Chapter 75 Chapter 75
Amelia
After spending hours with my parents and the girls, laughing and talking until my cheeks hurt, I finally drove back home. The road felt unusually quiet, my mind replaying the moment Harrington’s name had flashed on my dad’s phone. He hadn’t opened the message while I was there. He had brushed it off, saying Harrington was messaging him to bluff over how he had taken over the company. Still, the unease refused to leave me.
By the time I pulled into the driveway, it was already late. The garage light was on, and I could tell Maxwell was already back from the hospital. His Maybach was parked inside.
My heart tightened slightly as I stepped out of the car. Inside the house, the lights in the living room were on. Maxwell sat there alone, a glass in his hand. His head was tilted back, resting against the couch, his eyes fixed on nothing. He looked lost in deep thought, distant. He didn’t even notice me walk in.
I moved closer, slowly, and reached out, resting my hand lightly on his lap. He startled and looked up at me, surprise flashing across his face before it quickly disappeared.
“Is everything okay?” I asked softly. “Is your dad fine?”
Fear crept into my chest. I suddenly realized I hadn’t called to check in after getting caught up with the girls. Maybe something had gone wrong. Maybe that was why he looked like this.
He straightened, lifted the glass, and drank the rest in one go. “He will get better,” he said simply.
I nodded, still watching him closely. “How was the game?” he asked, his tone flat.
“It was fine,” I replied. Then I frowned. “You don’t look fine, Maxwell. Did something happen?”
His face remained unreadable, cold even. Before he could answer, my phone started ringing inside my bag. I didn’t need to check the screen to know it was probably my mom, calling to be sure I got home safely. I ignored it.
“Nothing happened,” he said after a moment. “The doctors said he will be fine. That’s all that matters.”
My phone rang again, louder this time, breaking the silence between us. “Pick your call,” he urged, his voice calm but firm.
I hesitated, still staring at him, feeling like there was so much he wasn’t saying.
I pulled my phone out of my bag and saw that it was Adrian calling. My heart skipped slightly. I glanced at Maxwell, silently debating whether to answer, but his eyes were already on me—sharp and unblinking, like a hawk watching its prey. Ignoring the call now would only make things worse, so I accepted it, trying not to look suspicious.
“Hey, sunshine. It’s been a while,” Adrian’s cheerful voice came through the phone. “How have you been?”
I cleared my throat, painfully aware of Maxwell’s stare. “I have been good,” I replied, my voice stiff and controlled.
“That’s nice to hear,” Adrian continued easily. “I don’t know what you did to my mom, but ever since she met you at the jewelry store, she hasn’t stopped talking about you.”
I shifted slightly where I stood. “We are having a family dinner next weekend,” he went on. “It’s her birthday, and she asked me to invite you.”
He paused, then added, “Would you like to be my date for the night? Please don’t say no.”
I bit my lower lip, my thoughts racing. “I am not sure yet,” I said carefully. “Let me check my schedule for that weekend, and I will get back to you.”
“Please try to be free,” he said quickly. “I already promised her I’d bring you.” His tone softened again. “Thanks, sunshine. I will call you tomorrow. Have a good night and rest well.”
The line went dead. I lowered the phone slowly.
“You have even met his mother,” Maxwell said coldly.
I glanced at him, my heart skipping. He had been listening. I was sure I had turned my phone volume down—how much had he actually heard?
“We met by coincidence,” I said quickly. “At a jewelry store.”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he placed the glass he was holding on the table with a sharp thud and turned away, heading toward the stairs.
“Maxwell—” I rushed after him and grabbed his hand before he could go any further.
He spun around, his eyes blazing. “I don’t see any reason to keep wasting my breath anymore,” he said harshly. “If it’s Adrian you want, then just say it. I confessed my feelings to you. I swallowed my pride and even begged you to go on a date with me, and you refused.”
His voice rose. “But now you are considering meeting Adrian’s family for dinner, as if you have forgotten that you’re a married woman.”
I snapped back, “You didn’t think you were married when you brought Camilla into this house to live with us. What about your ex-wife?” I demanded. “And don’t give me that bullshit excuse about there being a reason she’s here. What kind of stupid reason makes it okay to put your ex-wife and your current wife under the same roof?”
His jaw tightened, his anger exploding. “So that’s your excuse for fucking around?” he yelled. “Not with just anyone, but with my opponent?”
He stepped closer, his voice cutting and cruel. “Are you that desperate for sex and attention that you have lost your ability to think?”
The words hit harder than a slap, “I actually thought, for a minute, that you had changed,” I said, my voice shaking with anger. “But no, you are still the same stupid, misogynistic bastard who thinks he can control my life just because you forced me into marrying you.”
I stepped closer and hit his chest hard with my palm. “You will never have control over me, Maxwell,” I snapped. “Never.”
My chest rose and fell rapidly as the words poured out. “I will see whoever I want. I will sleep with whoever I want, because it is my body,” I said fiercely. “And there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.”
I opened my purse with trembling hands, pulled out the key to the car he had given me, and threw it at his chest. It hit him and dropped to the floor.
“If this is what makes you think you can control me,” I said bitterly, “then I’d rather trek to work every single day than accept anything from you.”
I turned to walk past him, my heart pounding, but he grabbed my hand suddenly and pulled me back against him. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me like he was afraid I would disappear.
“You are driving me crazy,” he said hoarsely. “I can’t think straight anymore.” His voice cracked. “Seeing you talk to other men, giving them attention—it makes me lose my mind.” He tightened his hold. “I am so sorry for talking to you like that.”
I struggled slightly against him. “Don’t blame your insecurities on me,” I shot back. “You don’t see me throwing tantrums every time you bring your women into this house, I—”
He didn’t let me finish. His mouth crashed against mine, cutting my words short.