?Chapter 1566:


    “I remember you once saying that after Zoey’s wishes were fulfilled, you’d divorce me.” Chris chose each word with care, but the question beneath them was unmistakable. “Did you mean it?”


    Maia was briefly stunned. Back then, she truly had thought that way. After what Vince had done, she had shut herself off entirely, guarding her heart as though sealing it behind walls. And yet, it was Chris who had made her believe in love again.


    She hesitated, preparing to exin—but Chris cut in before she could. “Have you ever thought about it… if we do divorce, what kind of settlement would you want?”


    The words hit her all at once. Maia felt as though something had mmed into her chest. She yanked her hand free from his grasp.


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    Anger surged without restraint, and the pain cut deep—sharp and unforgiving. Earlier, she had dismissed Raegan’s words with scorn, never once taking them seriously. But Chris’s question had dragged her down from her fragile sense of security in an instant.


    “Settlement terms?” Maiaughed coldly, even as her eyes burned red. “So that’s what today is about? You wanted to discuss the divorce agreement? When you asked whether we had ever been intimate, was that just to calcte how much you’d owe me? Mr. Cooper, you’ve crossed a line.”


    She drew in a steady breath and forced her tears back. “Then listen carefully. Nothing. Nothing has ever happened between us. Not once.” Even though there had been countless moments that made her pulse race—countless times when the distance between them had nearly vanished—she denied every one of them. “Chris Cooper, we owe each other nothing. As for Zoey’s wishes, as long as you cooperate, it won’t take long. After that, I can finalize the divorce.”


    No one could see how much it cost her to say those words. The pain twisted inside her, relentless and sharp.


    In her mind, Raegan’s mocking voice echoed. From the very beginning, he’s only been using you. He never loved you. Not for even a moment.


    No. That couldn’t be true. Raegan’s words had to be taken in reverse—only then did any of her actions make sense.


    “That’s not what I meant.” Seeing Maia’s reddened eyes, Chris felt something invisible tighten around his heart. Panic set in, leaving him visibly unsettled.


    “Mr. Cooper, there’s no need to exin.” Maia forced herself to remainposed. “I can treat everything that happened today as the result of your memory not fully recovering—meaningless talk.” She took another breath, tilting her head back slightly, puzzled by the sting in her nose and the dampness gathering in her eyes.


    She lifted her gaze toward the night sky, stars scattered faintly above, doing her best to hold herself together. Then she turned away from Chris. “I should leave now. When you’re ready to be honest with me, we can talk again.”


    With that, she stepped forward.


    “Stop!” Chris shot to his feet so abruptly that his chair toppled behind him. He rushed ahead and blocked her path.


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