Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 571:

Curiosity sharpened in Maia’s eyes. “Then tell me — what exactly caused it? Was it from an accident, or something more serious?”

Instead of answering immediately, Chris sank deeper into the couch, eyes drifting upward, as if the ceiling could somehow take him back. “A bullet,” he murmured, his voice detached, like he was recounting someone else’s memory. His fingers lifted, touching just behind his temple. “It went through the skull. Lodged close to the brainstem. They got most of it out, but… a fragment’s still in there.”

Maia inhaled sharply. “A bullet? You were shot?” Her hand shot out, clutching his as if trying to tether him to the moment. Her eyes brimmed with disbelief.

Chris let out a dry chuckle, unbothered. “Most people don’t make it through something like that. I got off easy — just a lifetime of headaches.”

The words hung in the air, but Maia couldn’t respond.

What kind of life had he lived?

Not long ago, Chris got injured because he was shot. It was the second time he’d experienced this. But wasn’t he just a driver? How had he come under fire not once, but twice?

crept between them,

shaky smile. “Let me guess. The first time you got shot, you were taking a bullet for

“No,” he said, his tone softer this time. “I was eighteen when it

again. Chris had only been eighteen when he

all these years

escape begins at

old scar on his head. She reached out, gently tracing it with her fingers. “So you’ve just been

I can, pop painkillers if it gets too bad, and lock myself away if the pain gets unbearable. That’s about it.” Chris replied in an offhand way, treating it like it was

chest, as if something vital had gone missing. “Did you

down. “I’ve met with top neurosurgeons from all over. Every single one took one look at my scans and

condition, but from understanding — no doctor would

a moment, she asked softly, “Has your headache gotten worse over

something dark flickering in his own. “Honestly, I’m lucky to even be here. I can