Byron paused, then spoke with a hint of sarcasm. "Do you think everyone panics as easily as you? Instead of verifying the truth, you just lose your head." Maeve's face flushed crimson.

"I just didn't have time to think! I was afraid he might have taken those photos without my knowing."

The hidden camera incident had left her wary of anything doll-related. After this, she'd probably be too scared to accept any packages.

"He?" Byron raised an eyebrow, feigning casualness. "You know who did this?"

Maeve bit her lip. "It was my ex-boyfriend."

She had noticed Jeff's name on the package while cleaning up. The landlord had mentioned its arrival two days prior—the same day she and Byron had their car accident. She thought, Jeff must have been in a foul mood after being chewed out by Mr. George and decided to take it out on me.

Maeve's mood soured. She thought, How long will this go on? Does he really think I'm someone he can just push around? I need to find a way to completely rid myself of this ticking time bomb, Jeff…

After showering, Maeve climbed into bed, still feeling down. She had just lain down when she sat up, realizing something.

"Mr. McDaniel, I think I forgot to help you wash up today," she said.

Byron glanced at her bandaged hand and replied coolly, "Not today. Just go to sleep." He thought, You can barely take care of yourself, and you want to help me?

Since it was cold, Maeve decided to lie back down. After a while, she turned to face him, her eyes lingering on his sharply defined profile in the warm light. She couldn't help but get lost in thought.

She recalled Karen saying she and Byron were childhood friends who had fallen out. But when she walked into the hospital room earlier, the atmosphere between them seemed calm and pleasant. She thought, Have they made up? If so, it won't be long before Mr. McDaniel asks me for a divorce, right?

Maeve felt a pang of inexplicable sadness.

"What are you staring at?" Byron noticed her gaze. His dark eyes locked onto hers, a hint of something unreadable in them. He thought, She's sneaking glances at me again. Doesn't she ever get tired of it?

Maeve wanted to ask about his divorce plans, but saw no point. They both knew the marriage wouldn't last. There was no need to push the issue; it was better to pretend she knew nothing about him and Karen, at least to maintain the surface-level harmony.

"Nothing. I was just curious about what you were doing."

Byron glanced down at his tablet's chat screen. The conversation showed him instructing Archer to leak news of Jeff's lost Graves Group shares—definitely something she shouldn't see. Byron casually changed the subject.

"Can't sleep."

"Well... a little," Maeve admitted.

Remembering Ray's USB drive of movies, Byron asked, "Want to watch a movie?"

At the mention of a movie, Maeve poked her head out from under the covers. "On your tablet? What are we watching?"

Instead of answering, Byron turned off the room's lights. Then, using a remote, he lowered a movie screen opposite the bed and turned on the projector.

Maeve watched in awe. She hadn't realized they could watch movies in the hospital room, with such high-end equipment. No wonder it costs so much to stay here… She thought, My bed is positioned sideways to the screen, making it a bit awkward to watch. I'll have to stay on my side the whole time.

Maeve whispered, "Mr. McDaniel, your bed is pretty big. Mind if I share a bit of space? The view from my bed isn't very comfortable."

Byron remained expressionless. "Do as you like."

Grinning, Maeve grabbed her pillow and blanket and moved to his bed, settling at the edge. She leaned back, feeling much more comfortable.

"What should we watch?" Byron asked.

"Anything's fine. I'm not picky," Maeve said with a contented smile. "I can't even remember the last time I went to the movies."

Byron casually selected a film and hit play. Hearing her, he raised an eyebrow slightly. "Never went with your ex-boyfriend?"

Actually, during their first movie date, Jeff had tried to get handsy, and when she firmly pushed him away, he'd probably felt too embarrassed to ask her out again. As the movie began, Maeve snuggled into her blanket, excited. "Let's not talk about that jerk. Let's just enjoy the movie." Byron's lips curled up slightly.

The movie started as a light, artsy drama. It followed a couple who went on a pre-wedding trip and ran into old college friends at a mountain lodge. The group decided to throw them a celebration, and the party lasted all night.

Just when Maeve thought it was a typical indie film, the screen suddenly turned crimson with blood, then went dark. The next morning, the groom was missing.

Maeve shrank back, her voice trembling. "Is this... a thriller?"

Byron glanced at the movie description. "Horror movie."

Maeve was speechless, thinking, A thriller would have been better. Maeve's face paled, but since the movie was already playing, it didn't seem right to ask to stop it. Besides, the overall vibe still felt pretty light. She thought, Maybe it won't be too scary… right?

That thought didn't last long. The movie quickly took a dark turn, with unsettling scenes—classmates dying in bizarre ways, bloody footprints, ominous shadows outside the windows. When only the bride and a guy who had a crush on her remained in the lodge, a sudden, loud knocking echoed through the room. Maeve was so on edge she felt like she really heard knocking, and not just from the movie.

"Knock, knock."

"Knock, knock, knock."

Suddenly, a real knock echoed on the hospital room door, eerily in sync with the movie. "Ah!" Maeve's nerves snapped, and she instinctively threw herself to the side, clinging to Byron.

At that moment, a nurse briskly entered. "Mr. McDaniel, is everything okay?"

She stopped short, seeing Maeve clinging to Byron, her face white as a sheet.

Meanwhile, Byron, holding her with his uninjured arm, said calmly, "How long do you plan on embarrassing yourself?"

Maeve froze, then saw the nurse's shocked expression—not movie ghosts. Embarrassment and shame washed over her.

Trying to save face, Maeve disentangled herself and pulled the blanket over her head. She thought, This is mortifying!

Byron's tense posture relaxed. He rubbed his temples and turned to the nurse. "What is it?"

"Uh, I-I'm here to check on your wounds," the nurse stammered, still recovering.

"Go ahead." Byron nodded.

The nurse quickly examined his injuries and hurried out. If it weren't for the confidentiality agreement she'd signed, she'd be dying to share this gossip.