Who's Crying Now, Ex-Husband? novel Chapter 326

The lights in the apartment glowed a soft, golden yellow, and the world outside seemed to hold its breath. Everything was silent.

The man in front of her froze, staring blankly for a long moment, as if he hadn’t quite registered what she’d just said. When he finally spoke, his voice was distant, almost dazed.

“What did you say?”

Mila repeated herself. Her cheeks were flushed, burning with a mix of shame and guilt as she laid out the situation at home—every awkward, painful detail. She kept her head down, unable to meet his eyes.

If she’d had a choice, she would have buried those memories forever. But now, if she wanted his help, she had to be honest. She had to explain everything.

“I know,” she whispered. “My family’s a mess. There’s always some drama, always trouble. I honestly don’t know what else to do. If we get married, I promise I’ll keep you out of it as much as I can. I’ll be good to you. I just… I really need this marriage certificate…”

The words tumbled out, rushed and clumsy.

The more she spoke, the more hopeless she felt. The gap between them was painfully clear—when she really thought about it, she realized she brought nothing but trouble. Why would Forrest ever agree to this? Why would he marry her?

A vague promise to be good to him—why should he believe her?

Mila lowered her head even further, her voice dying in her throat. She felt numb, bracing herself for rejection.

Would they even be able to stay friends after this?

Suddenly, she wanted to cry.

But instead of the rejection she expected, she heard his voice—gentle, slightly husky.

“Could you give me some time?”

“What?” she blurted, startled. Her mind went blank. She lifted her head and saw him smiling at her through the haze of steam rising from their soup.

He repeated himself, quietly: “Christmas is almost here. Can I give you my answer at the party?”

He hadn’t said no.

He was going to think about it.

…

But waiting was its own kind of torture.

There were still two weeks until Christmas, and every day brought a new onslaught of calls and texts from her parents, each more insistent than the last.

Walking through campus, Mila felt everyone’s eyes on her, as if they all knew her secrets.

Her dreams were filled with harsh accusations, voices echoing above her. Every night, she woke in a cold sweat, unable to rest.

In those long, sleepless hours, she began searching the internet for anything she could find about families, marriage—she even posted in forums, asking how to convince a man to marry you. The things she read were wild, desperate, sometimes even shocking.

But some of it stayed with her.

For the first time in her life, she was greedy—she wanted to cling to this slim chance with everything she had.

Christmas Eve arrived faster than she expected.

Because of a sudden issue at her family’s business, Miranda—who’d been away from school for ages—finally returned, flinging her arms around Mila and launching into a string of complaints. But her mood brightened quickly.

“We made it! Tonight, I’m cutting loose!” Miranda announced.