The Divorce That Brought Us Back novel Chapter 38

The real issue was the marriage itself.

Two years in, Nora had never felt Maloney's love.

True, it was a marriage of convenience. Love was never part of the deal.

Nora used to think she could survive a marriage like that. As long as she could stand by the man she loved, she thought it would be enough.

But reality was a completely different monster.

This hyper-polite, sterile arrangement was pure torture.

When they first tied the knot, Nora was a junior in college. Juggling a heavy course load and a study abroad program, she only came home on weekends and breaks.

At the time, Maloney's tech company had just gone public, and he was also managing his family's empire. He was swamped, rarely making it home either.

Despite the chaos, they managed to see each other about once a week.

In the beginning, Nora thought the rush of making time for each other was romantic.

But she quickly realized the truth.

The romance was entirely one-sided.

To Maloney, she was an obligation.

They slept together a few times a month.

Nora would anticipate it, revel in it.

But Maloney was clearly forcing himself.

To him, it was just a bodily function.

Or rather, a mandatory reproduction routine.

His parents hounded them for a baby every single holiday.

Nora was too soft-spoken to say no, so Maloney was forced to perform.

He never wanted to do it.

Intimacy with someone you don't love is biology; intimacy with someone you love is connection.

It was completely different.

Maloney constantly frowned when they were together.

He would even stop halfway through to use the shower.

Nora knew exactly what that meant.

Over time, the silent, crushing weight of the marriage suffocated her.

Nora had wanted to sit him down and talk so many times.

But she could never find the words.

For one, they were both too busy, and she didn't want to bother him with trivial emotions.

Secondly, once the words were out, there was no taking them back.

She didn't know what she was hoping for.

When people are lost, they harbor this desperate, pathetic fantasy that if they just stand still, the nightmare will magically resolve itself.

She endured it for two agonizing years.

Until about a month ago, when she accidentally overheard Maloney telling his parents, "I am not having a child with her."

Shortly after that, she received the photos of Maloney and Seraphina walking into a hotel.

A loveless marriage really was a completely different breed.

Maloney had never planned on having kids with her.

Or rather, he never planned on keeping her around for the long haul.

If Nora didn't exist, he wouldn't be chained to a marriage, wouldn't have to force himself to sleep with a woman he didn't want, and wouldn't have to hide his true relationship.

She was the anchor dragging him down.

Nora was timid, but she wasn't blind. She refused to wait around until the day she was inevitably discarded like trash. She was going to take control of her own life.

It took her a full week to build up the courage.

When she finally asked for the divorce, she was brutally rejected.

And ever since that moment.

Their entire dynamic had flipped.

Suddenly, she was suffocating under his affection.

She couldn't tell if it was genuine or a calculated illusion.

She was losing her mind.

After pulling her shirt over her head, Maloney knelt on the floor, carefully slipping on her socks, before guiding her legs into her pajama pants.

Nora stared down at him, completely dazed.

He was entirely different now.

The old Maloney would never do anything this tender.

They used to sleep together and instantly roll over.

They didn't even cuddle.

Now, he was physically clinging to her, refusing to let go.

Nora loved feeling cherished, protected.

But it didn't make any logical sense.

Why the sudden 180?

Because she asked for a divorce.

And he refused to sign.

He was playing the perfect husband to keep her in line.

The fallout from the divorce must be absolutely catastrophic for him.

Maybe it was to ensure the company's stability, or maybe to secure his chances at The Capital's Elite 40 Under 40.

She couldn't help but marvel at the stamina of corporate executives.

The lengths they would go to for success.

He was playing his part so perfectly.

And it was making her fall for him all over again.

By early afternoon.

Maloney personally drove Nora to Cassidy's apartment.

Nora only texted Cassidy after she got in the car.

*[I've got a situation. Need to hide out at your place.]*

*[Perfect timing. I'm already here.]*