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“Couldn’t you knock first, Jacob?!” Max snapped.

He immediately grabbed the blanket and covered Xena’s naked body. He looked annoyed, a far cry from the calm demeanor he had maintained in front of Xena until now.

Meanwhile, Xena was genuinely shocked by what Jacob had done. What on earth was going through that man’s mind? He had barged through the door without knocking, as though the room belonged to him. But all Xena could do was curse her husband silently in her head.

Max shot another sharp look at his best friend, who was still standing in the doorway. “What do you want?”

Jacob didn’t answer.

Instead, he strode into the room as though he saw nothing wrong with entering someone else’s bedroom without permission. But he had barely taken a few steps before Max raised his hand to stop him.

“Stay right there.”

Max’s voice was firm, bringing Jacob to an abrupt halt.

Max stood between them, making sure Jacob couldn’t simply approach the bed. He knew exactly what his best friend had just witnessed. And for a moment, he couldn’t ignore the fact that he had gone too far.

Jacob had indeed asked Max to take care of Xena until her memory returned. He had accepted the request, confident that he could handle the situation without causing any problems. But now Xena was in his bed, her body having just been in his arms, and damn it ... Jacob was standing right in front of them.

Could anything be crazier than this?

Max couldn’t deny that the situation was far from what he had originally imagined. There were boundaries he should have maintained, especially since Xena was still vulnerable after the accident.

But he also couldn’t undo what had already happened, let alone pretend he hadn’t wanted that closeness.

All he could do now was make sure Xena didn’t become the target of Jacob’s anger.

“Don’t look at her like that,” Max continued coldly. “My wife is uncomfortable with your behavior. You barged in without knocking, then stood there as though we were the ones who had done something wrong.”

Jacob clenched his fists.

His eyes moved past Max’s shoulder, trying to see Xena, who was still lying in bed with the blanket covering her body. The scene he had just witnessed kept replaying in his mind. Max and Xena. In the same bed. In a situation that left little room for misunderstanding.

He knew Xena was currently living with Max. He had even asked his best friend to take care of her until her memory returned. But seeing them actually sharing a bed made his chest burn in a way he didn’t want to understand.

“Max, I want to talk to Xena.”

“Then wait until she’s ready to talk to you.” Max picked up his bathrobe, which was lying near the bed, and put it on. “Now, get out.”

“I’m not talking to you, Max!” Jacob raised his voice slightly, his gaze still fixed on Xena. “I’m talking to her.”

Max didn’t answer immediately. He simply stared at Jacob coldly, as though giving him one last chance to realize he had crossed the line.

But Jacob ignored him. He looked at Xena again, this time with a mixture of anger and disbelief that he could barely conceal.

“What did you just do, Xena?”

Xena fell silent for a moment.

She looked at Jacob with an uncertain expression, still trying to process the anger he had suddenly directed at her. On the one hand, she wanted to ask what right Jacob had to scold her after what she had just witnessed in Hazel’s room.

However, she couldn’t do that. In front of Jacob, she still had to play the role of a woman who had lost her memory and knew nothing about her husband’s affair.

So Xena took a slow breath and tried to answer calmly. “Why are you angry?”

Jacob fell silent, as though he hadn’t expected Xena to ask him that.

“Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to share a bed with my husband?” Xena glanced briefly at Max before looking back at Jacob. “Max is my husband, isn’t he? You’re the one who said so, aren’t you?”

Jacob’s expression hardened instantly.

Xena tilted her head, putting on a confused expression that looked almost innocent. “Besides, aren’t you with your lover? Where is she?”

The question made Jacob’s jaw tighten even further. For a moment, he couldn’t answer. There were so many things he wanted to say, but every time he tried to open his mouth, he was reminded that he had been the one to put Max in this position in the first place.

He couldn’t possibly admit that he resented seeing Xena with his best friend without exposing his own lies.

Max noticed the change in Jacob’s expression. He had no intention of letting his best friend take out his jealousy on Xena when he had no right to feel that way.

“Enough, Jacob.” Max stepped forward slightly, blocking Jacob’s view once again.

“I’m dressed now. Let’s talk outside.”

Jacob looked as though he was about to refuse.

His fingers were still clenched into fists, and his gaze hadn’t left Xena. It was as though he was waiting for her to say something that would give him a reason to stay. But Xena merely pulled the blanket higher and looked at him with feigned confusion.

That only made Jacob even more irritated.

“Jacob.” This time, Max’s voice was lower but far more threatening. “We’re talking outside before I really lose my patience.”

Jacob finally let out a harsh breath. He turned and walked toward the door, though his steps made it clear just how angry he was.

Max let him leave first, but before leaving the room himself, he returned to the bedside.

“I’m sorry about my best friend,” Max said gently. He adjusted the blanket covering Xena’s body before continuing, “Take a shower and get some rest. I’ll ask the maid to bring you a snack.”

Xena fell silent for a moment, blinking in surprise at Max’s actions. Something felt strange about seeing how quickly the man could change, from someone so firm when dealing with Jacob to someone so careful when speaking to her.

Without realizing it, a question slipped from Xena’s lips. “Do you actually know what my favorite snack is?”

Max paused for a moment, then smiled faintly. He reached out to smooth a strand of Xena’s hair that had fallen near her cheek. His gesture was so natural, as though paying attention to the little things about her was nothing he needed to think twice about.

“French fries and soda,” he answered calmly. “But not too much soda this time. You need to drink more water.”

He then kissed Xena gently on the forehead.

“That’s all right, isn’t it?”

Xena didn’t answer immediately.

Her gaze lingered on Max’s face, so close to hers. She hadn’t expected him to know her favorite snack. Or ... did he really remember something so small? After all, they had only been living together for a few days. His thoughtfulness seemed simple, yet that was precisely what made her chest feel tight.

Why had she never received this kind of care from her own husband, Jacob?

“No,” Xena finally answered, almost in a whisper.

Max smiled once more. “All right. I’ll ask the hotel staff to prepare it.”

Before stepping away, he made sure once again that the blanket still covered Xena’s body, then walked out and carefully closed the door.

Outside the room, Jacob was still waiting with a gloomy expression. He had been thinking about what he had just witnessed. Yet the image of Max fixing Xena’s hair, kissing her forehead, and even speaking to her so gently remained vivid in his mind.

That behavior had seemed far too natural. Max treated Xena as though she were truly his wife, not merely someone entrusted to his care until her memory returned.

As soon as the door closed, Jacob immediately grabbed Max by the collar and pulled him closer.

“What did you do to my wife, Max?” he hissed irritably. “Did you touch her?”