Chapter 7
Victor stopped in his tracks.
"Where are you moving?" he asked.
"I'm renting a place myself. This area is way too far. Getting to work is a pain," Maeve replied.
"Why not move somewhere closer? I can buy you a place," Victor offered.
"No thanks. The place I found is actually pretty nice."
"Maeve," Victor turned to face her, his voice low. "What are you really up to?"
Maeve sipped her water. "I just want to live on my own," she said.
"You—" Victor started.
"Victor," Maeve said, setting her glass down. Her voice was steady, but her words were sharp and clear. "We've been divorced for a year. You have your own family, your own kids.
"I'm living alone in the villa you gave me. What does that make me? Am I supposed to look like your kept mistress?"
Victor's face changed instantly, her words stinging him.
"What are you talking about?" he shot back.
"I'm not making this up," Maeve said, walking over to the entryway and picking up his shoes. "You should go. I'll return the keys to the property management next month."
Victor stood there, watching as she bent down to arrange his shoes.
From this angle, the skin below her collarbone had a light flush from her workout.
He suddenly felt something he hadn't in a long time. She was slipping away from him.
"Maeve," Victor called out.
"Yeah?" Maeve replied.
"Is there someone else?" Victor asked.
Maeve straightened up and looked at him.
Then she smiled. Her smile was faint, with a hint of something unreadable.
"Victor, you've kept Kayla for three years. She's already had one kid for you, and now she's pregnant again. And now you're asking if I have someone else?" Maeve said.
Victor was left speechless.
Maeve opened the door, making it clear he should leave.
"You should go. Be careful on your way," she said.
As Victor stepped outside, the villa's front door closed behind him.
He stood on the porch, glancing back at the door now firmly closed. The setting sun stretched his shadow out long behind him.
*****
After that day, Victor had his assistant dig into what Maeve had been up to lately.
The next day, the assistant dropped off a summary.
Maeve was the translation director for the Valus district at a big multinational. She earned 220 thousand dollars a year, was almost done with her MBA, and kept to herself with no indication that she was dating anyone.
Victor read through it, then leaned back in his chair, zoning out for a long time.
'220 thousand dollars a year, translation director, and an MBA. When did all this happen?' Victor wondered.
In Victor's memory, Maeve was still the girl in the apron, always busy in the kitchen, staying up late to wait for him.
"When did she change?" Victor murmured.
Victor's assistant kept quiet, not daring to respond.
Victor tossed the report into the shredder. "Keep an eye on her."
"Yes, sir," the assistant replied.
But soon enough, Victor couldn't spare a thought for Maeve anymore.
Because Kayla was having complications with her second pregnancy.
Her pregnancy symptoms were severe. She kept bleeding and getting hospitalized. Their first son was less than a year old, constantly throwing tantrums, and they'd already fired three nannies.
Kayla was losing her temper more and more. She'd throw stuff and scream at people for no reason.
Victor was at his wit's end.
Maeve hadn't crossed his mind for a long time.
He hadn't been back to that villa since.
*****
Fourteen months after the divorce, Maeve moved into her own rented apartment.
It was a two-bedroom apartment with a south-facing balcony. On the balcony, she kept a row of pothos and a pot of gardenias.
It wasn't big, but every inch of it was chosen by her.
On moving day, she put together the bookshelf all by herself, carefully arranging her books one by one.
Exhausted, she collapsed onto the floor, just lying there and smiling up at the ceiling for a long while.
Her phone buzzed. It was a group chat from her coworkers.
[Maeve, are you coming to the team building on Friday? The new legal director is going too. Heard he studied abroad, and he's pretty cute!]
Maeve didn't reply.
She rolled over, sprawled out on the floor, her chin resting on her arms.
The scent of gardenias wafted in from the balcony.
She breathed in deeply. Her lips curled into a smile.
What Maeve didn't realize was that the new legal director would kick off a whole new story for her, just three months later.
But that was a tale for another day.
*****
Friday's team-building event took place at an equestrian club out by the city limits. The company had the whole club to themselves, and about thirty people from the team showed up.
Maeve really didn't want to go at first.
But her department head put his foot down. "Maeve, you haven't shown up for any team events in six months. You have to come this time."
She had no choice. She changed into her riding gear: a crisp white shirt, khaki breeches, and short boots. Her hair was pulled back into a low ponytail.
When Maeve got to the club, her coworkers were already hanging out in small groups on the lawn.
Some of the braver ones were already up on horseback with the instructors, while others were snapping photos and shrieking excitedly from the sidelines.
Maeve grabbed a glass of lemonade and found a bench under the shade of a tree to sit down.
"Maeve!" Luna Brown from marketing came running over and plopped down next to her, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Did you see him? The new guy from legal?" Luna asked.
"Nope, haven't seen him," Maeve replied.
"He's right over there. By the stables. The one in the dark blue shirt." Luna tugged at her arm. "Oh my god, Maeve, look! I almost ran into a post just now."
Maeve glanced over in the direction Luna was pointing.
By the fence of the riding arena stood a tall guy in a dark blue polo and black riding pants. He had a striking profile. He was talking to the instructor, head slightly lowered, one hand casually resting on the rail.