Chapter 28

 Author's POV 

Nelly paced around the dining room, waiting for Dave. He wasn't home yet, but it was already late at night. Fear consumed her; she didn't trust him anymore. Ever since the judge gave her and Max three months to try and fix their marriage before proceeding with the divorce, Dave had changed completely. He would sleep out sometimes and yell and shout at her, which he had never done before. It was quite shocking for Nelly. Had he been lying when he said he loved her and promised to provide a better life? What was happening?

Nelly's head snapped up as soon as she heard giggles coming from the entrance. She rushed over, knowing that Dave must have finally come home.

Nelly's face paled when she saw Dave with another girl, his hand around her waist. The girl was giggling a lot as if she were drunk.

"Dave!" Nelly called, her voice trembling. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Had he brought another woman into the house? "What is happening here?"

"Can't you see what's happening here? I thought you were smarter than that, anyway. She is my girlfriend. She's moving in with me, and you're moving out," Dave said with a smirk on his lips. Nelly was just a pawn to him. He had gotten what he wanted, and he saw no need for her to continue staying there.

"Dave, didn't you say you loved me? Then what is this?" Nelly asked, clenching her hand into a fist. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, making it hard for her to swallow.

Dave displayed a wide grin. "You know, Max's new girlfriend is so smart. I remember what she said that day," Dave said, wrapping his hand around the girl he was with and pulling her even closer. "Do you think I'll stay with you after you cheated on your husband for me? What if you find someone better than me and decide to cheat on me too? Your actions showed me your true colors. You're nothing but a desperate whore and a gold digger. I'm sorry to say this, but it's over between us. The maids are packing your bags, and soon they'll be done. You will leave."

Nelly's face reddened, her breath becoming short and fast. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words came out. Her muscles weakened, and her limbs trembled. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. How could Dave say such things to her after all the promises he had made? She had divorced Max because he asked her to, and Dave had promised to marry her. What was happening now?

Nelly swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking. "Dave, tell me that you're joking right now! You can't tell me this after all the promises you made!" Nelly said through gritted teeth, her hand clenched into a tight fist.

"Unfortunately, I'm not. I've transferred 1 million into your account. You can take one of my cars and get the hell out of here. It's over between us. Like they say, never leave your husband for another man. Now get the hell out of here. I need to spend time with my girlfriend," Dave said, starting to make his way inside the house with his girlfriend, leaving Nelly standing at the entrance like a statue.

 Max's POV 

"Max, I've brought you medicine and some food to eat," I heard a familiar voice coming into my room. Priscilla entered, but I couldn't see her properly because my vision was blurry. My head still throbbed, and I couldn't stand. Luckily, I was able to take a bath and change my clothes.

"Priscilla, you didn't have to do all this," I said as I walked to the bed and sat down.

"I'm paying you back for all those times you took care of me and all those days you lectured me. Now we are even. Eat your food now and take your medicine," Priscilla said, placing a tray of food in front of me.

"I'm not hungry," I said. I just wanted to sleep, hoping I would feel better when I woke up.

"Of course you're hungry. You haven't eaten anything for three days, and you expect me to believe that you're not hungry. Eat or I'm leaving," Priscilla stubbornly insisted.

I let out a deep breath. "Are you blackmailing me, Priscilla?" I asked. I didn't feel like eating or doing anything, and I couldn't even lash out at her because she was pregnant. I had no choice but to bear her pregnancy hormones.

"You're forcing me to, so I have no choice. Eat and sleep. I want to sleep too. I couldn't sleep for the past few days," Priscilla said, narrowing my eyes.

"Why didn't you sleep?" I asked.

"I can't sleep alone. I used to sleep with my mom, but now she's dead, and I'm used to you sitting at the edge of the bed, watching me. When you were busy drinking at the bar, I couldn't sleep at all," Priscilla said, averting her gaze away from me.

"So apparently, you can't sleep without me?" I asked, realizing that all the alcohol in my system seemed to be leaving me immediately. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I can't sleep when I know that I'm alone. That's all," Priscilla denied, though I knew she was lying. I had noticed that if I wasn't with her, she had nightmares, but when I was there, she slept peacefully.

"Okay," I said. "I don't feel like eating right now. I've had too much to drink, and I'm afraid I might vomit all the food. I'll just sleep," I said, feeling my eyes drooping. I was sleepy and drunk too. Taking a bath and Priscilla's threats had sobered me up. I was scared that she might leave with my baby.

"Fine, have the medicine. Maria said they'll help with the headache," Priscilla said. Sighing, I took two pills from the tray and put them in my mouth. I drank a glass of water and swallowed it.

"Good boy," Priscilla said. She took the tray and placed it on the nightstand before returning to the bed.

"Time to sleep," Priscilla said, climbing onto the bed. I shifted to the end, leaving space for her. She lay down and covered herself with a blanket.

I looked at Priscilla as she fell asleep. She was young but mature. Sometimes she acted like a baby, but she had brains. She stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life. Even after I insulted her, she still stood by me in my dark times. Nelly never did this for me. I was starting to realize that Nelly never cared for me. I remembered the times I fell sick, and Nelly never once brought me medicine or anything to eat. But Priscilla did, despite what I did to her and her own illness. She was far better than Nelly. I knew that forgetting her would be hard. I might lie to myself and say I can forget her, but deep down, I knew I couldn't. I was so used to her, the time we spent together, and all the memories were unforgettable. I couldn't just forget her with the snap of a finger.

 Priscilla's POV 

Later that day 

I was abruptly awakened by a knock on the door, jolting me out of my deep slumber. Groggily, I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, realizing that Max, who had been struggling to sleep lately, was still peacefully snoozing beside me. Curiosity piqued, I wondered who could be knocking at this ungodly hour. With a drowsy voice, I mumbled, "Come in!" The door swung open, and my jaw dropped in disbelief as I laid eyes on the unexpected visitor.

"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly. I couldn't stand this woman. She is the reason why Granny had a heart attack, and she was the reason why Max was so miserable. She brings bad luck into other people's lives. I can't let her ruin Max's life and the life of his baby.

"Aren't you ashamed to share a bed with a married man? Max is my husband, and I came back to fix our marriage. You better pack your ripped clothes and get out of here," Nelly said, walking towards the bed with her heels clicking on the tiles.

Max must have heard the noise because he opened his eyes. "What happened, Priscilla? Didn't you say you wanted to sleep?" Max asked sleepily. "Come on, let's sleep. It's good for you and the baby."

"How can I sleep with her in the room?" I said, glaring at Nelly. Max sat up on the bed, his eyes widened when he saw Nelly. I could see his face turning red, too. I hope he won't do anything stupid because of her again.