Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 1359

Maja felt the firm grip on her shoulder and the coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils.

In such a high-stakes environment, her brain was too overloaded to process much else. Phelps had taken a bullet for her, and almost by instinct, she was inclined to trust him.

With her rationality squeezed to the fringes, she noticed Phelps fidgeting with a ring on his finger.

The movement was swift, yet it seemed to flip a switch in her mind.

She felt like her consciousness was being steered by someone else's hand, blindly following him.

Phelps led her through the water, and after what felt like an eternal five hundred meters, they reached the shore.

Only then did he turn to look at Maja quietly.

"Remember this feeling," he said.

"What feeling?" Maja's heart was racing as she looked up at him, confused.

With a gentle touch, Phelps brushed away the damp strands of hair from her ear.

Maja frowned, unable to calm her racing heart.

"Dr. Herrington, is your shoulder okay?" she asked.

"It's fine. Let's head back," he said simply.

"Okay," she replied, following him with uneven steps. One moment she was worried about his injury, the next she was thinking of Ian.

But love felt like sand slipping through her fingers—the tighter she clenched, the quicker it seemed to vanish.

She wanted to resist that feeling, but Phelps's voice broke through her thoughts. "Maja, come here."

Her mind felt split in two, but she immediately moved towards him.

What she didn't know was that Phelps had been hypnotizing her for days.

Maja was a woman of strong will, not easily swayed by hypnosis alone, so he had used a drug as an auxiliary.

Since entering the villa, every breath she took was laced with the drug, except for the others who had an antidote—everyone but her.

Even in sleep, she felt exhausted, her rationality teetering on the edge as her resistance waned.

Phelps was a master hypnotist, and with the aid of the rare drug, it wasn't difficult to manipulate Maja.

Still, he was cautious, repeatedly testing and reinforcing his suggestions with gestures.

The accident had been part of his plan too.