Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

"What is it?" I asked with a smile.

Ellie bit her lip. "Mae, is my surgery going to cost a lot of money?"

My heart skipped a beat at her question, worried she might change her mind because of the

cost. "No, it's not that much. And don't worry about the money. Your brother just got a new job as a technical engineer. His salary is quite substantial."

Ellie remained silent. I moved closer to her. There was a concept in psychology called the "proximity effect". It suggested that sometimes trust wasn't built through words but simply by stepping closer to

someone.

I gently stroked Ellie's long, silky hair. "The doctor performing your surgery is a senior of one of my friends. He's incredibly skilled. All you need to do is focus

on getting better. Once the surgery is over, you'll be healthy again."

"Mae." Ellie's eyes began to shimmer with tears. "You're so kind."

I smiled. "Of course. If I weren't, your brother wouldn't have liked me for so long."

you and

about the romance novels she loves to read, I said, "Once you're healthy, you can

red, showing that the

doesn't dream of love? That was probably why she read the same novel over

to look for Brandon. He wasn't in his room, and I couldn't find him in

Where did he go?

and looked around under the moonlight. In the distance, by the river,

used to be able to tell when Chris' car was approaching or recognize his footsteps from afar. Now, I can identify Brandon from a distance. When someone is

so lost in thought that he didn't

but softly said, "What brings

Why didn't you think it was one of the ladies around here who had a crush

even made me laugh at

would dare, and besides..." Brandon paused

a part of him, too. He can recognize

and stepped in front of him, looking at his face. "Why are you out here alone? Is

getting some-fresh air," he said, gazing at the lake. However,

his arms. "You're worried about Ellie,

didn't respond, confirming my