Darin asked, "Dad, is Felicia home?"
"She just got back," Colton replied. "She didn't look well, so I told her to go upstairs and rest."
Hearing this, Darin's brow furrowed.
Colton sighed again. "Now that Max has gone public with their relationship, he seems dead set against divorcing Felicia. I mean, we just hope he was genuinely committed to your sister. After all, Anne is still so young. She's such a sweet, well-behaved girl, and the child is always the most innocent one. Honestly, I don't want to see Anne get hurt either. But I'm afraid he's only doing this on a whim."
Darin knew exactly what Max was thinking.
Whether it’s love between a man and a woman or marriage, in Max's eyes, these were cheap pursuits for ordinary people. He could enjoy them, but he would never indulge in them, never let himself be swayed by any emotion.
That's how he used to be.
But Anne's arrival had slowly started to change his perspective. He needed to give Anne a complete family, which meant he needed Felicia. Love or no love, she was a necessary part of this family unit. She, like Anne, had become one of his interests. And as the head of the family, he needed to control Felicia, emotionally and physically.
So Darin believed that since Max had made a public announcement, this was definitely not just a whim.
But Max hadn't considered that Felicia was an independent person who would never be anyone's subordinate. His current actions were just a forceful attempt to pull her into his domain, using Anne and public pressure to corner her.
Darin offered some comfort. "Dad, tell Felicia to rest at home for a while. You and Ava should stay with her and just try to live normally. Tell her not to overthink things. I'll figure out how to handle their situation."
Colton nodded. "Okay, I understand."
After a few more words, Colton hung up.
Ava said, "What can we do now, unless we're willing to completely burn that bridge?"
"Okay, go on up."
Anne raced upstairs, calling for her mother. Her clear, childish voice echoed through the villa.
Watching Anne's happy figure disappear, Colton and Ava exchanged a look, both at a loss for words.
That evening at six o'clock, all the trending topics online about Felicia and Max were taken down. The buzz was completely overshadowed by an even more explosive story. Several top headlines were now dedicated to the scandal of a famous male celebrity getting involved with a wealthy businessman.
The gossip blogs that had led the charge in spreading rumors were all shut down, their accounts wiped from existence.
A popular finance forum where the discussion had been most intense was banned for six months.
Of course, people in the industry were still privately discussing it on their phones, but their companies had issued strict orders forbidding any talk on the matter.

Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Ugly Wife’s Stunning Comeback (Felicia and Max)
Is this coming to an end...
Oh nooo!! Don’t tell me Max will get washed ashore on a remote island then loses all his memory, then falls inlove with the local girl who saves him. Then when he meets Felicia again he won’t recognize her and breaks her heart again. Additional plot twist is that Felicia is pregnant with their 2nd child. Please pleaseee don’t give us this scenario.. LOL!!!...
If Max can be forgiven Darrin can be forgiven. And I do not like this marriage business but if it has to happen I hope after he gets stranded on some remote island alone while Felicia and his family fight over custody she wins and also gets half his estate. Then by time he comes back she's found having and remarried. Lol...
The writer is good. They're making me interested in Max. I won't say like yet....
It seems the only one who hasn't suffered is Max. Even his family fakes anger and disappointment all their own doing so they suffer a little. Everyone else has suffered. Luke and Jeremy unrequited. Felicia has suffered the most from family to unrequited to romance to long suffering Mother. Even baby Anne never had a mother til Felicia suffered then came back only to suffer some more. lol...
Oh no what did Colton do?... I have a bone to pick. When Olisha had to go the hospital why beg for Felicia? When she so loved Max? Seemed like she was in on the setup for Felicia to see a suicide for the 2nd time orchestrated by holden and his brother again. I might drop this series it's becoming endless with no real satisfaction for me. I don't need it to end because it's like a soap opera but if things don't end up making sense, tying up loose storylines it's gonna get old fast for me. Good luck author....
Anne, I think your baby brother is on the way. Thank goodness it doesn't say that Felicia is crying just like the last time but still, there's no willingness on her part. Max! You need to try harder. Make her fall in love with you again....
The writer did a big one with Jeremy's speech to Max. He said almost everything that needed to be said. I have wanted Felicia or someone who knows the past to just tell that whole stinking family what they did and how disgusting they are and what they're doing now how unfair it all is to Felicia. A pity it was only Max but he really needed to hear this (plus more)....
I love the chase of this novel, how you’ve build each of the characters. They almost seem like real. I feel like I know them irl. But however I would like to know what’s max’s pov and what’s going on in his head. I truly believe max’s just a grey character. And also please please please update more!!!...
I was really hoping that Max and Felicia would end up together, but why did Max do that to Felicia? 😭 Is that his way of making Felicia overcome the trauma Holden caused her? I don't think that's helping at all. I just hope Max's character has some redeeming qualities in the coming chapters....