crunched her face as her midriff throbbed while trying to move a little.

"Uh," Sofia exhaled as the throbbing subsided. "No, no. I guess it's supposed to hurt this little bit for a while. Nothing to worry about."

Seemed like, Max didn't quite like her explanation. "Of course you would say that." He pressed the button hurriedly beside her bed to call the nurse. "It is because you kept saying that is why you've ended up like this." Max gestured towards her lying form on the hospital bed.

Sofia pressed her lips into a thin line, controlling some nasty retorts because the nurse rushed in right then and checked what was troubling her patiently.

"It will ache this little bit while moving," said the nurse with an assuring smile. "With time the prescribed medication will help everything be alright,"

But Max seemed to not like what the nurse said. "But aren't the pain killers supposed to numb all the pain, as the doctor said?" he challenged.

The nurse nodded giving a glance towards Sofia. "Yes, but—"

"And we've come to the hospital so that she gets alright?"

"Of course—"

"Then fix her!" Max had his hands on his hips now, staring down at the wary nurse. "Make the pain go away."

Sofia raised a brow, her lips further pressed together into a straight line of frustration and disbelieve. "Max," she began in a controlled tone. "It will go away with time and medication as the nurse has said."

Max crossed his arms defiantly. "None of you are doctors."

And so the doctor was summoned while Sofia boiled in silent frustration. Then, even the doctor said the same thing as the nurse, and left commenting, "You have a very besotted husband, Mrs. Wilder."

Besotted husband, my foot!

Sofia glared at Max who was sitting with a blank face on the chair beside her bed. "What is the matter with you?" Sofia couldn't help but ask—more like demand.

"I'm just merely trying to look after you," Max explained looking at her briefly and then looking away.

"I don't need you to look after me," Sofia said through gritted teeth, wanting nothing but to be left alone at the moment.

Max said nothing more, but much to Sofia's irritation he kept on with his drama.

It was highly awkward and suspicious. Though it was probably a good change that Max was acting all concerned, she was quite certain that he had a hidden agenda somewhere. She could almost see the laid out trap for her. After all, his behavior was lenient before he had lured her into that crap of a party and had her bullied for his so called revenge, because he just couldn't move on.

The scars of his insults and the humiliation she had acquired in that hellish party were very much fresh within her till now. She would be damned if she gave him another chance to hurt her like that.

It was crystal clear to her by now that the creature named Max Wilder was unable to forgive and move on, refused to listen to others' side of the story or think beyond his own insane self. The result of his arrogant and selfish ways she could see every day in the mirror as the reflection of a woman married against her will, scorned by the society and hated by her own family.

Her family.

She felt her eyes welling up recalling her aunt's hateful words, Katherine's whipping remarks and the disappointed looks from all the others. None found her deserving enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. The final nail would be if she discovered her grampa was mad at her too.

She just hoped her old man was well now. Inwardly, she prayed for his good health. Heavens knew that she wouldn't be able to bear it should something happened to him. The doctor might have said grampa had a minor heart attack that day and that he was going to be alright, she still couldn't help but shudder with stress. One was bound to feel like this for their loved ones.

When all the stress and negativity were becoming too much to bear, she closed her eyes and sighed heavily, trying to distance herself from the immense pressure upon her heart. The tears, they were now like a prominent part of her but still they were known to be the sign of the weak, especially when enemies, like Max, were around. And therefore, she blinked those tears away, just as one blinks away dust from eye.

"Anything wrong?"

Everything was wrong!

Sofia opened her eyes but didn't look up at Max who had once again leaned in close to her as if that would help her with all the hurt and pain—both emotional and physical.

"If you're stressing about your grampa, then don't," he said, making her snap up her face to look at him. "He's been discharged from the hospital and is back home now, although he's strictly ordered to be in complete bed rest. But he's alright now, out of danger, recuperating."

With a long exhale of breath in relief she looked down at her hands. "How—"

"Our cousins," Max informed. "Neil's a self proclaimed news reporter now-a-days by the way."

Sofia had too many questions to ask, but she refrained herself from voicing them out. Her greatest concern was met with solace. Grampa was alright, what more could she want. Everything else was just less significant.

Silence grew in the room.

What felt like hours later, dinner was brought. The attendant's food was complimentary along with the patient's, which was a good thing, Sofia thought. It was not the case with the hospital they usually went to, but then again the hospital she preferred charged less.

By the looks of it, Max had brought her to an extravagant hospital. She was almost certain she would find a celebrity or two in the rooms near hers.

Now the question was what would become of the bill that this posh hospital was going to draw anytime soon?

Sofia watched as Max dragged the overbed table and served her food before her. She widened her eyes when he had her bed lift so that she was in a comfortable sitting position now. He was a flurry of activities around her, and it was while both of them still held the silence intact. She only broke it in urgency when he went ahead to cut the meat and loaf for her.

"I've got a damaged foot, not a damaged hand," she pointed out.

Max paused. Although thankfully he backed off without an argument. Sofia took over from there, head spinning slightly in amusement. She watched from the corner of her eye as Max moved away and settled on the sofa.

And while she ate she considered the idea if Max was possessed by a spirit somehow for him to be this way.

Nope. She didn't feel very good about this.

P.S. This chapter's cover was really fun to make. I so like looking at that stick figure holding the giant heart. lol...

Is anyone up for making funny covers? ;)