Chapter 550: Affectionate and Heartless 5
For the first half-month after waking, Maisie Joyce focused on gradually readjusting to her life.
She had been lying in bed for two years. Although she’d been meticulously cared for, her physical functions had inevitably deteriorated.
Her limbs were weak. At first, she could only manage liquid food. Her mind felt sluggish, she could only speak in short phrases, and she had to pause to process what others were saying… There were so many problems. ‘But compared to turning into a monster or dying,’ she thought, ‘this is the best possible outcome!’
Since she woke up, Claire Chapman had been by her side constantly.
He created a daily schedule for her, massaged her limbs, cooked for her, fed her, and even helped her bathe, get dressed, and manage her personal needs. It was as if they were an ordinary couple weathering a storm together.
But they weren’t. Not really.
Maisie Joyce couldn’t quite describe the feeling in her heart.
Fortunately, her brain wasn’t up to the task of thinking about it right now, so she decided to just go with the flow and not dwell on it.
When he helped her, she accepted it peacefully, then smiled and said her thanks.
Today, she finally received Levi Young’s go-ahead to start trying to walk.
Utterly fed up with being cooped up in her room, she gave in to a whim and asked to do her physical therapy outside.
Claire Chapman readily agreed, carrying her out into the courtyard.
She knew she was living in Bloodfall’s experimental zone. Paige Summers and a few of her friends who had remained in Bloodfall had come to visit over the past few days, telling her bits and pieces about the changes in the outside world. But… she glanced around at the plants covering the wooden trellises. They were well-pruned but still incredibly lush. Confused, she asked, “So many plants?”
Claire Chapman smiled, understanding her unasked question. “Concordia doesn’t need to eat mutated plants anymore. These are all ornamental. Don’t worry, there’s no danger of them mutating and becoming aggressive. To be honest, they’re all Andy’s test subjects. He recently made some progress in his research on weakening plant mutations, so he brought a whole batch back to experiment on.”
“Oh, they’re pretty.”
They really were pretty.
Even though they were test subjects, they had been planted like any other normal plant. They covered the trellises overhead and on both sides, and combined with the stone path underfoot, it looked like an elegant forest trail or a shaded garden veranda. Just walking in was enough to lift one’s spirits.
A faint smile escaped Maisie Joyce’s lips.
She was discovering that since her injury, her mental capacity seemed to have shrunk considerably. The part that remained struggled with complex matters. Instead, she found she had learned to simply appreciate things.
Appreciating her own leisure, appreciating the company of others, and even appreciating these green plants that once would have seemed useless.
“Thank you!” she said earnestly, turning her head to face Claire Chapman, who was supporting her with an arm half-wrapped around her.
‘Thank you for saving me. Thank you for bringing me here. And thank you for taking such meticulous care of me for the past two years!’
Claire Chapman easily read her unspoken words and smiled as well.
“Don’t thank me.”
‘I did it all because I wanted to. I’m just afraid you’ll think I’m not good enough.’
Maisie, however, couldn’t decipher the meaning behind his complicated gaze. She tilted her head slightly. “Are you feeling guilty? You don’t have to.” She thought for a moment before adding, “It had nothing to do with you.”
Claire Chapman looked at her, silent.
‘Guilty?’
‘Maybe a little.’
‘But not because she was injured.’
‘It’s because I can never love her most of all, yet I’m greedy enough to want to be the one she loves most.’
“Let’s head back.” He gave a slight smile and lifted her into his arms. “You can’t walk for too long when you’re just starting. You’ll have plenty of time to explore later.”
Just as he’d said, it wasn’t long before she had all the time in the world. Ten days later, she could walk into the courtyard on her own, without him needing to accompany her. She could sit as long as she wanted, enjoying the green, plant-filled corridor.
Levi Young said she was recovering even faster than he’d anticipated. After all, she was just an ordinary person now. Without a superpower, her body naturally wasn’t as robust. But she knew that with or without a superpower, she was still Maisie Joyce—the same strong-willed woman who refused to lose control of even her own body.
But during her physical therapy, she also came to realize something else: she was an ordinary person now.
Accepting it wasn’t too difficult.
She still held on to the same thought she’d had when she first woke up: being alive was better than anything else.
She wanted to see the end of the apocalypse.
She wanted to see humanity welcome a new century.
‘I’ve missed out on so much,’ she now thought. ‘How could I be satisfied without enjoying every last bit of it?’
A month and a half later, Maisie Joyce moved out of the experimental zone. Aside from some strenuous tasks, she could now take care of herself completely. She refused Claire Chapman’s offer to move into his place, opting instead to live in her own apartment.
The apartment was in a building provided by Bloodfall City for its ordinary citizens. They were three- or four-story buildings, like dormitories, with many units sharing a long hallway. But once inside her front door, the apartment was fully equipped with a living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and even a storage room and a small balcony. She found it all novel and interesting.
About fifty square meters of space. More than enough for one person.
In a way, she was getting a special deal.
Living in an apartment like this required contribution points. She had none, but she got one anyway.
Paige Summers told her it had been acquired with Claire Chapman’s contribution points. She said Maisie deserved it and shouldn’t worry about it.
Paige Summers also said that once she was fully recovered, if she wanted to return to Southreach, that wouldn’t be a problem either. Paige would arrange it for her.
Maisie Joyce knew what she meant.
Paige Summers was reassuring her that if she didn’t want to be with Claire Chapman anymore, no one would forcibly stop her; she had the full right to decide.
But she also knew that, in the end, Paige Summers wasn’t doing this for her, but for Claire Chapman.
So she just smiled.
She said it was best to think about these things once she was fully recovered.
“Of course. You focus on getting better. There’s no need to rush anything.” Paige Summers’s parting words seemed to carry a hidden meaning.
Maisie Joyce didn’t ignore it, but she didn’t think too deeply about it either.
‘Whatever happens, happens…’
Claire Chapman didn’t object to her insistence on living alone. However, the day after she moved in, he showed up with his own bedding and made himself at home, clearly planning to camp out on her living room floor for the foreseeable future.
Maisie Joyce watched him place his bedding on the small sofa. He then stood before her, and for some reason, she thought she could see something akin to a sense of grievance in his eyes…
‘I guess it’s finally time we talked,’ she thought.
Motioning for him to sit, she said, “I’ve told you before, it wasn’t your fault I got hurt. I made a mistake. It had nothing to do with you. So my current situation isn’t your problem, and I don’t need your pity or sympathy. You understand that.”
Claire Chapman’s eyes widened slightly. “Do you think I’d be with you out of pity or sympathy? Then and now, I’m doing this simply because it’s what I want to do!”