Chapter 1378


    Maja felt the restlessness within her subside as she admired the ring. In the quiet of the bedroom, she


    couldn''t resist ncing at it again and again.


    Though it didn''t send her heart racing, she could at least sleep now.


    She turned over and took another peek.


    Then turned again for yet another look.


    When Ian climbed into bed, he saw her fixated on the ring.


    He had finished his nightly routine, scrubbing off the day''s smell of smoke.


    With one arm, he enveloped her, preventing her from rolling around the bed any further.


    "It''s gettingte. Let''s get some shut-eye, okay? We''ve got that appointment with Dr. Herrington


    tomorrow, remember?" he said softly.


    Maja instantly stilled, nestling into his embrace.


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    "Ian, Dr. Herrington is a really good guy."


    "Uh-huh."


    "He saved me once, and he''s always been so kind."


    "Uh-huh."


    "He''s quite the genius too. Did you know he has an identical twin brother?"


    Ian, who had begun to doze, snapped his eyes open at this, staring at the ceiling.


    Realizing she might have said too much, Maja mped her mouth shut.


    "I''m rambling. Dr. Herrington said he doesn''t have one."


    "He said he doesn''t?"


    "Yeah."


    Ian turned to look at her, a small chuckle escaping him, "Clever Phelps, outsmarted by his own


    cunning, huh?"


    Maja felt uneasy, as if her pride had gotten the better of her. Was it because of the ring, was she too


    ted?


    ted?


    So she could still sense that hidden joy after all.


    "Maja, go on about the twin brother. So, they look exactly alike, but one has a mole on his earlobe and


    the other doesn''t, is that it?"


    Ian was incredibly sharp-minded. He had never considered the possibility of two Phelpses. Now,


    piecing the information together with what Augus had said about BK having two key figures, one B and


    one K, who were twin brothers often swapping identities, it made sense why no one had ever


    suspected anything.


    They had deceived the world, but were undone by a hypnotized, naive Maja.


    Ian felt likeughing, pulling her tightly into his arms.


    Her instructions were clear; she wasn''t to divulge anything rted to Phelps to anyone else. Her slip of


    the tongue was a result of the overwhelming impact of the ring. Even under hypnosis, she could still


    feel joy.


    Caught up in that emotion, her guard had momentarily faltered.


    Phelps probably hadn''t counted on that.


    His overly clever schemes had unwittingly handed Ian a crucial piece of information.


    Realizing her blunder, Maja fell silent.


    Ian propped himself up and kissed her fiercely, leaving her breathless.


    "Do you know what it means to wear this ring, Maja? It means you''re agreeing to start a family with


    me."


    Maja, who had been feigning indifference, suddenly opened her eyes wide, instinctively reaching to


    remove the ring.


    "I don''t want it then."


    But her attempt to take it off faltered. She looked at Ian, and he stared back, as if to witness her


    removing the ring.


    After what felt like an eternity, her pride getting the better of her, she murmured almost inaudibly, "You


    mentioned a mole, I didn''t notice that."


    "How did you know about the twins then?"


    "It''s just a feeling, I guess. Sometimes my mind feels so foggy, like I''m lost in a haze. Then suddenly, I


    realize that the Dr. Herrington I meet sometimes seems different. I can''t pinpoint what it is, maybe


    because I''m observing from a distance, so even the smallest change seems magnified a thousand


    times. Or maybe I just care too much about him. It''s like my whole world revolves around him, so I''m


    scrutinizing this central figure through a magnifying ss."