Chapter 3
I took time off and went home.
I texted Maxwell, asking him to come home right away.
He replied almost immediately: "Okay, I'm on my way."
His office was nearby, and he returned within twenty minutes.
He arrived in a sharp, tailored suit that highlighted his handsome features.
"What's going on, Eileen?"
"Is there an emergency?"
He came over and wrapped me in his arms.
He was as gentle as always.
This kind of gentleness was what he'd shown me for six years.
Friends would say that the cold and decisive Mr. Rice, known for his business acumen, had a softer side reserved only for me.
But today, I realized his gentleness was just a façade.
"Maxwell, I want a divorce."
The moment I spoke the words, I realized my mistake.
Because Maxwell and I never registered our marriage legally.
Back then, we had only held a ceremony.
And for six years, we've lived like this.
Spending six years with him daily felt like a lifetime.
Long enough for me to forget we never registered, even making me believe we were an old married couple.
Only now do I realize I might have been the other woman all along.
"Why would you say something like that?"
He dropped to his knees in front of me, his dark eyes locked onto mine.
"What happened? Please, tell me."
My throat was tight, my voice raspy as I spoke: "Today, your wife came to me for a prenatal check-up."
"She also showed me photos of you two over the years."
"She said you've been married for seven years."
At that, his pupils contracted, and a shiver ran through him.
He's usually always calm and composed.
I've never seen him like this before.
It seems that he and Adalynn Peters have indeed been married for seven years.