The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 184

For the two years they had been married, Maloney never planned on telling her how thoroughly he had orchestrated things before their wedding.

He figured that as long as he kept his mouth shut, she would never find out.

They could live in peace indefinitely.

But that was only assuming they stayed in their polite, emotionally distant arrangement.

Things were completely different now.

They had opened their hearts to each other, fully weaving their lives together.

Polite roommates had evolved into desperate lovers.

Leaving these secrets buried meant there was always a chance they could blow up in his face later.

Confessing on his own terms was entirely different from being caught in a lie.

Better to rip the band-aid off now.

But exactly how to phrase it was an art form.

Not long ago, she had caught wind of some wild rumor and randomly asked him when his feelings for her actually started.

He had given her a completely honest answer then.

So technically, he had already begun his confession.

He couldn't be accused of deliberately hiding anything.

She was just the one who messed up the timeline in her head.

If he had loved her for four years, that meant there was a hidden motive behind that fateful night two years ago.

And she had just figured it out.

The lights were off, and heavy drapes blocked out the sun from the floor-to-ceiling windows. Only a sliver of light from the cracked door illuminated a thin strip of the floor.

That faint light cut diagonally across half of her face.

She stared at him in utter shock.

After about five seconds, she awkwardly looked down, her lips twitching slightly.

He watched her intensely, analyzing every micro-expression.

He couldn't read her at all.

"Nora?" he prompted softly.

She gave a soft hum in response.

The corners of her mouth twitched again, completely out of rhythm.

She bit her lower lip to force her mouth into a straight line, but her cheek muscles kept spasming slightly.

He was completely lost.

What kind of reaction was this?

For some reason,

it didn't look like fear.

It looked like she was trying desperately not to laugh.

He reached out, gently tilting her chin up. "What's so funny?" he asked cautiously.

She didn't even miss a beat. "I'm not laughing!"

She softened her voice, murmuring his name like a prayer. "Maloney..."

It was melodic and dripping with blatant flattery.

Her tone was like silk soaked in sweet milk—intoxicating, lazy, and utterly seductive.

He froze.

Was she trying to seduce him right now?

Was this really the time for that?

No.

He quickly realized she was just trying to distract him.

She didn't want him to keep pressing her on why she was laughing.

This whole situation was spiraling into bizarre territory.

He couldn't let her derail him.

His Adam's apple bobbed. Steadying himself, he planted one knee on the mattress, looming over her, and asked in a low voice, "Do you even understand what I'm telling you?"

"Two years ago, at Arthur Dodge's birthday banquet, I wasn't invited. I only pulled strings to get in because I knew your grandfather was planning to announce your engagement to Sebastian."

"I saw you being dragged away, and I followed you on purpose. You running into me wasn't an accident."

"You could have saved yourself. There was a fire alarm right down the hall. If you had just pressed it, someone would have come."

"I stopped you, Nora. To ruin your marriage with Sebastian. To steal you for myself. I took you away deliberately."

"Do you understand me?"