The Ugly Wife’s Stunning Comeback novel Chapter 369

Darin stopped in his tracks and glanced back at his mother. His voice was quiet, edged with sarcasm. “Yeah. Even Max is willing to stick out a marriage for his kid.”

Yvonne caught the look on her son’s face, then shifted her gaze away without saying anything else.

Darin headed upstairs.

By the time the movie ended at nine thirty, Anne was already asleep, curled up in her seat.

Outside the theater, Max carried Anne in his arms. Felicia trailed behind, holding Anne’s tiny backpack and a bouquet of roses. Anne had begged Max to buy her the roses from a street vendor on their way in, so of course he had.

They reached the underground parking garage and stepped out of the elevator. Without a second thought, Felicia tossed the bouquet into a trash can nearby.

Max glanced sideways at her, then looked away.

He walked over to the car and settled Anne gently into her car seat. Straightening up, he finally spoke to Felicia for the first time that night. “Get in.”

Felicia slid Anne’s backpack into the car and shook her head. “No, I’m good.”

She turned to leave. Max shut the car door and called after her. “What, is your next step to tell everyone about us?”

Felicia stopped and looked back at him. “If you’ve really got nothing to hide, why would you care if I did?”

Max took a step closer. She watched him, tense and on guard, as he came to a stop right in front of her. He looked down at her, shadows from the dim garage light sharpening the hard lines of his face, an intense heaviness hanging between them.

“Felicia, before you make any moves, maybe think about whether you’re really up to it. You’re nowhere near strong enough to threaten me.”

Anne’s small, sleepy voice broke through the silence.

Max’s entire demeanor softened in an instant. He opened the car door. Anne yawned, rubbing her eyes. “Where’s Evelynn?”

“She had something to do,” Max said gently. “She left earlier.”

Anne’s face fell, her disappointment obvious. “Oh.”

A sharp ache squeezed Max’s chest. He climbed into the car, reaching back to comfort her. “We’ll see her again soon, okay? When she has time.”

“Okay.”