Chapter 2

By now, Max's mother had most likely heard from the hospital. Felicia's phone buzzed at that moment. She viewed the screen after jolting out of her reverie and reaching into her bag. She merely gazed for a moment. Her college advisor was phoning. She responded."Mr. Milman?" Stanford has a slot available for a PhD program. Would you like to try it? Felicia became silent, totally taken aback. Jeremy Milman began to back off when she remained silent."If you're not interested—" Felicia interrupted, "I want it," in a calm, confident voice. Jeremy's turn to stop now.

He was fully aware of the amount of effort Felicia had put forth to be able to stand by Max. She was finally where she wanted to be—married and expecting a child. He never thought she would think about letting go of all that. He had simply made the call on a whim. "Mr. Milman," Felicia murmured. Jeremy cleared his throat. "Alright, come by my office at ten tomorrow morning." Alright. Felicia put her phone down and exhaled deeply after he hung up. After a protracted storm, it was like sunlight emerging. Perhaps it was time for her to awaken.

A child was not going to transform a man who didn't love you. Once more, her phone rang. Miranda desired for her to return to the Hawthorne property. Felicia concurred. It has to do with the infant. She felt more alert and sharper all of a sudden. She went to the bathroom, had a long, hot shower, and attempted to get rid of the weight that was sticking to her. She examined her face in the mirror while seated at her vanity. She hardly recognized herself because of her puffy cheeks, dark circles under her eyes, bags under her eyes, and skin patches.

A face like that—who could love it? How would she ever be worthy of standing next to Max? She put on a pink coat, applied makeup, and covered her hair with a white hat. It was beneficial. She appeared more like herself once more. Her phone rang once more just as she was ready to drive herself to the estate. The screen flashed Max's name. His tone remained as icy as before. Go outside. Felicia froze. Perhaps Miranda had also called him home. "All right," she muttered. She left the villa. By the gate stood his Rolls Royce. She was aware that the same vehicle had picked up another female just two hours prior. Felicia walked over and entered after taking a steadying breath.

A girlish perfume lingered in the air, giving the car a slightly sweet scent. A small pink teddy bear that a young girl would adore was on the console. She looked over and saw that girl had purposefully left a hair tie on Max's wrist as a small territorial mark. She must be really popular with Max. Felicia forced herself to swallow her growing jealousy. As the car drove off, she sat back and fastened her seatbelt. Silently, she gazed out the window. No matter how aloof he appeared, she would have cherished any time spent alone with him not too long ago.

She would have done everything to encourage him to speak with her, believing that by being a caring mother and ideal wife, Max would ultimately notice her. She kept convincing herself that he will eventually turn to face her. But she was only fooling herself. Max simply kept his gaze forward and his words bland, seemingly unaware of her mood. "What's the gender?" "It's a girl," Felicia answered. He simply nodded without reacting.

"When the baby's born, we'll get a divorce." Felicia's heart tightened. She reached into her coat with her fingertips. She had always understood that this union wouldn't last, but it stung more than she anticipated to hear him say it aloud. She nibbled on her lip. "Alright," she muttered. Max gave her a quick glance and seemed almost taken aback by how readily she accepted.