Divorce Him, Then Dazzle novel Chapter 144

“Maddox!”

Before he could finish his sentence, someone called his name. He spun around, his eyes wide. “Mom? What are you doing here?”

He'd planned to talk to Camilla on his own, hoping he'd convince her to leave his dad without dragging anyone else into it. The last thing he wanted was for his mom to find out. After all these years, she and his dad had always seemed like the perfect couple. For a while, he'd honestly believed his family was unbreakable.

But a few days ago, his mom had come to him out of the blue, voice shaking as she said she thought his dad might be cheating. The news had knocked the wind out of him.

His parents were always so close, never a hint of drama. Ladd’s business just kept growing, but he’d never stopped being a caring husband. To Maddox, his dad was the kind of man you looked up to—a role model, a steady presence, the mountain holding everything together.

So that one conversation with his mom felt like lightning out of a clear blue sky. He couldn’t just accept it, so he’d done what any desperate son might do—he got someone to follow his dad. And then the truth became hard to avoid.

His dad had been meeting a woman after work, more than once. Twice, Maddox watched them walk into a hotel and not come out for over an hour. The facts lined up in a way he couldn’t ignore.

Still, there was a part of him that refused to believe it. His father was supposed to be… perfect. This wasn’t just disappointing, it was like watching the ground crumble underneath him.

The anger he felt twisted itself into blame and landed squarely on Camilla. In his mind, it had to be her fault. His dad—loyal, respectful, a good man—would never hurt their family like this unless someone tempted him. Just look at her, Maddox thought, she fit the part. His dad was older, sure, but still in good shape, still handsome, not to mention successful. And he knew some women would do anything for money.

He'd called Camilla, yelled at her, accused her of ruining everything. But it didn’t make him feel any better. So today, he’d followed his dad again and spotted Camilla right in the hotel lobby. He could barely contain himself, storming over to confront her. The last thing he expected was for his mom to show up out of nowhere.

Maddox had tried so hard to keep Henrietta in the dark. The thought of her finding out made his stomach twist. She'd had surgery a couple years back and hadn’t been the same since; he couldn’t stand the idea of her getting hurt even more.

“Mom,” he said quickly, grabbing her arm. “What are you doing here? Please, just go home, okay?”

Henrietta glared at her, arms folded. “What, you’re just going to deny it now?”

Usually, Henrietta was soft-spoken, gentle, the type of person whose kindness put people at ease. But right now, she looked devastated, angrier than Maddox had ever seen her. After everything she and Ladd had been through… all these years together… how could this be happening?

Camilla tried to defend herself, her voice shaky. “Admit what? I think you might have me mixed up with someone else.”

Suddenly, she remembered a phone call she’d gotten in the car—the guy shouting at her. She looked at Maddox, realization dawning. “Is there some kind of misunderstanding here?”

Maddox’s glare was icy. “Misunderstanding? Ladd is my father. I know everything—you two have been meeting nonstop. I’ve seen you go to that hotel. How do you explain that? You’re just shameless.”

By now, people had started to notice. They began whispering, casting sideways looks at Camilla. The sound of their voices buzzed in her ears. For a split second, everything stopped making sense, and her whole mind felt like it was about to explode.