Dear Ex-wife Marry Me (Maja and Ian) novel Chapter 1896

Zoey longed for sleep, but the rumble of a car engine outside jerked her awake.

Rising to part the curtains, she noticed a flurry of activity at the villa opposite hers, with people moving things in and out as if they were uprooting their lives in the dead of night.

She furrowed her brow. Were the neighbors moving out? But she hadn’t heard a peep about their house being on the market.

And then she spotted the crew of workers sanitizing and arranging the place, carting in swanky furniture pieces.

Zoey lingered on the balcony for a moment, curious about who would soon call that place home.

She returned to bed, succumbing to sleep.

The next morning, while munching on breakfast downstairs, she overheard Miranda: “New folks moved in across the way. I did some snooping—turns out that place never even went up for sale. Some loaded buyer swooped in, dropped a cool four million, a hefty markup, and the sellers were over the moon. Sold it that very night, moved out before dawn. No idea who the newbies are.”

Four million?

Who would cough up that kind of cash?

No wonder the sellers left in a jiffy—it was like winning the lottery.

Miranda sounded envious. “If only they’d bought our place. Ah, some folks have all the luck.”

Zoey passed her some vegetables. “Mom, eat.”

Miranda’s heart softened a bit. “Zoey, your dad and I are ready. The bank wants us to head out tonight.”

“That soon?”

“Yeah, the hotel needs us to confirm our booking pronto, or it’s a thousand bucks down the drain.”

Zoey felt a pang of sadness. “Okay, I’ll help you pack after work.”

“No need, honey. You’ve got your job. Don’t be late.”

As Zoey arrived at the kindergarten, she spotted Henry waiting outside the gate.

He didn’t venture in.

She parked swiftly. “Henry?”

“Zoey.”

Under his eyes were dark circles; clearly, he hadn’t slept a wink. Her heart softened.

Henry did care for her, and he was sensible—keen not to let their relationship hinder his career.

Zoey was equally pragmatic. She wouldn’t let romance derail her ambitions. They were quite the match.

A smile flickered across her lips, her eyes twinkling.

“My parents won a trip to Europe; they jet off tonight. How about we have both our families meet over lunch, sort of like an engagement?”

Henry brightened, scooping her into an embrace, relieved.

“Perfect, Zoey. Thank goodness you didn’t say no.”

He cupped her face, leaning in for a kiss.

Fitch bounced him gently. “Yeah, I'm feeling down. But tonight, we’re moving right across from your mommy. Closer to her.”

Nolan’s eyes filled with caution.

“Does she dislike me?”

“Of course not. How could she?”

Really?

If she didn’t dislike him, why wouldn’t she want him?

If she didn’t dislike him, why couldn't she recognize him when they met?

Documentaries said blood ties were powerful, that you could spot kin in a crowd.

Mommy hadn’t spotted him. That meant her love wasn’t strong enough.

To her, he was just another kid.

“Daddy, does she...”

“Yes?”

“Not want me?”

Fitch’s heart clenched as he held Nolan tighter. “No, that’s not it. She just... just dislikes me, not you.”