It seemed that growing up always came with a certain amount of pain.After two consecutive blows, Maisie became much more mature and talked less. Nevertheless, she gained a new perspective on things. So, when Ethan called, she didn't ignore him this time."Mais," Ethan greeted softly."Mr. Ford," Maisie replied.Ethan choked up and couldn't speak for a long time."Is there something you need?" Maisie asked. She almost thought she was imagining things, but it felt like she could hear the sound of his heart breaking on the other end of the line.After some time, he spoke up, "Grandpa is holding his birthday banquet this weekend. He's been asking about you and hoping that we can attend the banquet together. He's turning 90 this year, and his health isn't good. The doctor says this might be his last birthday. "Could you… not mention our divorce just for now?"Lance Ford had been a war veteran in his youth. Because of that, his body had suffered from lingering ailments. He was ab
Lance's birthday banquet was held with great grandeur. Almost all the prominent figures of Halom City attended out of respect for Ethan. His company had grown rapidly, and many had heard rumors that he was planning to enter the North Alwarian market by the end of the year to compete with established games like Realm of Wars.Ethan was surrounded by a crowd of people and couldn't move an inch. He glanced over in Maisie's direction. She was sitting next to Lance on the floor, looking like an adorable little girl as she chatted with him. Her playful words made Lance chortle heartily."Excuse me. I need to say hello to my grandpa," Ethan said as he made his way through the crowd.He arrived just in time to hear the laughter and cheerful conversation around them.Lance pointed at Maisie, who was by his side, and said, "You've spoiled her rotten! She's gotten bold enough to say anything she pleases."Maisie grinned mischievously and continued in a playful tone, "But I'm not wrong, am
Seth chuckled. "It's 25 miles from here to home. And you want me to carry you all the way back?""Mm-hm. Do you think you can do it?""Of course! A man can't say he can't."Maisie snuggled into his arms, teasing him playfully, "Hey, I heard that once a man hits 35 years old, he starts losing his strength. You don't have much time left, do you?""Maisie, I'm starting my annual leave next week.""So?""Are you sure you want to provoke me like this?"Maisie instantly backed down. She dropped to her knees theatrically, raising both her gloved hands in a thumbs-up. "Just kidding! You're number one!"Her cute gesture melted Seth's heart.It also softened Ethan's. He watched as those small hands were gently clasped by Seth's larger ones and tucked into the pockets of his coat to keep them warm."Ethan," Seth said, "we've already wished Mr. Ford Senior a happy birthday, so I'm going to take Maisie home now."Ethan snapped out of his daze. "The banquet hasn't even started yet. Why do
Maisie and Seth's wedding was set for February 14th—Valentine's Day.Maisie wasn't really excited about the whole marriage thing anymore. In her view, relationships came together and drifted apart as fate dictated. Even with someone like Seth, she wasn't certain they'd be together till the end. Over time, she even came to think that Ethan might have been right about one thing.Expecting a male to be loyal to a single female for life went against basic biological instincts. This was especially the case for someone like Seth. He was handsome, capable, and from a prominent family. The temptations he'd face were only going to be greater than Ethan's.The reverse was also true. She couldn't guarantee she'd stay in love with Seth forever, either. She once thought she'd love Ethan until the end of time, but here she was, having let go and moved on with Seth. People would change. Until the day one died, no one really knew what the future held.But things were complicated on Seth's side.
The group of young men responded enthusiastically, crowding around and ditching the glasses in favor of pouring liquor straight from the decanters. They all rushed at Seth.Seth sighed helplessly.Sometimes, they were his fiercest opponents in court. At other times, they were buddies who'd share a drink and joke around with him. He had strong ties with every one of them, making it difficult to turn them down.However, he'd already gone through a round of toasts with the elders earlier. He had already gone to ten tables in total. Even though he could hold his liquor, his liver was feeling the strain by now.Waylon came forward, grinning as he glanced at Maisie. He teased Seth, "You're a lucky guy! Look at you marrying such a young bride!"Seth didn't bother to deny it. He was five years older than Maisie. She'd still been a little girl when he was already an adult—he couldn't argue with that.He accepted the decanter Waylon handed him. It held four ounces of vodka, and Seth downed
Maisie hadn't expected Ethan to show up.Even though Seth had personally delivered the invitation, Ethan had declined. He had said that he would be away on a business trip. Seth hadn't insisted. After all, Ethan would only feel awkward showing up at their wedding.When Seth told Maisie about it, he kept a close eye on her reaction.But Maisie didn't react much at all. She simply said, "It's up to him."It was a phrase she was all too familiar with. Back when she had repeatedly begged Ethan, even threatening to harm herself to stop him from cheating, his response had always been the same: "It's up to you."...Ethan didn't arrive until dusk.By then, the entire wedding ceremony had already concluded. Seth was escorting Maisie from table to table, offering toasts.To be honest, Ethan hadn't planned on coming.The thought of Maisie dressed in a wedding gown, exchanging vows with another man—it was something he couldn't even bear to imagine. Just picturing it made his heart feel l
Maisie said, "Thank you for coming today."In a slightly choked voice, Ethan replied, "Of course I'd come to your wedding."But in the next moment, another guest stepped over and raised a glass to Maisie. "Congratulations on your wedding!"Maisie smiled and replied, "Thank you for coming today."Ethan suddenly felt like he was thinking too much about it. Maisie's words carried no special meaning. She was just genuinely expressing her gratitude for his presence. It was no different from the way she addressed any other guest. In her eyes, he had ultimately become just another ordinary attendee, blending into the crowd like everyone else.Ethan's shoulders slumped slightly. Seth noticed and patted him on the back. "Thank you, Ethan."Inwardly, Ethan had an urge to ask, "Are you thanking me for being here today? Or are you thanking me for losing Maisie to you because of my own stupidity?"But when he opened his mouth, all he managed to say was, "Take good care of her."Seth nod
After the wedding, Maisie's life was relatively comfortable. Apart from Francis occasionally asking when they planned to have kids, Maisie felt that marrying Seth wasn't a bad decision. He was a mature man, so he was emotionally stable, attentive, and gentle. Besides his rather intense needs in the bedroom, she was the one wearing the pants for most of their relationship. Seth rarely voiced any objections.Seth had told Maisie he was planning to buy a new marital home and renovate it to her liking. After all, his current apartment was decorated in a minimalist black-and-white style, which wasn't exactly warm and cozy. The small apartment Maisie was renting was a bit out of the way, plus the bed was too small.It seemed that Maisie still had her guard up. Her bedroom still only had a single bed that was just over three feet wide.Fortunately, they were both slim. Even though it was cramped, Seth didn't mind holding her close as they slept. But after a while, Seth started to