Chapter 4
I didn't even know why he was stunned.
As for me, I'd never seen a guy this hot before.
Not gonna lie, Xavier was already easy on the eyes.
But honestly, Xavier was barely a third as handsome as the guy standing in front of me.
It was the vibe. He had a whole different vibe.
Just standing there, even his side profile was enough to make my heart skip a beat.
I caught myself licking my lips without even thinking.
"Um..." I stammered.
Maddox glanced at me. "Yeah?"
"I-I got lost. Could you help me out?" I stammered.
Maybe it was because I hadn't seen a guy this good-looking in ages, but my mind went totally blank.
Maddox looked me over with a distant, almost indifferent gaze.
In the end, he pointed off to the right, barely looking at me.
"Over there. You can leave," Maddox said.
"Uh, t-thank you," I mumbled, still flustered.
I kept walking for a while before it dawned on me. I probably shouldn't have wandered off like that.
The farm Leonard brought me to was so far out that I couldn't get out on foot. I'd be stuck here forever before I made it anywhere.
But if I tried to head back, I was totally lost. I couldn't even figure out which way to go.
And if I happened to bump into Leonard again, that would be a whole new level of trouble.
When I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, a car horn sounded behind me.
A Bentley pulled up slowly, and behind the window was that same guy from earlier.
Maddox didn't know why he suddenly stopped, but seeing me standing there, looking all helpless and awkward, he ended up opening the door for me anyway.
"Get in. I'll take you back," he said.
I slid into the passenger seat without hesitation, mumbling, "Thank you so much."
Maddox's eyes darkened a bit, but he didn't say anything.
On the way back, he drove in silence.
I glanced at my phone. It was already ten at night, and Xavier still hadn't sent me a single message.
On my social media feed, Susan was posting more photos of their hangouts.
Xavier was practically glued to her side. If someone didn't know any better, they'd probably think they were a couple.
I let out a deep sigh, feeling lost and wondering if there was any point left in holding onto this marriage.
My mind was a mess, so I glanced at the guy next to me. He looked so calm. And before I knew it, I blurted out my question.
Maddox raised an eyebrow. "You're asking a total stranger about marriage?"
"Sometimes, strangers see things clearer than the people around you," I said.
He smiled, not really agreeing or disagreeing.
After a while, he finally said, "If you ask me, I think you haven't figured out what you really want yet."
I froze, stunned.
Damn, this guy was ruthless.
I honestly didn't know what I wanted.
My parents were always busy running their business, and they had a son—my little brother.
They dumped me at my grandparents' place when I was little.
Honestly, nobody cared about me. Everyone wished I'd stay out of their lives.
After my grandparents passed away, my parents didn't ask me to move back in. They bought me an apartment in Sunnyvale and told me to live there on my own.
I didn't really care what major I picked. I went with whatever.
I married whoever was convenient, without much thought.
Because no one ever told me what life was supposed to look like.
Now, with a few words, this stranger stripped away all my pretenses and saw right through the emptiness in my life.
For some reason, my nose prickled. My voice wobbled as I asked, "So... what do you think I should do?"
Maybe my voice was so shaky that Maddox kept glancing at me, like he could tell I was about to cry.
He said, "If you're not worried I'm some creep, grab yourself a fishing rod and come back here tomorrow."
By the time he finished talking, we were already downstairs in my apartment.
Before I got out, he handed me his phone number.
When I added him, his profile name said "Maddox".
His profile was pretty bare, with only a single photo of the ocean.
The caption said: [You're always in my heart.]
Honestly, it felt pretty lonely.
Feeling grateful, I went out the next day, grabbed all the gear I needed, and spent over an hour on the bus to get back to the farm.
He must've given them a heads-up, because as soon as I showed up, someone came over to greet me.
After being shown around for a while, I finally found Maddox fishing again.
He was dressed in black casual clothes, sitting among the wild grass. And somehow, even the weeds looked elegant with him there.
I walked over quietly, and Maddox glanced at me, his brows faintly furrowing.
"Stella," he said, his voice calm.
"Yes," I replied.
"Straighten your back. You look great. Why are you so unconfident?" Maddox said.
Under his serious gaze, I instinctively pulled my shoulders back.
"Uh. S-sorry, sir," I stammered, feeling awkward.
"I'm Maddox Richmond," he replied.
"Sorry, Mr. Richmond," I mumbled, still flustered.
Maddox sighed, tapped his cheek with his tongue, and jerked his chin toward the chair beside him.
"Go sit over there and get your rod set up," he said.
I stared at him, totally at a loss.
Honestly, I seriously thought Maddox invited me here to drop some profound life advice.
Or maybe he was attracted to me and wanted to get a little flirty.
For an entire week, I rode the bus for an hour to the farm, spent five hours fishing, then rode the bus home for another hour.
Literally, all I did was fish at the spot he reserved.
Even most of the time, I was by myself.
Maddox rarely sat with me; Most of the time, he was either working or sleeping inside the house.
I stared at the calm lake, my thoughts sprouting like wild weeds.
And because Maddox said each fish was worth 50 bucks, I didn't dare to play around on my phone.
All I could do was dryly stare at the fishing line, waiting for a fish to bite.
I was so caught up in fishing that I completely lost track of time. I didn't even realize it was already dark.
To make things even crazier, Xavier and Susan showed up right across from me.
They were cozied up in their chairs, making out like nobody was watching.
Their commotion scared off my fish. Annoyed, I looked up, only to catch my husband cheating right in front of me.