Chapter 2

Two months ago, Maverick's phone rang with an unfamiliar number. It was rare for him to be off work, and he had been cooking in the kitchen. Of course, Heidi answered the call. Before she could speak, a sweet female voice came through. "I'm on a business trip and not in Ashford anymore. Don't come looking for me. You won't find me." Heidi froze, her hand shaking as she ended the call. When Maverick came out with the food, he found her sitting on the couch, staring off into space. Heidi wasn't the type to keep secrets, so she repeated those exact words she had heard. Maverick checked the call log and said, "Must've been a wrong number." He wore home clothes with an apron around his waist—the kind of casual look Heidi adored. It made her feel that the cold, aloof man she usually knew had finally picked up a little of her homely warmth. Heidi believed Maverick. Who hadn't gotten a wrong call before? Soon, there was a second instance. This time, it wasn't a call, but a message. It was clearer, more direct, and much more suggestive. "Is it really necessary for us to be this secretive?" When Maverick came out of the bathroom, Heidi wasted no time asking him about it. He paused for a moment as he dried his hair, then asked, "Did you go through my phone?" With those words, she became the one in the wrong for invading his privacy instead. Maverick met her gaze for a few seconds, clicked on the message, and deleted it right in front of her. No matter how many times Heidi asked, his answer was always the same—wrong number. In the end, Heidi drew the conclusion herself. Her husband was cheating on her. She was hot-tempered, so she packed her bags that same day and moved into Nelson's place. Nelson was a model who was openly gay. At first, Maverick had been uncomfortable with the growing closeness between Heidi and Nelson. But after witnessing Nelson trying to flirt with a young, newly assigned male cop in his team, he was relieved. During those first few days of living apart, Heidi had expected Maverick to come to apologize and explain himself, but he didn't. He had passively sent her "When are you coming home?" messages, but after Heidi refused to go home, he couldn't even be bothered to text after that. Nelson scoffed. "He's guilty." Heidi sighed. "Maybe it really was a wrong number. He didn't even save the contact." Nelson rolled his eyes. "That's exactly why he's guilty! Are you seriously brainwashed by Maverick?" Despite her fiery nature, Heidi was also soft-hearted. She searched online for signs that her husband might be cheating and found nothing that matched Maverick. He had a regular life, kept to himself, and came home on time every day. The only problem was that he hadn't been with her sexually in a while. Other than that, there was nothing out of the ordinary. Heidi began to wonder if she was overreacting. Still, she couldn't bring herself to apologize, so she stopped contacting him for two months. Until now. Heidi stared at the screen of his phone, but she didn't touch it. She turned and went out onto the balcony, lighting a cigarette. It had snowed heavily last night. She stared out at the snow on the cars below, lost in thought. Before she finished the cigarette, she felt someone draping a coat over her shoulders. "You're smoking this early?" Heidi turned around. Maverick was dressed in workout clothes, ready to head out for a jog. She stubbed out the cigarette, her voice hoarse. "Don't bother making breakfast for me." Maverick frowned. "Where are you going?" "To Nelson's." Maverick pressed his lips together. Then Heidi felt his hands wrap around her waist from behind as he kissed her ear. "Still angry?" "No." "Then why leave?" He lowered his head, his nose brushing her neck, his voice husky. "It's been two months. Don't you miss me?" Heidi was taken aback by his sudden affection and the fact that he was saying so many words to her. Her mind was still on that phone message. Logic told her to throw his phone in his face and confront him. But she was afraid that one moment of tenderness would just end in another fight, so she pushed him away. "Aren't you going for your jog?" Seeing that she was turning around, Maverick leaned in again, kissing her lips. "I don't have to." Before Heidi knew it, she was back on the bed, with Maverick's body pressing hers down. In the heat of the moment, she remembered something. To prepare for pregnancy, she had already thrown away all the condoms in the house. Just as she was about to get up and remind him, he forcefully pressed her back down. As his kiss landed on her ear, he murmured in his most irresistible voice, "You've always wanted a child, haven't you? Heidi, let's have one, okay?" This was the response she had desperately sought for over a year. She had used every trick in her book, but had never received it. The sharp pain in her heart seemed to melt away in an instant with those few tender words. … Two hours later, Maverick finally stopped, satisfied. He kissed the sweat off her cheek and said, "I'm going to take a shower." Heidi grabbed his wrist. Maverick had already started to get up. Seeing her grab his wrist, he thought he might have hurt her just now, so he lay back down, asking patiently, "What's wrong?" Heidi struggled with herself for a long moment before finally speaking. "Your phone. A message came in this morning." "So?" "Don't you think you should explain?" Maverick's eyes darkened. "I have nothing to explain." The same words again. Heidi lay there, staring at the ceiling without blinking. A few minutes ago, he had been kissing her repeatedly, saying, "Let's have a baby." His tenderness had made her believe that the ice between them for the past two months was finally starting to thaw. She turned her head, staring at Maverick. "Maverick, were you thinking that as long as you agree to have a child with me, I should shut up, be obedient, and just lie here without asking any questions?" "Heidi, I don't want to argue." He avoided her question. "I don't want to argue either." Heidi sat up, the blanket slipping off her shoulders to reveal the marks he had left on her. "I'm just making sure. After all, this is the first time you've agreed to have a child. It's a big deal for me. I need to understand the fine print." Maverick's brow furrowed deeply. He didn't like the tone she was using. "There's no fine print." He squeezed her hand. "Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you." "I already said that I'm not eating." Heidi yanked her hand away from his and silently got out of bed, putting her clothes back on. Her long hair was quickly pulled back into a ponytail. When Heidi picked up her coat and handbag from the couch, Maverick finally realized something was different this time. She really was leaving. He hurriedly followed her, his bare chest still marked with traces of their previous intimacy. "Where are you going?" "To Nelson's. My stuff is there." "I'll come with you to get it." "No need." Maverick lost his patience, his voice hardening. "Heidi, do you really have to make this into such a big deal?" Heidi turned around, locking eyes with him. "Maverick, am I really the one making it into a big deal?" She continued, "I gave you a chance. All you had to do was tell me the truth. Just the truth. Even if you tell me you're with someone else because you got bored with me and that you don't love me anymore, I'd accept all that! I'm not the type to cling to someone forever!" Maverick was stunned by her outburst. He pressed his lips tightly together, his face darkening. Then, he exhaled sharply, frustrated. "I agreed to have a child. What more do you want?" Heidi had always been easy to placate. In the past, no matter how badly she threw a tantrum, as soon as he kissed her, hugged her, and said a few tender words, she would immediately melt into his arms. This time, he had even agreed to the one thing she had been begging for. Why wasn't she satisfied? Maverick couldn't understand. But this time, Heidi was done hurting, and her mind was finally clear. "Forget the child. Just pretend I never brought it up. If you don't want it, I don't either. Let's never talk about it again." Maverick sighed, walking over to her and trying to pull her back into his arms. "Heidi, I didn't mean it like that." Heidi stepped to the side, pushing him away with more force than he expected. He stumbled but managed to steady himself. In that brief moment, Heidi had already opened the door. It was just after 7:00 am, and the sky was still quite dark. Heidi hailed a ride and headed straight to Nelson's place.