Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 1076

Maja was comfortably perched on a flat rock while Ian went off in search of a mountain spring to clean the wild mushrooms he’d collected.

The moment he left, the other women shot Maja dirty looks.

"Why even bother to hike if you're just going to be carried? Do you even know what hiking is? Every woman here is more accomplished and refined than you, yet you're the one being carried by a man."

Maja was still holding a wild apple, which Ian had picked for her along the way. He had mentioned that the tree was known for its fruit-bearing, but one had to be lucky to taste its yield.

She tossed the apple in her hand, turning to the woman who had spoken out.

"If you're jealous of me being carried by Ian, why don't you just ask him to carry you next time?"

The woman was fuming. She looked around to see the last group of hikers arriving and sneered.

"Even Ms. Sanders, who is unwell, managed to walk here on her own. When Ian eventually tires of you, let's see which man would indulge your capricious nature."

Maja was about to retort when the other women chimed in.

"Exactly, you're not even a big deal. Once Ian’s done with you, you won't even dare show your face around us."

"A woman should always be independent."

By belittling Maja, they wanted to portray themselves as strong and independent.

Society was ever-changing. Once, the more naive and innocent a woman was, the more popular she became. But in recent years, the call was for women to be strong and independent, not reliant on men.

But these women's idea of being strong and independent was to belittle other women to elevate themselves. What kind of strength was that?

Maja found it amusing. When Ian returned, she handed him the apple.

"Could you wash this for me? Do you have a pocket knife? Could you slice it for me? It's too big to bite into."

The others felt like retching at her request.

What were they doing right now?

They were hiking! And it was a two-day hike. They wouldn't be picked up by a helicopter until the next afternoon. They were here to enjoy the scenery and nature. A simple wash would suffice for the apple, yet she insisted Ian slice it for her.

Everyone expected Ian to lose his temper because Maja was being too demanding!

But Ian took the apple, looking at Maja.