Lahat ng Kabanata ng Divorced My CEO Husband, He Came Begging: Kabanata 261 - Kabanata 270

Maya"Oh. Okay." Olivia's response was careful, neutral.I could tell she wanted to ask what I planned to do about my mother's request, but something stopped her. Maybe the way I was staring out the window, or maybe she just knew me well enough to recognize when I wasn't ready for questions.Before I could form a complete thought about any of it, Vincent spoke up from the driver's seat."Maybe you should go see her," he said, catching my eyes in the rearview mirror. "Hear what she has to say. Olivia and I can deal with the situation with your friend Troy."I shook my head immediately. "No. I don't care what my mother wants. I want to be there when we meet Troy."The words came out more firmly than I'd expected, but even as I said them, something felt hollow about the whole thing. Was I just trading one uncomfortable situation for another? Yes, I wanted to see Troy, but at the same time, I really didn't. Part of me thought it would be easier to just keep ignoring things, pretending none

MayaOlivia's apartment felt too small for all of us. The living room that had always seemed cozy now felt cramped with four people who didn't know how to look at each other. Troy sat hunched forward on the couch, elbows on his knees, staring at his hands. Vincent stood by the window like he was planning an escape route. I took the chair farthest from everyone else."Water?" Olivia asked, moving toward the kitchen. "Coffee? I have some of that good stuff from—""I'm fine," Troy said."Maya?"I shook my head. I wasn't sure I could keep anything down right now.Olivia disappeared into the kitchen anyway, probably just to have something to do with her hands. The sound of cabinets opening and closing filled the silence that had settled over us like dust."So," Vincent said finally. "How did Miss Kingston end up at your apartment?"Troy's head came up slowly. He looked at Vincent, then at me, then back at his hands. "She was at this club. Some warehouse party. There was this guy—" He stoppe

MayaAlex grabbed his gym bag and water bottle without saying much else. I followed him through the maze of equipment and mirrors, past people who looked like they belonged in fitness magazines. The music was still pounding, but it felt distant now, like I was hearing it through water.The ride to his building was quiet. Alex kept glancing at me in his peripheral vision, but he didn't ask questions. Just drove and let me exist in whatever headspace I was occupying. I appreciated that more than I could say.His apartment felt different when we walked in. Same furniture, same view, but something had shifted. Maybe it was me. Everything felt like I was seeing it through a different lens, one that made familiar things look strange."You want something to drink?" Alex asked, dropping his gym bag by the door."Water's fine."He went to the kitchen and I stood in his living room, not sure if I should sit or keep standing or what the protocol was for showing up at someone's place after a while

TroyThe taxi's exhaust lingered in the air as it pulled away from the curb. I stood on the sidewalk for a moment, looking up at my building. Past nine at night and the street was quiet except for the distant hum of traffic from the main avenue. The air felt different somehow. Heavier.I'd left Olivia's apartment to get some clothes and things from my place. She'd insisted I shouldn't be alone tonight, had even almost offered to let me borrow her clothes when I said I needed to grab stuff from my apartment. "I'm gay, not a crossdresser," I'd told her, and she'd backed off quickly, probably worried about overstepping some boundary she didn't understand.She'd let me go eventually, but I could tell she didn't like it. Olivia was being too nice. Which wasn't necessarily bad, but right now it felt practiced. Like she already knew I was doomed and was just trying to make my last moments as a free man good ones. Maya storming out hadn't helped. The way she'd looked at me before she left, li

AlexI opened my eyes, vision blurry from sleep, and the first thing I saw was Marcus standing near the foot of the bed with that stupid grin on his face. The same grin I'd told Maya about hours ago.My brain took a second to catch up. We were on the plane. Milan. Right.I turned my head immediately to check on Maya. She was covered, thank god, the sheet pulled up to her shoulders. Her dark hair was spread across the pillow and she looked completely peaceful. I remembered us taking a bath after the sex, both of us barely able to stand under the hot water. Then we'd collapsed back into bed and Maya had fallen asleep almost immediately.That was different. Usually we would have gone multiple rounds before calling it quits. But Maya had been out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow. S