The day had drained Maximo completely. He spent hours out in the field, even taking lunch there with the others. By the time he returned, the sound of music blasted through the house, loud enough to reach him from the first floor.

"What is she thinking?" he muttered, irritation rising. He had never cared for that kind of noise. Social gatherings were something he only endured when necessary. "Carolina..."

He headed upstairs, but the closer he got, the worse it became. The sound pressed against him, sharp and overwhelming. The damage from the fire hadn't stopped at his skin. The side that had suffered most reacted badly to loud noise.

By the time he reached the room, his vision blurred slightly. He pushed the door open, but the force threw him off balance.

The moment she saw him collapse, a scream tore out of her. Shock widened her eyes, and she rushed to turn the music off.

"Maximo!" she exclaimed. Without thinking, she pushed herself off the bed. The instant her injured foot touched the ground, pain shot through her, and she cried out again as she fell beside him.

Seeing her in pain wiped away his anger in an instant. Though still disoriented, he dragged himself closer.

"Are you... okay?" he asked, even as the question sounded pointless.

If she had been fine, she wouldn't be in tears like that.

"What about you?" she asked, her hand rising to rest against his face.

He didn't pull away. Instead, his fingers closed over hers, holding it there as he met her gaze. Her eyes were still wet, but there was something in them he didn't expect. He pushed the thought aside almost immediately.

Why would she care about him?

Still unsteady, he forced himself up and gathered her from the floor. He carried her back to the bed, set her down, and then dropped beside her, letting his body sink into the mattress.

"Don't play... loud music," he said, his voice strained. She stared at him, confused by the request.

"Does it hurt you?" she asked, watching his expression closely. The tension in his face hadn't gone unnoticed. He had collapsed, after all.

His hand lifted and pressed against the side of his mask, right over his ear.

"I can't deal with loud noise."

The words left him before he could stop them. A flicker of regret followed. Now she knew.

"How's your foot?" he asked, shifting the focus away from himself. Her gaze dropped to it, and she winced.

"It hurts now."

"You're unbelievable. Why did you even step down?"

She stared at him, disbelief clear on her face, before twisting her lips into a mocking expression.

"I thought you were supposed to be intelligent. Now I'm starting to question that."

"What... What exactly are you trying to say?" He straightened, irritation rising fast.

"You're jumping to ridiculous conclusions. I don't know what goes on in that head of yours, but sometimes it really doesn't seem to work. Maybe I should start calling you incompetent."

She meant it lightly, but he didn't take it that way. In a sudden move, his hand came up and caught her chin, holding it tighter than necessary.

"I'm not incompetent."

Her eyes narrowed, and she pushed against his hand, though it didn't make a difference.

"Let go of me," she snapped. "You're so rough."

His gaze drifted over her, and the marks he had left behind caught his attention.

"Like you don't enjoy it," he replied, pulling her closer with a faint, knowing smile.

Her eyes dropped to his mouth, and that only made his expression shift further. Then something clicked in his mind. He had been carrying that thought all day without realizing it.

"Carolina," he called out, suddenly stepping back. "You still haven't seen a doctor."

Confusion crossed her face at once.

"What are you talking about?"

His fingers dragged through his hair in frustration.

"You got injured and didn't see a doctor. I brought you here, and still nothing? Not even once?"

A few more curses slipped under his breath before he turned and walked out. Only then did it hit her. She hadn't even thought about it. Her mind had been elsewhere, caught up in everything about him. She had even blasted the music earlier just to push those thoughts away.

Moving quickly, Maximo went downstairs. His phone had no charge, so he headed straight to the office. He never kept one in his room on purpose. It forced him to get up and stay disciplined.

"Is everything alright, sir?" Dolores asked when she saw him.

"I need to call the doctor."

"Oh... sir, I'm sorry. I completely forgot," she said, guilt evident in her voice. She had assumed he would handle it, and the thought slipped past her.

"It's fine. It was my responsibility."

He picked up the phone and made the call. The doctor who had treated him before answered.

"Dr. Claudio, it's me. I need you to come over. My wife injured her foot."

"You're married now? Well, congratulations." the doctor asked, surprise clear in his tone. "I'll be there soon. I'm just finishing with a patient, then I'll head to the farm."

"Thank you."

The doctor arrived in less than an hour. His skin carried an olive tone, his eyes slightly narrow, and his hair was kept short. He stood tall, though still noticeably shorter than Maximo.

"Come in, doctor. She's upstairs."

He led him to the room. The moment the man stepped inside and saw Carolina, his expression shifted, losing its color.

"Hello." She greeted him with a gentle smile.

She had changed into sweatpants and a loose blouse. Maximo noticed it right away and felt satisfied. At least she wasn't wearing anything that drew attention to her figure.

"That's better." He pondered. "No one else needs to see."

Still, it didn't seem to matter. The doctor moved closer, and something in his demeanor changed. Maximo only picked up on it when the man touched Carolina's ankle and let out a quiet breath. His movements stayed careful, professional on the surface, yet there was something off about him.

"Everything alright, doctor?" Maximo asked, his tone tightening. "He better not try anything."

"Yes, of course," the man replied, clearing his throat. "I don't think anything is broken, but it would be best to confirm at the hospital. An X-ray should make things clear."

"I see."

Maximo's eyes shifted to Carolina, a slight frown forming. That meant another trip into town.

"If you'd like, I can take her myself. I know you're not fond of going out."

Maximo's gaze locked onto him, steady and unyielding.

A tight smile appeared on his lips, but Carolina caught the tension beneath it.

"I'll handle it. She's my wife. Whether I like leaving or not doesn't matter. I'll be the one taking her wherever she needs to go."

The doctor swallowed and shifted his eyes toward Carolina. That small movement only made Maximo's irritation grow.

"Bastard!" He thought. Their marriage might not have been built on love, but that didn't change anything. She was still his. And the way the doctor looked at her made his intentions clear. Maximo knew that look well. He had worn it himself before.

"Of course, Mr. Castillo," Claudio replied, forcing a polite smile. "Would you like to go now?"

"We'll go tomorrow morning," Maximo answered. "She's already worn out. I'll take her then."

"Alright," the doctor said. Without wasting another second, Maximo stepped toward the door and called out, "Dolores."

"Please escort Dr. Claudio out. I'll stay here with my wife."

Dolores didn't miss the tone behind his words. A quiet smile tugged at her lips as she turned to the doctor.

"This way, please."

The moment the doctor stepped out, Maximo shut the door with a sharp slam. The force of it echoed through the room. Carolina stayed quiet, still trying to make sense of what had just happened. At first, the two of them had seemed almost cordial, and then, without warning, his mood shifted.

He turned toward her.

"That bastard..." he muttered. In a few strides, he closed the distance, gripping her hair and pulling her face up. "Did you like what you saw?"

She stared at him, clearly lost, then glanced at the door before looking back at him again. Was he losing his mind? Could this really be jealousy?

"You mean... the doctor?"

"Who else would I be talking about?" he replied. Something in his expression caught her attention. Beneath the anger, there was something else. It almost looked like unease.

"I don't even get where this is coming from. He checked my ankle, you got upset, and now you're asking if I liked how he looks? Honestly, I feel like I'm starting to think the same way you do, and that's not a good sign."

His grip tightened slightly, pulling at her hair just enough to make her react. A sharp edge appeared in his eyes.

"Don't twist things around. Just answer me. Did you like him?"

Her hand moved to his, and she pinched him. A faint reaction crossed his face, but he didn't release her. She pinched him again. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Giving you a response that makes just as much sense as your question," she said evenly. The words made him pause. It hit him then. He was accusing her over nothing. Her attention hadn't lingered on the doctor at all.

Slowly, his hand shifted from her hair to her neck, and he let out a breath.

"Sorry. I just... don't like seeing someone else look at what's mine." Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"And me?" she asked. "Am I something you own?"

"Of course you are," he responded without hesitation, reaching for her hand. Then he noticed. There was no ring.

His expression changed instantly. "Where's your ring?"

"What ring?" she asked.

Maximo's eyes dropped to his own hand, then shifted to hers, then back to her face. Color rose across his features, but it wasn't anger this time.

"I don't usually miss things like that... Wait here."

Without another word, he turned and left. She stayed where she was, staring at the space he had just occupied.

Moving fast, he went downstairs and nearly collided with Dolores.

"Sorry."

"It's alright, sir. Do you need anything?"

"No... I just..." He didn't finish. He rushed past her, heading straight for the office. Once inside, he shut the door and went straight to the safe.

He hadn't given the wedding any real thought, and because of that, the rings had slipped his mind entirely. When he opened the safe, the small box wasn't there. Then it came back to him. He had left it in the desk.

"What's wrong with me?" he muttered as he pulled open the top drawer. The box sat there, untouched. He picked it up and opened it, but his expression darkened the moment he saw what was inside.

He had told his assistant in the capital to handle it. Buy the rings, send them over. He hadn't even bothered to check them himself.

"Damn it," he said under his breath. They were plain. Too plain. At the time, he hadn't cared. He didn't want the marriage. He didn't care about her. His father had warned him she had expensive tastes, so he had asked for the simplest set, almost out of spite. Now, standing there with the box in his hand, the thought didn't sit right anymore.

"I can't give her this." He leaned forward, bracing his hands against the desk, his head lowering slightly.

It wasn't about love. Still... giving her something like that felt wrong.

"For heaven's sake, you're already paying her for everything. What difference does a cheap ring make? She's already received enough. She's playing you. Don't fall for it. She lives off this kind of arrangement." He drew in a steady breath, forcing those thoughts into place before heading upstairs with the small box in hand.

If she didn't like it, that wasn't his problem.

Back in the room, he walked straight to her and held the box out. Carolina took one look at it and frowned.

"What is this supposed to be now?" she asked, her tone edged with irritation.

"Those are the rings."

"Oh..." she said. His patience snapped.

Without waiting, he opened the box, took one of the rings, and grabbed her hand. Her fingers were slender as he slid the ring into place.

She lowered her gaze to it.

The design was simple. Plain, even. But it didn't bother her. She had never cared much for expensive things. To her, the meaning mattered more than anything else. The ring wasn't about its value. It was proof that she was married.

"Thank you," she said, offering him a small smile.

His brows pulled together.

"You're not going to say anything about it?"

"Say what?" she asked.

"About me? About you? No. You mean the ring, don't you?"

"If you're just going to be rude, then you can leave," she replied, gesturing toward the door.

"This is my room."

"You're the one who brought me here. And that was your choice."

They held each other's gaze in silence. After a moment, he drew in a slow breath.

"You're really something, you know that? Dealing with you takes more patience than I expected."

A sharp laugh left her.

"You? Patience? I'm the one who needs that. You switch moods faster than anyone I've ever met."

"So now I'm unstable? Is that what you're saying?"

"If that's how you see it," she replied with a shrug.

"What a woman. She doesn't hesitate at all."

Yet something about that didn't bother him. She didn't flinch around him. She didn't pull back the way others did. She never had.

He slipped his own ring onto his finger, then stepped closer to her.

"You belong to me, Carolina. Don't forget that. And remember what you just said... I'm not exactly easy to deal with."

Without waiting for a response, he turned and left.

An hour passed before he came back, intending to clear the tension between them. When he reached the room, he stopped. She sat there with headphones on, completely absorbed in a video call. A smile lit up her face, and for a moment, he couldn't even make out what she was saying. Fragments reached him. "I'll love it..." "You're so kind..." "That sounds perfect..."

Without thinking, he moved forward and took the phone from her hand. The screen revealed who she was talking to. His gaze lifted to her face. Her brows drew together immediately.

"Hey! I'm talking to—"

"What do you think you're doing?" he snapped. In the next second, he threw the phone to the floor.