The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 138

"You need to lay low for a while," Cillian advised Milo. "Keep your distance and stop getting photographed with her. Out of sight, out of mind. Once Mathis forgets about her and marries his mistress, Bianca can finally escape that nightmare of a marriage."

Milo scoffed defensively. "Mathis is just a deeply twisted guy. How is that my fault? You can't just hoard everything for yourself."

Agreeing with Cillian's logic, Bianca turned to Milo and spoke softly. "Milo, I know how you feel about me. But even if I didn't have all this baggage, we come from entirely different worlds.

"Given everything that's happening right now, I'd only be stringing you along. It's better if we just stay friends."

Milo muttered, "There's no such thing as just friends between a guy and a girl."

"Then we'll just have to keep our distance," Bianca replied firmly.

Milo pondered it for a second before nodding. "Fine. If I don't, I'm just going to fall harder anyway. You're dangerously charming."

Bianca offered a faint smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."

A wave of disappointment washed over Milo. She didn't seem to care in the slightest that he was backing off.

Well, that explained how she was able to cut ties with Mathis so ruthlessly.

A woman who was this incredibly rational was a double-edged sword.

And yet, that was exactly why he was so obsessed with her.

Mabel thought Bianca's approach was perfectly sensible. Marriages built on unequal footing rarely ended well; her current struggle to get a divorce was proof enough of that.

But Mabel believed in her granddaughter. She was brilliant and stunning—men would always be lining up for her.

As for why Mathis couldn't see her worth, well, the man was just plain blind.

Their chartered jet touched down a full thirty minutes ahead of schedule. Mona Gibbons was waiting at the terminal to pick them up.

If it could be reasoned with, she never would have fallen for Mathis in the first place.

Still baffled, Mona pressed, "If your husband is that successful, why not fight for him?"

Bianca offered a bitter smile. "When someone decides they're tired of you, anything you do to win them back is just degrading yourself."

Mabel looked at Bianca in shock. For someone so young to possess such a ruthless understanding of the world, she must have endured unimaginable pain in her marriage.

Still reeling, Mona muttered, "Ms. Baldwin, don't say things like that. If someone like you can get cheated on, it makes me terrified to ever date or get married."

In Mona's worldview, successful romance was directly proportional to physical attractiveness.

Bianca gently reassured her, "Life is just a series of trials and errors. How will you ever know what's right for you if you don't try?

"Just because I ended up with the wrong person doesn't mean you will. Have a little faith. You're a wonderful girl, and I know you'll find happiness."