Max had learned a lot of unpleasant things in life, but nothing could have prepared him for the sight that greeted him when he unlocked his apartment door that evening.
Althea was sitting on the couch. That part was normal. She had one leg tucked under her, hair spilling over her shoulder, scrolling on her phone in a way that made the whole place feel warmer.
The not normal part was that Alaya Serrano; Adrian's wife, and, incidentally, the Serrano devil was next to her. Not just "sitting next to her" like two people enduring awkward small talk, but cozy. There was a throw blanket. Two mugs on the coffee table. A bowl of strawberries between them, like they'd been watching a rom-com.
Max froze mid-step. His hand was still on the door handle. His brain was still on the part where Alaya Serrano was in his house.
Max blinked once. Twice. Then his eyes slid to Althea, who looked at him with an expression that was way too innocent to be trusted.
"...What's going on?" he asked slowly.
Althea looked up from the other end of the sofa where she'd been scrolling on her phone. "Max, calm down—"
"No, no, don't tell me to calm down." He stepped in, shutting the door with more force than necessary. "I leave for work and come home to find the substitute bride lounging on my couch like it's some kind of VIP lounge."
Alaya didn't even flinch. "Hello to you too, Max. Still charming, I see."
"Oh, trust me, I'm holding back." He tossed his coat on the kitchen counter. "What's next? Should I invite Adrian over for dinner so we can all hold hands and sing kumbaya?"
Althea sighed. "Max—"
"No." He jabbed a finger in the general direction of the sofa. "I haven't forgotten that wedding day, Althea. Forgive me if I'm not exactly in the moodfor a group therapy session."
Alaya shifted forward slightly, resting her elbows on her knees. "I didn't come here to—"
"Good," Max cut in, "because I won't be here to listen." He started walking toward his room.
"Max, wait." Althea got up and followed him down the hall.
"Max." She caught his arm before he could disappear inside.
He turned to her, his jaw tight. "Althea, you can't just—"
"She didn't come here for me. She came because she… needed to talk. And before you start—" Althea lifted a hand when he opened his mouth, "I know what she did. I'm not saying it was okay. But she's here now."
Max exhaled sharply. "You're way more forgiving than I am."
"I'm not forgiving her," Althea said quietly. "But I'm… listening."
"Yeah, well, listening is one step away from forgiving." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't want to sit in there and pretend we're all good. I can't. I won't."
"Then don't," she said. "Just… don't make it worse."
He gave her a long look, then muttered, "Fine. But if she so much as moves a cushion wrong—"
"Max."
"—I'm saying something."
Althea returned to find Alaya sitting up straighter, as if she'd used the two-minute break to prepare herself for an interrogation.
"Max won't be joining us," Althea said, easing back onto the sofa. Alaya gave a faint smile. "I can imagine." There was a brief, awkward silence before Althea asked, "So… what happened?"
Alaya's eyes flicked to the blank TV screen before she answered. "Adrian's father happened. Again." Althea leaned forward slightly. "What do you mean?"
Alaya drew in a slow breath, her voice even but edged with something brittle. "He confronted Adrian today. In front of the board. Called me every name in the book that doesn't quite cross the line of being actionable. He even implied my company is nothing without Velasco support." Her lips tightened. "And Adrian… just stood there."
Althea stayed quiet.
"I'm not angry at him for disagreeing with his father quietly," Alaya went on. "I'm… hurt that he couldn't say a single word in my defense. Not one." Her eyes flickered, just for a moment, with something raw. "And I know him well enough to see he wanted to say something. He just… didn't."
It was strange. Althea had only ever seen Alaya sharp and confident, but now, that confidence looked cracked in places.
"I'm sorry," Alaya said suddenly, her gaze locking on Althea's. "For what happened to you. That day. I was selfish, and I thought… I don't know what I thought. I told myself I was following my heart, but the truth is I didn't think about anyone else's heart in the process."
Althea shook her head. "I'm not mad at you—"
"No," Alaya interrupted gently, "don't say that. You were allowed to be. You probably still are. And you're allowed to take your time. I just… needed to say it out loud."
Althea didn't know what to say to that, so she didn't try to fill the silence.
Later that night
A knock at the door pulled Althea out of the kitchen, where she'd been making tea. She opened it to find Adrian standing there, looking like he'd been pacing in the hallway for ten minutes before working up the nerve to knock.
"Althea," he said. "You asked me to come?"
She stepped aside to let him in. "She's here."
Adrian's eyes flickered toward the living room where Alaya was still seated, blanket wrapped around her again. The tension between them was almost visible in the air.
Althea motioned toward the sofa. "Talk. Both of you."
They both stared at her. "I'm serious," she said. "If you don't, you'll just keep doing this… circling thing where you're both miserable."
They sat, reluctantly, on opposite ends of the sofa, looking anywhere but at each other. Althea crossed her arms. "Alright. I'll help you get started." She pointed at Adrian. "You. Tell her why you didn't say anything today."
Adrian grimaced. "Because I…" His voice faltered. "Because I was afraid of making it worse."
Alaya's eyes narrowed. "Worse than letting your father humiliate me in front of the board?"
"That's not what I—"
"Adrian," Althea cut in, "just say the truth."
He met Alaya's gaze for the first time that night. "I froze. And I hate that I did. I was ashamed before you even looked at me."
That made Alaya pause. Her shoulders softened slightly, though her voice stayed steady. "You're supposed to be my partner. You don't have to win every battle for me, but I need to know you'll at least stand beside me."
"I know," Adrian said quietly. "And I'm sorry." For a moment, Alaya didn't respond. Then she simply nodded.
From the doorway to the hall, Max had been standing silently, watching. His gaze wasn't on Alaya or Adrian, though, it was on Althea. The way she was looking at Adrian… it wasn't romantic, exactly, but it had that flicker of familiarity. The way she used to look at him when she thought he might choose her.
A strange sting spread in Max's chest. He backed away before anyone noticed, retreating into the bedroom. Inside, he sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes falling on the small box sitting on the bedside table. He reached for it, flipping it open. Inside was a delicate silver bracelet, one he'd picked out weeks ago but never found the right moment to give. He closed the box slowly, fingers tightening around it.
Back in the living room, the tension had softened slightly. Althea leaned forward. "So… are you two actually going to talk things out, or should I start drafting divorce papers for fun?" Alaya smirked. "You're not qualified for that."
"Neither are you," Althea shot back.
For the first time that evening, Adrian actually laughed. "God, you two are terrifying together." Althea raised an eyebrow. "We've barely started."
The mood lifted, just a little, enough for them to continue talking without the weight of old wounds pressing quite so hard. But in the bedroom, Max sat quietly, thumb running over the edge of that little box, wondering if the moment to give it to her had already passed.
End of Chapter 49.