My CEO Ex: Let Me Go.-Chapter 125

Alexander’s POV

When Maximus pushed open the door to the private room, he must’ve sensed something when he saw that I was alone.

He closed the door behind him and stopped in front of the table, glancing at the empty bottle. "Did you have a fight with Vivienne?" he asked.

I didn’t answer, lazily filling my glass and gulping it down in one go.

Maximus noticed I was about to pour more and quickly snatched the bottle away.

I was slow to react, belatedly turning to look at him and extending my hand. "Give me the bottle!"

"You called me here to watch you drink? I’m not interested. If you want to keep going, I’ll leave right now."

I froze. My outstretched hand lost its strength, and with a soft thud, it dropped to my knee. My body slumped as though my bones had melted away, and I sank weakly into the sofa.

I half-closed my eyes, hiding the emotions behind them. The dark circles beneath my lashes made it clear how exhausted I’d been lately.

"She wants a divorce," I muttered, out of the blue, but Maximus understood right away.

He set the bottle aside and sat across from me. His face betrayed no surprise as he sighed. "I saw it coming."

I quickly met his gaze.

"At the last gathering, when you had Victor Sinclair apologize to Vivienne, only you and Victor were really involved. Vivienne’s expression was calm, distant—like she didn’t care."

I froze again, closing my eyes as I tried to recall Vivienne’s expression from that moment. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t picture it.

"You always say Vivienne is sensible, that she’s the type to compromise and put herself last. But once she decides to fight back, it means she’s completely given up. And once she makes up her mind, it’s hard for her to change it."

I stayed silent for a long time before finally opening my eyes and looking at Maximus. "Why didn’t you warn me sooner?"

Maximus gave a small smile. "I did warn you. A long time ago. I told you not to be soft with any woman but your wife, Alexander. Others may not get you, but I do. Even back then, the way you looked at Vivienne said more than you realized."

My gaze turned distant, lost in thought.

Had I really liked Vivienne that much, even so early on?

Maybe so.

That’s why, even when I suggested divorce, I still said we’d remain like brother and sister.

Heh.

Looking back, it seems utterly ridiculous. How can a divorced couple still act like siblings?

But subconsciously, I didn’t want to leave Vivienne.

So when Vivienne agreed to the divorce so easily, I felt this unsettling knot inside.

And when she talked about quitting her job and moving to another country with Julian, I opposed it vehemently, trying everything I could to convince her to stay, as if I were truly thinking of her future like a brother would.

In truth, it was nothing but my own selfishness. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

That’s why, even when we were on our way to the courthouse, I knew the divorce papers were still on the bedside table, but I didn’t remind her, finding ways to delay things.

Even after I proposed the divorce, which should’ve been as simple as filling out a few forms at the courthouse, I dragged it on for so long without finalizing it.

Deep down, I didn’t want it to happen.

And when Isabella dropped a few suggestive hints, I acted like I didn’t notice, indifferent, coming up with excuses, worried my child might end up like me—born out of wedlock.

But in reality, I was subconsciously keeping a door open for myself and Vivienne. If we really took that final step, there’d be no turning back.

Now, looking back, the answers to all my contradictory actions are finally clear.

But why did it take me so long to see it?

"The one in the middle is always blind, the one on the outside sees it clearly. You and Isabella—that relationship was something she pursued. More often than not, she adapted to you. To me, that relationship was almost meaningless. I didn’t expect Isabella to come back, and I definitely didn’t expect that, after she did, you’d still be tied up with her. I thought you’d realize that the only person you owe anything to in that mess is yourself. Vivienne doesn’t owe Isabella anything. You shouldn’t make Vivienne suffer to make up for what you owe Isabella. And you shouldn’t drag her down with you."

Maximus’s words hit me like a bolt of lightning, and I let out a dazed, almost foolish laugh. "You make it sound so simple. Why did it take me so long to understand?"

I remember that night when Vivienne and I were tangled in passion in bed, and then I received a call from Isabella’s agent telling me that Isabella was missing. I insisted on leaving.

Vivienne begged me to stay, but I left anyway. At the time, I was furious, accusing her of having no empathy.

Looking back now, I realize how hurtful those words must have been. Why should Vivienne sympathize with someone who destroyed her marriage? If someone told me now that Julian was missing, I’d probably just applaud.

"Actually, even if you owe Isabella something, you shouldn’t indulge her like this. After that incident years ago, everyone blamed you, but they forgot that both you and Isabella are adults. You weren’t her guardian. She ran away from school in the middle of the night—that was her fault. As for the kidnapping, that was the kidnappers’ greed and malice, and had nothing to do with you. Calling the police was the right move at the time. Without it, you might not have been able to save her. I know you feel guilty, which is why you’ve been trying to make it up to her.”

“But compensation isn’t unconditional. If she asked you to break the law, would you do it? Promises aren’t indefinite, either. If you and Vivienne have a child, and Isabella still wants to be with you, would you agree to that?”

“Again, Isabella is an adult. She chose to leave back then, which was like voluntarily abandoning your promise. She needs to take responsibility for her actions. It’s like how you might yield to Sebastian Hawthorne, but the position of President at Vanguard Global Enterprises was given to you by Chairman Hawthorne because he recognized your ability. He’s not as capable as you, and you shouldn’t feel like you’ve taken something from him. Even without you, your uncle and cousin could have filled that position. Sebastian wouldn’t necessarily have gotten it.”

“I’ve said all I can. Don’t betray your own heart. Think carefully about what you truly want. I believe you can make the right choice.”

I closed my eyes, unable to pull myself together for a long time.

When it came to Isabella, Maximus was the only one who said it wasn’t my fault, besides my grandmother.

I still remember the professor at school saying, “She ran away. Why didn’t you go after her? What kind of boyfriend are you? If you’d chased after her, this wouldn’t have happened. A real man takes responsibility. It’s such a shame for a good girl like Isabella...”

An older police officer said, “She’s a girl, and you’re a guy. A man should be more understanding. If you hadn’t argued with her, maybe none of this would have happened.”

Sebastian said, “I know you want to find the person who leaked the data, to fix the losses as soon as possible. But without proof, you can’t just accuse your girlfriend, especially since the kidnappers were targeting you... What happened to that girl could leave a lifelong psychological scar. You have to take responsibility for her future...”

As I began to mature, people would occasionally, whether intentionally or not, whisper in my ear: “Is this the child Matthew Hawthorne brought back from outside? I heard he and his wife fought over him before they died!”

“That’s him! If it weren’t for that child, Matthew and his wife wouldn’t have died so young.”

“Exactly! Eloise was such a sweet girl—beautiful, always smiling and greeting people. She had such a good relationship with Matthew Hawthorne...”

Eloise, Matthew Hawthorne’s wife, was the subject of their gossip.

“I feel the worst for Sebastian. Not only did he get a brother fighting for the inheritance, but his parents died when he was so young...”

Those sympathetic remarks were etched deeply into my young heart.

But no one ever considered that I was younger than Sebastian and had already lost both of my parents.

Perhaps it was because I was an illegitimate child.

From the very beginning, my existence had been a mistake.