Dear Ex-wife Marry Me novel (Maja) novel Chapter 1661

"I’ll marry you."

Those words, usually so full of promise and joy, hung heavy in the air, as they were tainted by the gravity of the moment and the price of her freedom. Had they been spoken under different circumstances, she might have wept with happiness.

How could running someone over result in just a year behind bars? But when Fitch said one year, it meant that money would be used to smooth things over, to gain the forgiveness of the victim's family,and to bargain for a lighter sentence.

One year. Just one year of her life in exchange for a future with Fitch.

Zoey leaned against the wall, oblivious to its chill—perhaps because her own body felt even colder.

She had so much to say, but Fitch's next words froze her in place.

"You wanted to marry me, didn't you?"

He knew. He remembered everything and had deliberately ignored her feelings.

She did have feelings for Fitch, deep ones.

But they were worlds apart. She had never known warmth, and had always yearned for it from others. Her mother's coldness only fueled her desperate attempts to please her, which was a twisted mindset indeed.

Home for her was like a decrepit wall, full of holes and about to crumble anytime, yet she stubbornly kept repainting it, convincing herself it was still solid enough to lean on.

Fitch was different. He had learned early on not to rely on anyone. Affection was superfluous to him.

He couldn't understand the insecurities of a girl from a broken home—in fact, he found it almost laughable. If he deemed something as broken as that wall, he'd probably pull out a gun and finish the job.

Zoey had grown up a clinging vine, never taught to stand alone in matters of the heart.

At fifteen, she met Murray, who helped her escape the shadow of her stepfather, and she clung to the most beautiful illusions of love.

Fitch was numb to such sentiments. He could marry a stranger—a well-behaved heiress—and not bat an eye, as long as she didn't stir up trouble like Wendy.

If Zoey was too dependent on love, Fitch was the epitome of independence.

Zoey knew her mindset was unhealthy, and she longed for Fitch's self-reliance.

Because of this longing, she understood his allure better than most women.

And that was her downfall.

After all, we always chase what we don't have.

She never quite understood why she liked Fitch, but now it was becoming clear.