Mission: From Divorcee to Millionaire

Ava's eyes filled with tears, hot and immediate.

What a gem of a wife she is! How could Mr. Everett be so heartless to her? Some men are just dogs, plain and simple!

Everett wandered into the study, a room he hadn't visited in ages. The desk was still piled high with all sorts of parenting books. In one lonely corner sat an unfinished rocking horse.

That horse... It was from the time he went with Selena for her sixth prenatal check-up. The baby was thriving, and in the ultrasound room, they could make out the tiny outline on the screen. Selena was over the moon, chatting non-stop about who the baby might take after. He wasn't fussed about who the baby might resemble; with their looks, the kid would be a stunner no matter what. But he loved riling Selena up, claiming the child would definitely look like him-after all, the Bennett family genes were strong.

Selena wouldn't let it slide, insisting the baby would favor her, with her looks shining through. The debate led them to the mall to pick out a gift for the baby. Selena instantly fell for the rocking horse, and they brought it home.

That night, she plopped down on the carpet with tools in hand, ready to assemble it. It was a job for nails and a hammer-tough and a bit risky, but she was all in, determined to do it herself.

After wrapping up a video meeting, he found her struggling and couldn't resist stepping in. He took the tools from her, joining her in this silly, yet endearing task.

In his mind, anything you could buy and have delivered was hardly worth the sweat. If money could fix it, it was no big deal. But she believed that gifts crafted by hand carried more heart.

The baby would sense it, she argued, feeling the love from its parents. Everett had scoffed at the idea while working on it, as Selena kept chattering away and offering unwanted advice. She was so relentless that he eventually pulled her into his arms and silenced her with a kiss.

One thing led to another, and they ended up in the bedroom, leaving the rocking horse unfinished. Now, with the child gone, the rocking horse remained undelivered.

Everett rolled up his sleeves slowly, sat down, and picked up the hammer and nails to finish assembling the rocking horse. This time, he took his time, carefully following each step.

After a while, he completed it. He then took a small carving knife and meticulously engraved "Mateo" on the side of the rocking horse. As he carved the last stroke, he accidentally nicked his finger and drop of blood appeared. novelbin

He didn't even notice, gently touching the rocking horse, which began to sway slightly. He imagined

a small figure riding it, smiling at

him. Everett's brows knitted

together, and a deep redness

appeared in the corners of his eyes.

In that moment, the pain felt tangible. He had lost someone dear yet again. Leaning against the wall, he closed his eyes.

The terrace door was open, letting in a breeze that played with his hair, revealing the unmistakable sorrow and pain on his handsome face.

Time slipped by unnoticed until his phone's sudden ring shattered the silence. Everett wiped his face with his hand, checked the caller ID, and answered.

His voice was still a bit rough, "Yeah, what's up?"

Derick: "Mr Everett, Ms. Margot is causing a scene at the apartment again. We can't calm her down. She says if she doesn't see you today, she'll jump. Uh, do you think you

could come by?"

en

If it were up to him, Derick wouldn't bother Everett right now, but since Mr. Everett's stance with Margot was always so unclear, he wasn't sure how to handle the situation. Everett paused, silent for a moment.