Chapter 4

"Heidi! Come back to earth!" Nelson's voice pulled Heidi out of her memories. He looked at her pale face with concern. "What's wrong?" Heidi pushed his phone away. "I remember now." "Remember what?" Heidi quickly explained, and Nelson suddenly recalled who Arabella was, too. He was so angry that he leaped to his feet. "No wonder he didn't dare tell you! This is some dirty business!" This "brother-sister" thing sounded way too fishy. If Maverick truly saw Arabella as a sister, why was it so hard to tell his wife the truth? "Maverick's out of his mind! Has he forgotten he's married? Why is he messing around with that so-called sister of his? What's he trying to get out of this? A thrill?" Heidi wanted to ask the same thing. What was Maverick after? Seeing her say nothing, Nelson thought she was softening up again. He added more fuel to the fire. "You should think over this properly. Have you forgotten how aggressive Maverick was to you before? Now he's got Arabella. He'll only be worse to you from now on." Actually, Heidi had once liked it when Maverick was being aggressive to her. She grew up with little discipline. After they got together, there was one time when she went out to a bar without telling Maverick. He couldn't find her, so he called Nelson in a rage. Later, Maverick had shown up at the bar with a stormy expression and marched over to her booth. Without saying a word, he yanked her out of the seat and shoved her into the car. The drive home was in complete silence. Once they were home, he pinned her against the door and punished her. After that night, Heidi kind of liked the so-called punishment and went out of her way to make him angry. Once, Heidi had used all her connections and luck to secure two front-row concert tickets right in the center. Five minutes before the concert started, Maverick got a call. It was brief, but he stood up to leave. Heidi stopped him, complaining that Arabella should have gotten someone else to look after her. Why did he have to check on her all the time? At that, Maverick had gotten angry, telling her she was being unreasonable. For the first time while they were outside, he had pulled his hand away from hers and disappeared into the crowd. Amid the deafening music, Heidi looked at the empty seat beside her and lost all interest. By the time the concert ended, over a hundred people were waiting for cabs, and the subway had stopped running. Her legs were sore from standing by the curb for a long time, and she didn't get home until midnight. When she did, the house was empty. The next few days, Maverick was on duty, and when he finally returned, it was three days later. He offered no explanation nor apology. All he did was just give her some flowers to smooth things over, and she fell for it. How pathetic. Her phone buzzed among the couch cushions. Heidi picked it up and saw that it was from her cousin, Delilah Jonassen. "Hey, Delilah." "Heidi, come for dinner tonight with Maverick. Your uncle bought some crabs, and Luis wants to see you too." "He's probably busy today with work." Delilah laughed on the other end. "Don't fool me. I just talked to him. He's off today." Heidi didn't respond. "What? Are you two fighting again? You shouldn't let things stew overnight! You two should work it out. Dinner's at 6:00 pm. Come on time!" Delilah hung up. Heidi held the phone in her hand, frozen for a moment. Nelson leaned in. "Are you going?" "Do I have a choice?" Heidi forced a smile. "You know what she's like. If I even think about bailing, she'll show up here and drag me there herself." "You're right." As they were talking, the sound of the door unlocking interrupted the conversation. A tall, skinny young man, dressed in pajamas with a puffy jacket over them, walked in carrying two big bags of snacks. It was Nelson's boyfriend, Ashton Zimmerman, a college athlete. "Heidi, you're here!" Ashton grinned, showing off his white teeth. He dropped the snacks, then rushed over to give Nelson a kiss. Nelson pushed him away with a grimace. "Did you seriously come over without even taking a shower? Go away." Ashton just chuckled and obediently went into the bathroom. Heidi watched them fool around, feeling a pang in her heart. There was a time when she thought her relationship was the most wonderful thing in the world. That cold and aloof Maverick had warmed up to her, making her feel special. Nelson looked at her downcast face and said with concern, "About Maverick…" "I don't care if he goes or not." Even though Heidi said that, Maverick still called her at 5:00 pm. After ending the call, she took her time to retouch her makeup. Nelson followed her, nagging like a mother hen. "You're too soft-hearted. Call me if anything happens! Don't let him have his way again!" Heidi grabbed her bag, waving her hand without looking back. "I'm leaving." Downstairs, Maverick was waiting by the car, his posture straight. Against the dreary winter backdrop, he looked like a figure in a painting. When he saw her, he opened the passenger side door as usual. Heidi didn't get in. She opened the back door and sat in the back seat instead. Maverick's gaze darkened for a moment, but he didn't say anything. He closed the door and went around to the driver's side. Heidi turned to look out the window. Neither of them spoke. When they arrived at Delilah's house, the door opened to reveal a three-year-old boy in pajamas with bear prints. He ran up to Heidi and hugged her legs. "Aunt Heidi!" Heidi bent down and picked him up. "Luis Atwood, you've gotten heavier." Luis Atwood kissed her cheek and said sweetly, "I missed you." "Me too." Heidi smiled and carried him inside. Maverick followed behind, carrying toys and fruits that they had brought for Luis. Soon, Delilah approached them. As she took the bags from Maverick, she admonished lightly, "Why'd you bring all this? There's no need to bring anything." Maverick dipped his head. "It's nothing." Kevin Atwood, Delilah's husband, heard the noise and came out from the kitchen with an apron around his waist. "Oh, you're here. Go wash your hands. Dinner's ready." At the dinner table, the atmosphere was somewhat harmonious. Kevin handed a crab to Heidi, filling her plate. "Heidi, you're too skinny. Eat more." Delilah joined in. "Yeah, look at you. Your face looks thinner than before." She glanced at Maverick beside her. "Maverick, you should pay more attention to Heidi instead of working all day long. She often has gastrointestinal issues. You need to make sure she's eating." Maverick nodded. He placed a piece of Heidi's least favorite vegetable onto her plate. Heidi stared at the gross vegetable without touching it. Then, Luis picked up a crab leg and asked, "Aunt Heidi, when are you going to have a baby for me to play with?" Delilah smacked his head. "You talk too much." She then turned to Heidi, her gaze urging. "You two aren't getting any younger. It's time to get on with it." Kevin nodded. "Yeah, hurry up and have a baby. It'd be great for Luis to have a playmate." Heidi smiled but didn't reply. What else could she say? She couldn't possibly say that she dreamed of having a baby, but Maverick didn't want one. Heidi lowered her gaze and continued sipping her soup, thinking of a way to change the subject. But the man beside her spoke up suddenly. "It'll happen soon. We're already planning for it." Delilah and Kevin froze for a moment, then their faces lit up with joy. "Really? That's fantastic!" "I knew it! You two have such great genes. Your kids will be so good-looking!" Heidi turned to look at Maverick. He was still focused on his crab, his profile cold and sharp, as though he hadn't spoken at all. Delilah was over the moon and wouldn't stop sharing pregnancy tips. She even urged Heidi to book a doula six months in advance. Heidi couldn't focus on anything she was saying. She put down her fork and said, "Delilah, nothing's confirmed yet. Don't get too excited about it." Delilah pouted. "What do you mean? But Maverick already mentioned it earlier." Heidi looked at Maverick. He was staring at her too, his eyes deep and impossible to read. They locked eyes for a few seconds. Heidi was the first to look away. On the way home, Heidi stared out the window until the car passed a familiar street. It was the street outside the university, where she had waited and pursued him for months. "It's Arabella, isn't it?" Maverick's hand on the steering wheel froze for a moment, and the car slowed to a stop by the curbside. He neither confirmed nor denied it, but the silence itself was an answer. Heidi studied his side profile. The glow from the streetlights flickered across his sharply defined face. Even now, it was the kind of face that could still make her heart skip a beat. But that alone couldn't sustain her feelings after five years. She suddenly smiled. "Maverick, let's get a divorce."