All Chapters of Divorce ME Look Who Wants Me Back Now : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Hailey's POV The dress was a statement. It hung in the closet, crimson silk that Susan had picked out this morning. I slipped it on, and it clung to every curve like it had been made just for me. The neckline dipped dangerously low between my breasts. My back was bare, skin glinting. The edge of the dress hit mid-thigh, legs spilling out on every step. It was expensive. Bold. Impossible to ignore. Exactly what I needed for today m Today was the board meeting. The one where Maxwell would officially claim his seat and we'd present ourselves as the unstoppable power couple. I stepped out of the bathroom, heels clicking against the marble floor. Maxwell stood by the window in a charcoal suit that probably cost more than most people's cars, adjusting his cufflinks. When he turned, his eyes landed on me. And froze. His entire body went rigid. "What are you wearing?" His voice was dangerously low. "A dress." I grabbed my clutch, refusing to show my pulse spiked under his stare. "Re

Hailey's POV The penthouse felt different when we got home. It was quieter. More intimate. Like the walls were closing in with all the tension we'd been building all day. Maxwell loosened his tie as we entered, heading straight for his study. "We need to talk about the custody hearing."My stomach dropped. "When is it?""Thursday. Ten AM." He pulled out a thick folder from his desk. "Because the first one was postponed. Floyd's team had more time to build their case. Which means they're taking this seriously." "How seriously?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly."Seriously enough to drag this out for months." He gestured to the couch. "Sit. We need to go over everything."I sank onto the leather sofa, watching him move around the study with that controlled precision he always had. Suit jacket off now, sleeves rolled to his forearms, exposing strong hands and..."This won't be quick," Maxwell said, spreading documents across the coffee table. "Custody battles are lengthy and brutal

Maxwell's POV I was losing my goddamn mind. The car ride back from the courthouse was pain. Hailey sat beside me, staring out the window with that wounded expression that made something uncomfortable twist in my chest.I'd lied to her. Called her an investment. Reduced what happened in that courtroom to acting. All of which was bullshit.Because defending her hadn't felt like acting. It had felt necessary. Like watching someone go after what belonged to me and needing to punish them for it.Which was the problem. Whatever we had was supposed to be a contract. Six months together, then we'd likely part ways.Except everyday made that harder to remember. Especially when she moved so gracefully. I was beginning to notice too much. Wanting to much. "We're here," the driver announced.Hailey stepped out of the car before I could open her door. Like she couldn't wait to escape me.Inside the penthouse, she kicked off her heels and headed straight for the kitchen. I followed, unable to st

Hailey's POV I stayed in the bathroom for twenty minutes, gripping the marble sink until my knuckles literally turned white.My lips still burned from his kiss. My heart just wouldn't stop pounding.This can't be happening.I'd sworn I'd never let another man close enough to destroy me. Floyd had already proven what happened when I confused protection for love, when I misunderstood temporary safety for something real.Maxwell was worse. Because with Floyd, I'd been young and naive. With Maxwell, I knew better, and I was still falling anyway.I splashed cold water on my face, and forced myself to breathe.When I finally came out, the penthouse felt suffocating. Every room was a reminder of him, his coffee cup on the kitchen counter, his jacket draped over a chair, the faint scent of his cologne was in the air.I needed space. Anything to stop replaying the way he'd kissed me like I was something he'd been starving for.But there was nowhere to go. This was his penthouse. His space. An

, Maxwell's POV I messed up. That much was clear from the way Hailey hadn't spoken to me in three days. Avoiding eye contact, maintaining a silence so thick it was deadly. I'd crossed a line with that press conference. I knew it. Did it anyway. Because when I'd seen Gio's face yesterday, small and scared, something in me had snapped. The need to protect him, to claim him, had overridden every logical thought. But Hailey looked at me now like I was a stranger. Or worse, like I was exactly what she'd accused me of being. Someone who made decisions for her. Someone who took control without asking. Someone like Floyd. That comparison had hit harder than it should've. Now we were in the car heading to the Denwood Foundation Gala, and the silence was deafening. She sat as far from me as possible, staring out the window, her phone clutched in her lap. I'd tried to apologize this morning. She'd walked away mid-sentence. This is going to be a long fucking night. The car pulled up to