Chapter 10

At last, Felicia discovered her voice. "Dad, Ava, Greg... Max wants a divorce." The words lingered in the atmosphere. The dining room was silent. Everyone's face darkened, Colton most of all. His jaw tightened as he lowered his head. To be honest, nobody was all that shocked. Perhaps just because everything happened so fast. There was only a marriage certificate, never a wedding. The two families have not communicated or seen each other in the last six months.

Max had never, ever visited the Ross residence. The Hawthornes never sent a single gift throughout the holidays. Colton and Ava would give Felicia presents to deliver to the Hawthornes each time she returned home by herself. Felicia knew such gifts always ended up with the staff, but she would bring them and Miranda would smile politely as she accepted them. Tatiana was even worse.

At one point, she instructed the maid to stop bringing over such cheap items and dump everything in the trash directly in front of Felicia. Max had told her that these gestures were useless. It was only a matter of time until things broke down in such an uneven marriage. Felicia's mouth pushed shut. "We'll hold off till the baby is delivered. Additionally, I've already chatted with Mr. Milman.

In February, I'm going to Stanford to further my education. The uneasy silence was broken first by Greg. That is fantastic, Felicia. You're too gifted to remain in a union like this. Whatever you choose, I've got your back." Felicia nodded and grinned. "Thanks, Greg." Colton sighed deeply, feeling guilty and regretful. "It's okay if you're divorcing. I'm responsible for this. We are merely ordinary individuals. We should never have become connected with the Hawthornes, a wealthy family.

Felicia's eyes turned crimson. The agony she had been carrying seemed less intense all of a sudden. Her family was there to support her no matter what. She was capable of handling whatever came next. When Ava saw that she was crying, she swiftly gave her a tissue while softly whispering words of consolation. Ultimately, the family laughed and talked together as they finished dinner with lightened hearts. A Bentley, meanwhile, came to a soft stop outside Villa 12 in the Southside Villas, an exclusive community that had seen better days. The exact one that used to belong to the Ross family.

A crisp, attractive profile was visible when the window slid down. He peered out at the well-lit house. His eyes were even more intricate in the warm glow of the streetlights, full of feelings he didn't care to conceal. He averted his gaze for a time and lighted a smoke. The buzzing sound came from his phone. His voice was soft as he responded. "What's up, Andrea?" The line was filled with Andrea's lighthearted voice. "Hey, what time will you arrive?

Max won't let me eat yet, and I'm starving." There was a deeper, more decadent voice in the background. "You asked me to remind you to keep an eye on your nutrition, didn't you? And you're blaming me now?" Andrea sighed dramatically. Simply get some food if you're hungry. I'll be there shortly," he stated. After hanging up, Darin extinguished his cigarette, took one last glance at the home, rolled up the window, and drove out.