The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 180

Inside the conference room.

During a tedious, drawn-out project progress report, the usually laser-focused Maloney found his mind wandering.

Nora had been acting strangely lately.

She was changing.

On the surface, she still looked like the same sweet, obedient girl.

But underneath, something had shifted.

She was getting bratty.

If he upset her, she'd physically kick him without hesitation.

Not that it hurt.

But she could hold a grudge and keep a straight face all day.

She had even mastered the silent treatment.

She was still incredibly easy to coax out of it, though.

And her awkward, stubborn little tantrums were highly entertaining.

But she was getting angry way too easily.

Take this morning, for instance.

Nora had a bad habit. She was an over-thinker. If she knew she had something important to do early the next day, she would wind herself up tight. Even with an alarm set, her internal clock would force her awake early.

Her entire body would be rigid even in her sleep.

Maloney had woken up early today and noticed her frowning and mumbling in her sleep, so he had pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

She kept shifting restlessly against him.

He couldn't resist kissing her.

He had fully intended to take her the night before.

She had even initiated by untying her robe—not that she never initiated, but she usually hated exposing herself with the lights on.

Last night, she had been incredibly forward.

Maloney had been instantly and completely aroused by her.

But then he had asked a few too many questions, and she had unloaded the horrific truth about Valery's past.

Maloney had already suspected some of it, but even he hadn't anticipated that Yates and the Smith parents could be that repulsive.

He had always assumed the parents genuinely loved Valery.

Whether out of familial duty or crushing guilt.

But the reality was they didn't even treat her like a human being.

It made no logical sense.

He had spent time analyzing it.

There was only one explanation.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify