Chapter 38b

Maximus

I didn't notice that I fell asleep, and when I woke up, Sarina was still in her slumber. We had not changed our clothes. I'm worried she might feel itchy later, but she was holding me so tight last night that I could not get up to change her.

I went straight to the bathroom to shower. Knowing my wife would wake up late, as she had before, I ordered breakfast so it would be ready when she woke up. I was already dressed and had called room service, so I went to wake Sarina.

"Have you been up long?" she asked, still sleepy.

"Not really." I wanted to kiss her, but I wasn't sure if it was okay. Not because she hadn't brushed her teeth yet, as she had complained about before, but because of what she had gone through last night. "Does it still hurt?" I asked as I sat beside her on the bed, gently touching her slightly bruised cheek. My jaw hardened, thinking how painful it was. How dare that bastard do that to my wife?

"Not really," she replied softly, but I could hear her clearly. "