The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 26

That would be a massive violation of his privacy.

She didn't want to turn this into an ugly, humiliating battle.

After running out of options, Nora whispered, "Seraphina is back."

The bedroom plunged into a suffocating, dead silence.

Neither of them spoke for what felt like an eternity.

Nora was waiting for Maloney to explain himself, and Maloney was waiting for Nora to elaborate.

They just stared at each other.

Maloney was the first to break the silence. "And?"

Nora was speechless.

What did he mean, 'and'?!

She had literally spelled it out for him!

"You... and her... you used to... no, wait, she..."

As she babbled incoherently, she began subtly inching toward the edge of the mattress.

She practically launched herself off the bed.

Maloney caught her in two strides, his heavy arm locking securely around her waist. "Where do you think you're going?"

Nora froze.

"I'm not talking to you anymore," she declared.

Maloney let out an exasperated breath.

She was the one who demanded they talk, and she was the one bailing halfway through the conversation.

"Nora." He hauled her effortlessly back onto the bed, a deep weariness bleeding into his voice. "What about Seraphina? Did she say something to you? Did she demand you do something?"

"Whatever problem you ran into today, tell me. We will fix it together."

"Divorce is not a game. I don't want to hear that word out of your mouth a fourth time, do you understand?"

Maloney was seven years older than her.

When he spoke, his tone was impossibly grounded, carrying an absolute, unquestionable authority that made it feel like he was lecturing her.

And it made Nora feel like an irrational, petulant child.

One piece was shattered by the cruel reality of what Seraphina had said on the balcony.

One piece was desperately trying to force herself to finish this divorce negotiation.

One piece was bleeding because she was actively pushing away the man she actually liked.

And the last piece was furious that Maloney had the audacity to call her childish.

She had never been a tough person.

When people bullied her, when the world felt too heavy, she cried.

Even when she was winning an argument, if she felt deeply wronged, the tears would fall anyway.

Crying instantly destroyed any intimidation factor she had.

She just had a face that made it impossible to look threatening.

When her friends needed relationship advice, she was a genius. She could rattle off grand philosophies and perfect strategies for hours. But the second she had to apply them to her own life, she was totally useless.

And right now, it was happening again.

Driven to the edge by Maloney's relentless pressure, overwhelmed by a toxic cocktail of heartbreak and frustration, she fired back defensively. But the moment the words left her mouth, a massive wave of panic and despair crushed her, and the tears began to fall.