Love's Redemption (Chris and Maddie)

Chapter 320

For the next few days, I slept with Ellie.

I knew Brandon could handle it. He was the kind of person who could keep his composure even while holding me.

However, I wondered how he would manage once we got back.

After all, Ellie wanted us to live together after she left.

We stayed at her place for four days, which surprised me. I thought Brandon would rush to get her into surgery to treat her illness as soon as possible.

However, he didn't. Instead, he spent the days taking us fishing and the nights cooking gourmet meals.

Ellie and I enjoyed our time like princesses, indulging in a peaceful, almost idyllic life. If we stayed any longer, I might not want to leave. "Brandon, let's retire here when we're old. I feel like I could live to be 150 in this place." I sighed.

Brandon smiled. "Alright."

"I want to live to 150 years old too," Ellie said, now full of hope for her new life.

We made arrangements with Lisa so we could admit Ellie to the hospital as soon as we landed, but she wanted to see our house first.

Brandon wanted to tell her it was a rented place, but I stopped him because I didn't want her to feel guilty, thinking she was a burden on him who couldn't even afford a home.

"This house was left to me by my parents. It might be a bit old, but it's very comfortable," I said, trying to paint it in the best light.

Ellie turned to Brandon. “Bran, have you been living with her all this time? So, you two have been cohabiting for a while?"

She was quite mischievous. She even teased him.

Seeing him remain silent and gaze at me, I couldn't help but smile to myself.

"Maddie, your house is wonderful. I really like it. After I'm discharged from the hospital, can I stay here for

a while?" Ellie asked. She treated me like one of her own.

"You can stay as long as you like," I said, but then I remembered the place was due for demolition.

"But I won't stay here tonight," her words caught Brandon and me off guard.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked.

A shy blush appeared on her cheeks. "Bran, I've never been to a big city."

Both Brandon and I understood what she meant. Then, Ellie clung to my arm. "Maddie, it's not that I don't like your place, but I want to see what the big city I've only seen on television is like."

Upon hearing this, I realized that the idyllic life I had envied Ellie for was actually her prison. Brandon, in trying to protect her, had also confined her.

Ellie's longing for the bustling city reminded me of a line from a novel. It read, "Those inside the fortress want out, and those outside want in."

Brandon and I exchanged a glance. He gently tapped on her head, "How could you blame me for not bringing you out?"

"You never did! You refused to take me every time I asked," she accused.

I laughed. "It's because he met me too late. If he had met me sooner, you would have been here much earlier."

"Exactly, so you're my lucky star," she said while resting her head on my shoulder and playfully scrunching her nose at Brandon. "Bran, you fiave to be good to Maddie, or I won't forgive you." Most women worried about competing with their sisters-in-law for attention, but I was different. I was being pampered and protected by mine.

Brandon and I took Ellie into the city and showed her many places. We were concerned her body wouldn't keep up, but the city's vibrancy captivated her, and she didn't feel any fatigue.

As she enjoyed her ice cream amidst the vibrant neon lights of the night, I saw that her radiant smile had hidden the tears in her eyes.

"Maddie, I'd be content if I could live even one day like this in my lifetime."

Her words made my throat tighten with emotion.

At that moment, I understood that what she longed for wasn't a glamorous life but to experience life in its fullness. She wasn't hopeful about her future either.