She pushed the door open.
“You need to go check on her. She's carrying the family's future now, and I don't want to take any chances.”
Maverick immediately stood. For a brief moment, conflict flashed across his face then it disappeared.
“Mom, what happened? Did she call a doctor? Is she in pain?”
“She says her stomach hurts and she looks pale,” Mrs. Farrington replied anxiously. “I don't know if it's serious, but she's frightened. You should go see her immediately.”
Maverick glanced at me. “Sandra... I just want to make sure she's okay. She's pregnant and everyone is worried about her.” He walked closer.
“I won't be long. The moment I know she's fine, I'll come straight back. I promise.”
I didn't stop him. What was the point?
I was tired of begging for a place in my own marriage. Tired of competing with ghosts and lies.
So I simply nodded.
“Go. She's the one everyone wants you with anyway. It wouldn't make much difference whether I asked you to stay or not.”
For a moment, something flickered across his face but still he left.
That night, I lay awake again.
The mansion was quiet.
Then sometime after midnight, I heard movement upstairs. Faint sounds. Barely audible.
I closed my eyes. Even though I couldn't hear much, I knew exactly where Maverick was.
A sharp pain settled in my chest.
I thought I'd already cried enough, I thought there were no tears left.
Yet when morning came, my pillow was damp.
Maverick didn't return until dawn.
The bedroom door opened softly. He slipped into bed behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
His voice sounded tired. “I'm exhausted. She was uncomfortable all night and refused to sleep. Everyone was worried, so I stayed there to make sure nothing happened.”
I didn't answer.
He buried his face against my shoulder.
“Don't overthink things, Sandra. Maxine wasn't feeling well and she got scared. That's all this was.” His voice remained calm. “She had stomach pains all night. I stayed because she needed reassurance. Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing.”
I closed my eyes.
The expensive cologne on his clothes wasn't his usual scent... it belonged to another room.
Another life.
Another choice.
Suddenly, I felt sick.
I pulled away from him.
Maverick frowned. “Sandra?”
“If you're that worried about Maxine,” I said quietly, “then maybe you should just stay with her from now on. It would save everyone the trouble of pretending.”
The room instantly became silent.
“What?”
I finally turned toward him. “She's a widow. She's carrying a child. She's clearly the person who matters most to everyone in this house.” My voice remained calm.
“She needs someone. I don't.”
Maverick stared at me as if I'd slapped him.
Then his face darkened. “Sandra, what exactly are you trying to say? Stop speaking in riddles and tell me directly. What is it that you think is happening?”
“Nothing.”
“No.” He stood abruptly. “Say it. If you're accusing me of something, then say it to my face.” His eyes hardened. "Do you think there's something inappropriate going on? Do you honestly believe I'd do something like that?”
I laughed softly.
Not because anything was funny.
Because I couldn't believe we were still pretending.
Maverick clenched his jaw.
“Anthony died protecting me. Maxine lost her husband because of that tragedy. She's carrying a child and trying to survive the worst period of her life.”
His voice grew sharper.
“She has nobody. If she's struggling and I help her, what's wrong with that? Since when did basic decency become something suspicious?”
He looked genuinely disappointed.
Or maybe he was just a very good actor.
“Tell me honestly. After everything we've been through together, do you really think I'd betray you?”
His gaze locked onto mine.
I remained silent.
That seemed to anger him even more.
Finally, he stepped back.
“Fine. If that's how you see me, then maybe I should keep my distance. Maybe that's the only way to stop these ridiculous accusations.”
His expression turned distant.
“At least then nobody can accuse me of crossing boundaries.”
The irony almost made me laugh.
He was talking about boundaries after destroying every one of them.
Without another word, Maverick grabbed his coat.
Then he slammed the bedroom door behind him.
The sound echoed through the room long after he'd gone.
And once again, I was left alone.
…
For the next few days, Maverick really did keep his distance from Maxine.
At least in front of everyone.
Whenever Maxine needed something, he acted restrained and careful. Even when she complained about feeling unwell, he refused to be alone with her.
One morning, Maxine mentioned that she wasn't feeling well and needed to go to the hospital.
Before anyone could say anything, Maverick immediately stepped back.
“Dad, Mom, you should take her yourselves. I'm not going. No matter what I do lately, it gets misunderstood, and I'd rather avoid creating any more problems.”
Mrs. Farrington frowned.
“Maverick, what are you talking about? Maxine is pregnant and not feeling well. Why would you suddenly refuse to help her now?”
Maverick sighed heavily and glanced in my direction.
“What choice do I have? Sandra already thinks I'm crossing boundaries. If I take Maxine to the hospital, she'll overthink it even more, and then we'll be right back where we started.”
His voice sounded helpless.
“I don't want any more misunderstandings. No matter how worried I am, I have to keep my distance. Apparently, even trying to help is wrong now.”
The moment those words left his mouth, every pair of eyes turned toward me.
As if I were the problem.
As if I were the unreasonable one.
Mrs. Farrington's expression darkened instantly.
“Sandra, are you happy now? Is this what you wanted? You've turned this family upside down with your jealousy and made everyone walk on eggshells around you.”
She slammed her teacup onto the table.
“Maxine is carrying Anthony's only child. She's family. What's wrong with Maverick helping take care of her when she's vulnerable and needs support?”
Mr. Farrington nodded coldly.
“Since you're so uncomfortable with it, then you can take responsibility. If you think everyone else is handling things incorrectly, then you can do it yourself.”
He pointed directly at me.
“From now on, you'll handle Maxine's daily needs. If she's sick, you take her to the hospital. Maybe then you'll understand how ridiculous you've been acting all this time.”
I lowered my head.
What was there to explain?
Nobody would've listened anyway.
“Okay,” I said quietly.
That only seemed to make them angrier.
As if my silence was proof of guilt.
A few minutes later, Mrs. Farrington tossed the car keys toward me.
“Go get the car. Stop standing there looking pitiful and do something useful for once. Everyone is waiting on you.”
I caught the keys and walked outside without arguing.
The estate's garage was massive, filled with armored luxury vehicles used by the Iron Crown Cartel. I climbed into one of the SUVs and started the engine.
The gates slowly opened.
I had barely driven a few feet out of the garage when everything happened.
A figure suddenly stumbled in front of the vehicle.
I slammed on the brakes.
The tires screeched.
Then I heard a scream.
“Ah! My leg! My leg hurts!”
