The Unwanted Wife's Return (Ex-Husband Wants Me Back) novel Chapter 418

An Unexpected Comfort

MARY’S POV

I raised one eyebrow at him. “And raising your prices actually gave you more free time to rest?”

“It did the exact opposite, actually,” he chuckled softly. “Because they are paying such a ridiculously high price for my time, they feel even more entitled to hire me for every little problem. That kept happening until…”

“Until you started wearing a mask over your face?” I guessed with a small smile.

“Until I instituted a strict rule telling them that if they wanted me to show up in person, Hotch had to be standing right beside me.”

The two of us burst into a light laugh together. The cheerful sound echoed through the empty hospital corridor, feeling light, unexpected, and warm. For a brief moment, the suffocating weight of the night seemed to lift off my chest. I could feel the deep tension finally draining out of my tight neck muscles, and the sharp tightness in my ribs began to ease up.

I looked up at his face, really taking him in for the first time all night. I noticed the sharp, clean lines of his jawline, the subtle dark shadows sitting under his intelligent eyes, and the expressive way his hands moved through the air when he spoke. He was an undeniably handsome man, possessing a sharp, angular kind of attractiveness. But his good looks were not the main thing keeping my attention fixed on him.

What truly captured my attention was the gentle, focused way he was looking down at me.

He was not looking at me the way Alistair always did, looking right through me, past my shoulders, or around my head as if I were an invisible piece of stone. He was not looking at me the way strangers on the internet looked at me, with cruel judgment, disgust, and cold contempt.

Marl was looking directly into my eyes as if I were a real, valuable human being. He was looking at me like I was someone who genuinely mattered.

Once our laughter quieted down, I looked up into his face, my expression turning soft and serious. The momentary humor faded away, replaced by the heavy reality of everything he had done for me tonight.

“I really want to thank you,” I said, my voice quiet but completely sincere. “From the bottom of my heart, Marl. You have stepped up to help me so many times now. First at the police station, then at the hospital, and now out in the driveway tonight. I honestly do not even know how to express how truly grateful I am for your help. If there is ever anything I can do to repay you…”

Marl’s sharp expression softened completely. He slowly raised his right hand, his warm fingers gently brushing away a stray tear that had leaked down my cheek. I had not even realized I was crying until his skin touched mine. His touch was incredibly soft and careful, his warm skin pressing gently against my cold cheek. I could feel the light calluses on his fingertips and the gentle pressure of his hand resting against my face.

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“If you really want to thank me,” he whispered softly, “then stop crying.”

Our eyes locked together in the quiet hall.

I felt as though I were sinking deep into Marl’s dark eyes. They looked so dark, deep, and endless in the dim hospital light. He looked incredibly gentle, yet his intense focus was fixed entirely on me. I could see the tiny reflection of my own face sitting inside his dark pupils, looking small, pale, and vulnerable, trapped inside the depths of his gaze. The whole world around us seemed to completely melt away into nothing. The bright ceiling lights, the hard plastic chairs, and the distant hospital noises all faded away into background noise. There was only him and me standing together in the hallway, and the small space sitting between us suddenly felt impossibly tiny.

His hand was still resting gently against my cheek. My eyes were still locked onto his. Neither one of us made a single move to pull away.

Then, a loud, furious voice suddenly boomed through the empty corridor.

“What the hell do you two think you are doing?!”

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