Stranger in my Ass-Chapter 303

Maxwell’s POV

As the team got to work, I pulled Damien aside.

"Did he reach out to Mom?" I asked quietly. "Does she know he’s alive?"

Damien shook his head. "I don’t think so. If he had, things would have escalated way more than this. She would have either helped him or called the police. There’s no middle ground with her."

"Good," I said. "Let’s keep it that way. As far as she’s concerned, Dad died ten years ago in that fire."

"Agreed."

We stood there in silence for a moment, watching the security team work.

"You know," Damien said finally, "for a second there, you actually thought I was going to kill you."

"For a second there, I wasn’t sure," I admitted.

He looked at me, something serious in his expression for once.

"I’m your brother, Maxwell," he said quietly. "I might be jealous of the company, might give you shit about everything, might even be pissed that you got your girl while I lost mine. But I would never actually hurt you. You know that, right?"

I met his eyes and saw genuine sincerity there.

"Yeah," I said. "I know."

"Good." He clapped me on the shoulder. "Now let’s get out of here and let these guys do their work. I need some clean clothes and a drink after all that.."

"You and me both."

***Three Months Later***

Three months. Ninety days. Two thousand, one hundred and sixty hours.

That’s how long it had been since I’d seen Olivia.

Since I’d walked away from that hospital and made the decision to stay out of her life for her own good.

I’d kept tabs on her, of course. Through Kennedy, who texted me updates. Through private investigators who reported on her movements without getting too close.

I knew her father had woken up from his coma after six weeks. Knew he was recovering well, though he’d need physical therapy.

I knew Olivia was healthy. That the baby was healthy. That after she’d quit her job at my company, she’d started working from home as a freelance legal consultant.

I knew she’d moved back in with her parents temporarily, probably for the support during her pregnancy.

I knew everything and nothing at the same time.

Because I didn’t know how she felt. If she ever thought about me. If she hated me. If she’d forgiven me.

If she missed me even a fraction as much as I missed her.

I threw myself into work. Expanded the company. Made deals. Signed contracts. Did everything I could to keep my mind occupied.

But every night, I went home to an empty house and stared at my phone, wanting to call her, wanting to hear her voice, wanting to know if our baby was a boy or a girl.

Wanting her.

Always wanting her.

Today was no different.

I was leaving the house for a meeting downtown, my mind already on the contract I needed to review, when my driver pulled up outside the gate.

And stopped.

"Sir," he said, his voice uncertain. "There’s someone at the gate."

I looked up from my phone, ready to tell him to just drive around them.

And my heart stopped.

Olivia.

She was standing outside my gate, one hand on her very pregnant belly, the other holding a bag, looking nervous and beautiful that my brain short-circuited.

She was here.

At my house.

After three months of silence.

"Stop the car," I said, my voice coming out hoarse.

"Sir?"

"STOP THE CAR!" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The driver slammed on the brakes, and I was out the door before the vehicle had fully stopped, walking toward her, my heart racing like it was trying to escape my chest.

She looked up as I approached, and our eyes met.

And for a moment, neither of us said anything.

We just stood there, on opposite sides of my gate, staring at each other like we couldn’t quite believe this was real.

She looked incredible. Her hair was longer, falling in soft waves around her shoulders. Her face had that glow everyone talked about with pregnant women. Her belly was round and prominent, proof of the life we’d created together.

Our baby.

"Hi," she said finally, her voice soft and uncertain.

"Hi," I managed to respond, though my throat felt tight.

Another moment of silence.

"I..." She took a breath. "Can we talk?"

I wanted to say yes. Wanted to throw open the gate and pull her into my arms and never let her go.

But I also remembered the way she’d looked at me in that hospital. The way her mother had turned away. The way she’d told me she didn’t want me near her family.

"Are you sure?" I asked carefully. "I don’t want to... if you’re not ready..."

"I’m sure," she interrupted, and there was something in her eyes that made hope flare painfully in my chest. "I need to talk to you, Maxwell. There are things I need to say. Things I should have said months ago."

I nodded, not trusting my voice, and quickly entered the code to open the gate.

She walked through, and I fell into step beside her, leading her toward the house while trying very hard not to stare at her belly.

Our baby was in there. Right there.

Growing. Living. Real.

"How are you feeling?" I asked as we walked. "Are you okay? Is the baby..."

"We’re fine," she said, a small smile touching her lips. "Both of us. Healthy. The doctor says everything’s progressing perfectly."

"Good," I said. "That’s... that’s good."

We reached the front door, and I opened it for her, gesturing her inside.

"Do you want to sit down? Can I get you anything? Water? Tea? Are you hungry?"

She smiled - a real smile this time.

"I’m fine, Maxwell. But thank you."

We moved to the living room, and she sat down on the couch with a small sigh of relief, one hand on her belly.

I sat across from her in the armchair, maintaining distance, trying not to let myself hope too much.

"So," I said. "You wanted to talk?"

She nodded, her expression turning serious.

And I waited, my heart in my throat, for whatever she was about to say.