Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 1288

When Zoey climbed back into her car, she slumped against the back seat, exhausted. Her sleep had been restless the night before, and now, her cheeks were throbbing with an intermittent aching pain.

Through the car window, she saw Belinda still sitting inside the diner, looking quite pleased with herself. A stack of bills sat beside her, their presence sparking a twinkle in her eyes.

Before long, a man approached and entered the diner. Even after all these years, Zoey recognized him instantly. He was her stepfather, the man who had almost violated her all those years ago.

When Belinda had caught him that time, he had remained calm, confident that Belinda would never side with Zoey. Sure enough, Belinda slapped Zoey that night.

"Why are you so cheap, trying to seduce your stepfather at such a young age! You're not afraid of making a fool of yourself! Go to bed already!"

Zoey didn't understand why she, the victim, was being slapped and scolded by her mother.

It wasn't until she met Murray that her stepfather finally stopped his advances.

Zoey gripped the steering wheel tightly, almost tempted to slam on the accelerator and run the man over. He had gained weight, and from a distance, he resembled a wriggling worm. She couldn't fathom why Belinda would treasure such a man.

Feeling nauseated, she stumbled out of the car and vomited into a nearby flowerbed. The sight of the man brought back her childhood trauma, causing her vision to spin and blur.

She wondered if her mother had also invited this man to their meeting. The thought alone made her sick to her stomach. She vomited again, but only brought up bile, as she hadn't eaten anything all day.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the car, intending to rinse her mouth, when she heard a greasy voice.

"Zoey, it really is you. I didn't recognize you from a distance."

The worm had slithered over to her.

Zoey looked up to see his greasy chin and shiny forehead, which glowed like a light bulb. Her face contorted in disgust as she opened the water bottle and splashed it on the man.

"Get lost!"

She glared at the man who had given her nightmares, wishing she could tear him apart. But the man only smirked, his gaze unabashedly roaming over her body.

"Zoey, you have grown up, playing games with you boyfriend now, huh? Remember when I wanted to play games with you and you'd cry? But you know, your mom would hit you really hard every time you cried. How about it, want to play games with me now that you're all grown up?"

Zoey trembled with rage, wishing she had a knife to stab the man. Even after all these years, her hatred for him hadn't lessened.

The man was now soaked from the water, and he moved to embrace Zoey. But Belinda's voice rang out, "What are you two doing?"

The man quickly retracted his hands and laughed. "I haven't seen Zoey in years. Just came over to say hello."

Belinda looked annoyed. "Zoey, aren't you leaving?"

It was clear she didn't want Zoey around her man.