Keira Leaf watched his retreating figure, unsure of how to begin speaking. She had never imagined Max Sully would confess his love for her; she had always considered herself merely a charge entrusted to her by Alice Smith. She hadn't even fulfilled that role adequately. She promised Alice to treat him as her own younger brother, but in the end, all she did was have Joshua Sulliven take care of him, helping him out with some troubles and sending a few professional doctors over.
Keira Leaf supported herself on the railing and descended the staircase slowly, step by step. Without Joshua there to lift her skirt hem, she had to walk very cautiously, her mind still reeling from Max Sully's sudden confession.
She didn't know if she would have fallen for Max if she had met him before Joshua, but what she did know was that her heart nowadays was already filled to the brim with that domineering yet tender man, with no room left for anyone else.