Chapter 29

 Max's POV 

My veins twisted and my muscles quivered. What was she doing here? she thinks that because her so-called boyfriend had dumped her, she could come crawling back to me. She sure had some nerves. 

"Nelly Kent! What the fuck are you doing in my house? We're getting divorced in three months. Explain why you're here." My anger was mounting; Priscilla looked pale and frightened beside me.

"Priscilla, are you okay?" I said softly. She nodded, a fake smile plastered on her face.

"Nelly, please leave my house right now." I tried to control my anger; I hated scaring Priscilla. I didn't want to be a reminder of her past.

"I'm not going anywhere. Remember what the judge said? We should try to fix our marriage in 3 months, and if we can't, we can divorce. Until then, we're still husband and wife." Nelly sneered. "And this homewrecker is leaving this house right now." Priscilla stood up, determined.

"You're the homewrecker in your own marriage! Don't you dare call me that? You lost Max to me. He's mine now. Get that through your head. Don't try to bother the father of my child. You don't know what a mother is capable of." Priscilla's voice shook with anger. Nelly's face turned red; she raised her hand to slap Priscilla. I gasped.

Before the slap landed, Priscilla grabbed Nelly's hand, twisting it until Nelly groaned in pain. "Let go of my hand, you witch!" Nelly cried out.

"Don't mistake me for a weak and crying baby. Don't mess with me or Max. I'll beat your beautiful face black and blue. Stay away from him if you know what's good for you." Priscilla's eyes burned with anger. She glared at Nelly once more before storming out of the room. I felt satisfied seeing Nelly in pain and knew she deserved everything coming her way.

I rose from the bed, still feeling a headache, but much better thanks to Priscilla's care.

"Nelly, I'll say this for the last time. It's over between us. I no longer want anything to do with you, and you've shown me that you never loved or cared for me. You only came here because my uncle chased you out of the house, and you have nowhere else to go. There are plenty of guest rooms in this house, so please stay in one of them," I said, struggling to contain my emotions.

Nelly stepped closer to me, and I felt my stomach turn as memories of her with my uncle flooded my mind. I took a step back, not wanting to do something I would regret later.

"Can you really expect me to believe that you don't love me anymore?" Nelly asked.

"Believe what you want, but I know the truth. Excuse me, Priscilla is waiting for me," I said, then walked out of the room.

 Author's POV 

Nelly tightly clenched her phone as she watched Max leave the room. She couldn't believe what was happening in her life. She thought she had everything she ever wanted - the richest and most romantic guy in Camp town. But it turned out he was just using her and tossed her aside like a useless woman. Now Max wanted nothing to do with her. Nelly couldn't lose Max too; she knew he loved her too much to forget about her. If she played her cards well, she could get Max back and get rid of that street kid. At least if she got back together with Max, her future would be secured. Dave was a trillionaire while Max was a billionaire. Though she didn't love Max, she could enjoy his money, right? Of course, she could. She couldn't lose it all.

She smirked as she went through her phone, wiping away a tear at the corner of her eye, before calling the number she was searching for. She placed the phone to her ear and waited for the person to pick it up, which he did a few seconds later.

"Auntie," Nelly sobbed, faking her emotions.

"Nelly, what's happened, my dear? Why are you crying?" A woman's authoritative and angelic voice came from the other end of the line.

"Auntie, Max is cheating on me, and he's planning to divorce me. Please help me save my marriage, Auntie. I still love Max, and I can't lose him." Nelly said, feigning her tone.

"What?! How dare he do that to you! I will not allow such a thing to happen to you, my dear. Divorces are not allowed in our family traditions, and I am not going to allow it. I will take the first flight this afternoon. I'm coming there as soon as possible." The woman at the other end of the line said.

A smirk played on Nelly's lips. She knew that Max's Auntie Suzie was her last hope. That woman was a traditional freak - so obsessed with following family traditions that she wanted everyone to follow them. Nelly knew very well that she wouldn't allow their divorce. The divorce would be stopped, and that foolish girl would be thrown out. Her life would go back to normal - simple and easy, hitting two birds with one stone.

"Nelly, are you still there?" Auntie Suzie asked, her tone worried.

"I'm here, Auntie. Thank you so much for understanding me. I will be waiting for you." Nelly replied, faking her sobs before ending the call. At least her problems were going to be solved - she would teach Dave a lesson later.

"You are smart, Nelly." She murmured to herself before walking out of the room.

 Priscilla's POV 

I sat by the pool, my feet submerged in the cool water. Just the sight of it calmed my nerves. I had never hated anyone as much as I hated Nelly, especially because of my pregnancy. I wanted to grab her by the hair and bang her head against the wall. But I knew it wasn't my place to do that.

"You don't look okay, girl," I turned when I heard a familiar voice. Liz sat next to me. "I don't understand why Nelly has come back here. Doesn't she have any self-respect? I've never seen anyone as shameless as her."

"I don't think she has any self-respect or any shame. Don't think about her too much," I said, looking at Liz with a small smile. She looked sad.

"How are you doing after losing Granny?"

"I'm fine. I'm just sad that I've lost her. She was like a mother to me and Max. She raised us after our parents died. She was always with us and supported us. I am who I am today because of her. I just wish she could see my children and Max's," Liz explained. I understood her pain very well.

"I understand what you're going through. I went through the same thing when I lost my mother. I was hurt, and I thought I had no reason to live. But I came to realize that if I cried about it every day and was depressed, then my mom's soul would never rest in peace. So, I decided not to be sad about it. My mom is happy watching over me wherever she is, and that's enough for me to keep on living," I explained to her, and she smiled.

"You're right, Priscilla. My granny would be happy if I move on and be happy in love, and she would rest in peace," Liz said with a smile, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "Thanks, Priscilla. I'm feeling much better now."

"I'm glad I could help. You're like a big sister to me, and I can't watch you sad. You should be happy and move on," I said, smiling. Liz was nice. I thought she was going to be like those typical sisters who are overprotective of their brothers.

"How can I be happy when that woman is here? She has come to ruin my brother's happiness here. Max is quiet. He doesn't talk much even if he is wronged. He loves making peace, not war. Nelly will take advantage of that. I'm scared that she might awaken the monster hidden behind his calm demeanor. I can't see my brother turning into an unfeeling man because of the pain she is causing him," Liz said. Her expression was pinched; she must have been annoyed.

"Don't worry, Liz. You're here, right? Nothing will happen to Max if his sister is still here, nor will I let anything happen to the father of my child. Nelly won't hurt Max in my presence, and that's final," I said. I hoped Liz's fear wouldn't come true. I couldn't let this baby be raised by a man like my father. I couldn't let Max turn into a monster. I would do everything in my power to make sure that Max stayed the way he was so that his baby could have a beautiful childhood and upbringing. It's not my baby, but it's growing inside me. I wished it all the best in life, like a mother would.

"You're surprising, Priscilla. Sometimes you act like a two-year-old baby, and sometimes you act like a mature woman. How do you do it?" Liz asked, and I burst into laughter while she shook her head. She didn't understand me yet.

"Should I tell you a secret!" I asked, trying to keep my tone down. Liz moved closer to me, her expression filled with curiosity.

"Tell me," Liz asked impatiently.

"I have quite good acting skills. When you see me acting like a baby, just know that I'm acting. I'm so good at acting that you won't understand whether I'm acting or not," I said, and Liz burst into laughter.

"You're so impossible, Priscilla," Liz shook her in disbelief, as I laughed along with her.

"Priscilla, I need to go out for some time. I'll be back later," Liz said, rising from the floor.

"Okay, see you soon," I said, watching her walk away.

"I know your little secret now!" I quickly turned my head to my back. I saw Max walking towards me. His hands were in his pockets. He looked much better than he was earlier.

"Were you listening to us all that time?" I asked him, with a pinched expression.

"Of course, I was," Max said. "Thanks for making her feel better." Max sat next to me, his expression unreadable.

"Are you okay, Max?" I asked, ignoring what he said.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine. Thank you for pretending to be my girlfriend and taking care of yourself. I'm sorry for everything I'm putting you through. Just name the price for the humiliation you're getting because of me," Max said. I clenched my jaw, and my body began to tremble. 

"Don't you dare throw money in my face, Max? Don't mistake me for your wife. I'm not a gold-digger, and I definitely don't need your money. I'm doing all this for the baby, your baby. Once your baby is born, I will leave your so-called house and money once and for all, you rich bastard," I said angrily, rising from the floor and starting to walk away, my feet leaving the wet floor. Max was a jerk sometimes; he wanted to vent his anger on me like I was the one who had hurt him. I'm not Nelly. I don't care about him or his money.