Chapter 16 Chance of Choosing
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Maverick was known for his obsessive cleanliness. Everyone who knew him was aware of it.
His compulsion was so severe that even the sight of trash could set him off.
And yet, here he was, helping me sift through garbage.
I watched the man in front of me, my confusion growing deeper.
Stopping my rummaging, I couldn’t help but ask him, “Why?”
“Why what?”
Maverick didn’t understand at first, frowning as he looked up at me, his hands still moving.
“I mean, why are you being so nice to me after the divorce?”
He finally paused, taking a while before speaking again.
“There were things I didn’t see clearly before, but now I do.”
Maverick looked directly at me, speaking each word deliberately, “Stephie, I’m willing to forget everything that happened in the past. I hope you can too. If you’re willing to come back-”
“I’m just here to retrieve the gifts my parents gave me.”
I cut him off, lowering my head to continue searching.
The old Stephanie couldn’t live without Maverick, but that’s not me now.
“Stephie.”
Maverick wanted to say more, but my patience had run out.
“Call me by my proper name, Maverick.”
“I don’t understand. Just a few days ago, you weren’t like this with me. How can everything change so much in just a few days? You used to say you’d never agree to a divorce, but now you signed the papers so easily!”
Maverick suddenly exploded in anger, grabbing my hands, demanding answers. “Is it because of Yrian? Did he come back and you want to be with him, so you divorced me? Don’t think I don’t know; even as kids, he was always clinging to you-”
“Enough, Maverick!”
I stood up, ripping off my gloves and throwing them at him.
“Shut up! If you don’t want to destroy whatever image I have left of you, then shut up! Do you even know what you did? Are you that clueless?”
For his first love, we lost our child, and now he had the nerve to ask why I changed so quickly. It was absurd.
Maverick stood still, coldly watching me.
The atmosphere chilled to the core, broken only by the sudden ring of my phone.
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45 Free Coins
Chapter 16 Chance of Choosing
Coincidentally, it was Yrian calling.
He asked me out to dinner, and I agreed, telling him to pick me up.
“Please, just have the maid help find my things and ship them to me.”
I no longer wanted to step foot in this house.
Turning to leave, Maverick quickly followed. “Stephanie, I’m giving you one more chance, choose me or choose Yrian!”
He blocked my way. Maverick now looked like a child who had lost his favorite toy.
“Maverick, you know my personality. In the past, when I talked about divorcing you, it was always in jest because I loved you deeply. But now, we’re truly divorced, and I don’t love you anymore.”
Saying those words brought me a sense of relief.
“I need to use the bathroom.”
My hands and arms reeked of trash, so I went to the nearest bathroom.
Inside, a couple of maids were chatting.
“Mr. Stone’s been so irritable lately, always dissatisfied with the meals and the clothes we prepare for him each morning. What’s going on?”
“You don’t know?”
Another maid cleaning out the bathroom trash spoke mysteriously, “Mr. Stone misses Mrs. Stone. She used to cook his meals herself and chose his outfits and ties every morning.”
“No wonder! I saw him holding Mrs. Stone’s photo, sitting on the sofa until midnight the other night!”
“It’s strange. When Mrs. Stone was here, Mr. Stone stayed out late every night. Now he’s home early every day!”
They were so engrossed in their conversation they didn’t notice me standing at the door.
“So, do you think Mr. Stone loves Mrs. Stone or Ms. Brown?”
“Hard to tell, but given how cold he is toward Ms. Brown, probably not. Haven’t you noticed, every time Ms. Brown moves closer to Mr. Stone, he gets inexplicably angry?”
I was taken aback. Really?
Maverick got angry at Reagan?
His recent behavior had indeed changed, but that no longer concerned me.
I cleared my throat softly and turned on the faucet to wash my hands.
