I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 68

So, the sacrifices she thought she made for love were just a trophy they bragged about behind closed doors.

Lyra took a deep breath, forcing her surging emotions back into a locked box.

Just as she said, she truly didn't want to make things spectacularly ugly.

"Mrs. Sterling, let's just end it here. As long as we can keep up appearances, that's fine. Whatever PR stunts Maxwell and Aria pull to save their reputations have absolutely nothing to do with me. Whatever damage this does to him is no longer my problem."

Right before she hit end call, Lyra dropped one last icy remark.

"It's getting late. Don't you usually take a nap around now? Go get some rest. I'm hanging up."

The moment the call disconnected, a profound stillness washed over Lyra.

There was no suffocating wave of despair; instead, she felt an immense, peaceful acceptance of reality.

It felt incredibly liberating.

On the other end, staring at her dead phone screen, the immaculately dressed matriarch's face contorted with absolute fury.

"Look at the mess you've made!"

She snapped, glaring at Maxwell, who was slouched on the opposite end of the sofa.

Seeing him sit there in dead silence only fueled the raging inferno in Mrs. Sterling Sr.'s chest.

"Maxwell! Do you have any idea how much blood, sweat, and tears it took to get you to where you are?! And you decide to nuke your entire life right at the finish line!"

She looked at him with sheer, unadulterated disappointment.

"How did I raise such a pathetic excuse for a son?! Lyra was incredible, and you just had to treat her like garbage! If I had known this would happen, I never would have adopted Aria. I would have left her to rot in that orphanage!"

Maxwell's attempt at comfort only threw fuel on the fire.

"You're going to put me in an early grave!"

She violently shoved him away.

"Lyra is a phenomenal woman! Not just because of her family's money, but because you know exactly how brilliant she is at the office! When you two first got married, every single project she advised you on turned into a goldmine! A man who mistreats his wife ruins his own fortune. You are exactly like your father!"

She spun around, aggressively refusing to even look at him.

Seeing her completely shut down, Maxwell stood up in heavy silence.

"I'm leaving. Those supplements I ordered for you are arriving today. Take care of yourself. Block out the noise and just take it one step at a time."

Leaving those hollow words hanging in the air, he turned and walked out.