Rising from the Ashes The Heiress They Tried to Erase

Chapter 574:

Chris didn’t respond right away.

After a beat, he lifted his gaze, eyes crinkling with a smirk of exaggerated defeat. “How about we stop competing over who had the worse past? Just once, let’s compare something that doesn’t involve near-death or a rap sheet.”

His voice dropped as he leaned in, eyes clouded by something darker.

Another inch closer, and the tension thickened.

With slow precision, his fingers reached for her face, brushing lightly across the soft curve of her lips. “If we’re comparing, why not see who gives in first?”

Before the words fully settled, he closed the distance and kissed her. This one held no hesitation. It was bold, fierce — a kiss that claimed rather than questioned.

Whatever doubts still lingered inside her were drowned in that moment, replaced by a flood of something warmer.

eyes fluttered shut, and her hands instinctively gripped his, clasping the fingers that held her steady. All the unrest that had made a home in her chest, every quiet fear, every ache

over the lake. The moon spilled its light

golden light across the walls, casting overlapping shadows that danced together like a

his arms, Maia was struck by a sudden, fierce belief — that if the world came at him with chaos, she could stand in its path and take the

Zoey had asked of her. It was also about rescuing a version of herself that she thought

on their way to the Primary Healthcare Center

new chapters at

while a crisp breeze swept gently

Chris, especially the clean lines of his profile. The warmth of his kiss still clung to her lips, sending a gentle pink hue to her cheeks. It felt almost impossible to believe

more relaxed. The change suited him, giving off an easy charm that felt

head as she watched him. “It wasn’t easy landing a slot with Dr.

my wife by my side, what’s there to be nervous about?” Chris said, flashing a slow, crooked

a true expert, widely respected across the region. Since he began practicing at the