I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 38

She couldn't afford to waste any more time.

And she absolutely refused to waste another second of her youth on a man like Maxwell.

Maxwell knew perfectly well that the necklace was the only piece of leverage he had left to control her.

The moment he surrendered it, Lyra would walk out the door without a sliver of hesitation.

He lowered his gaze, rapidly calculating the odds in his head.

Was it worth it?

Forced to choose between corporate profit and a wife he supposedly didn't love, which scale would tip?

Sensing his hesitation, Lyra pushed harder. "There isn't a single person in that building who understands Silas better than I do. If you blow this opportunity, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."

It sounded like advice, but it was a razor-sharp threat.

The choice was entirely his.

And just as she predicted, the businessman made his calculation.

"The necklace is in the watch cabinet in my walk-in closet. Remember what you promised me."

A victorious smile graced Lyra's lips, though her voice remained flawlessly even.

"Done. You have my word."

She ended the call, opened her messaging app, and shot Silas a quick text.

*[It's handled. Your terms have been met.]*

Without waiting for a reply, Lyra hailed a cab straight back to the mansion.

Maxwell hadn't lied.

The heirloom really was in the watch cabinet inside his sprawling walk-in closet.

She had searched there before.

Lyra frowned sharply. "What's wrong?"

"I... Never mind, it's nothing. If you got the necklace back and you're ready to move out, just head straight to my place. The passcode is our birthdays, yours first, then mine. I'll head home as soon as I wrap things up here."

Even though Chloe had clearly pulled the phone away from her face, Lyra could still hear a man shouting aggressively in the background.

She couldn't make out the exact sentences, but two words cut clearly through the noise.

*Divorce.* *The kid.*

Chloe and her husband had been married for years but had never had human children.

Instead, they had adopted an adorable Samoyed that Chloe affectionately referred to as her son.

Were they actually having a blowout fight over the dog?

Deeply concerned, Lyra's tone turned stern. "Send me your location. I'm coming right now. Didn't we make a promise? No matter what happens, we stand fiercely by each other's side. Don't even try to push me away."