Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love

She seriously didn't see it coming. Just watching other folks quarrel somehow made Pearl think of her.

"No." This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.

"Don't you lie to me; if that brat really forced you to take that stuff, I'd never let him off the hook!"

Pearl had that deadly serious look, like all Rosemary had to do was give the nod and she'd be ready to grab a knife and go after Maxwell like there was no tomorrow.

With a helpless shake of her head, Rosemary said, "No, Pearl, he never forced me to take any pills. Even though we've been married for three years, he's never touched me."

Ever since she'd laid it all out to Pearl about them getting a divorce, she started to let loose and didn't hold back anymore.

"What?" Pearl's eyes nearly popped out of her head when she heard this bombshell, "You mean to tell me you two never...you know...after getting married?"

There was still that generation gap between them, and Pearl found it really awkward to just come out and ask.

"Should I get the doctor to prescribe more of last time's medicine? Maybe taking a bit more will do the trick!"

Now it was Rosemary's turn to feel awkward. She was seriously worried Pearl might start feeding Maxwell all sorts of random stuff and quickly defended him, "No, he doesn't need any medicine; there's nothing wrong with him physically. He just doesn't want anything to do with me. Don't worry; once he finds someone he likes, you'll have grandkids in no time."

"No way, back then, he was the one who insisted on." Pearl's voice trailed off. She must ask Maxwell about this; she couldn't afford to get this wrong. If she caused any more misunderstandings between them, she'd be the guilty one.

Suddenly, she wasn't in the mood for shopping anymore, "Let's go home. We're having dinner at the villa tonight."

Rosemary really didn't want to go, but seeing Pearl's rollercoaster emotions, she worried her words might have hit her hard, so she quietly followed along.

As soon as they got home, Pearl headed straight for the second-floor study.

Wendy was confused, "Mrs. Rosemary Templeton, what's wrong with Mrs. Pearl Templeton? Weren't you two out shopping? How come it seems like the mood's gone sour?"

Rosemary just shook her head, not saying much.

An hour later, Maxwell, who was supposed to be at the office, drove back. He glanced at Rosemary before heading upstairs.

The study door was ajar. Maxwell knocked and walked in, "Mom, you wanted to see me?"

"Tell me, what's the deal with you and Rosemary? You were the one desperate to marry her, and now you're treating her like this? For three years you haven't even," She took a few deep breaths, "Didn't you tell me you'd be dedicated to her? Is this your idea of dedication? After all these years, Rosemary was still covering for you!"

Maxwell hadn't expected that Pearl's urgent summons would be about this.

"She told you that we've never slept together after getting married?"

Rosemary played a few rounds of Candy Crush, and then Maxwell came down from upstairs, heading straight for her.

She was sitting on a long sofa, right side up against the armrest, with plenty of space to the left, but Maxwell chose to sit right next to her, legs touching, which to anyone else would look pretty darn intimate.

Rosemary frowned and scooted over, "Back off a bit, will ya? Isn't the couch long enough for you?"

Maxwell, expressionless, challenged, "Who told you to spill to Mom that we've never slept together in three years?"

Oh, so he was here to point fingers now. Rosemary shifted her gaze from her phone screen to his face, feigning innocence, "What else was I supposed to say?"

"Mom just asked about the kid business. You could've just said you didn't want any."

"Who doesn't want any? Me? You? We're already tearing each other apart in court; why should I cover for you? What for? Because you're getting old? Because you're impotent? Or because you fancy having two wives?"

If sarcasm could turn into a physical blade, judging by Rosemary's attitude, she'd probably want to stab him full of holes.

Maxwell frowned, "Mrs. Templeton, are you so spiteful towards me because I didn't sleep with you during our marriage and you're frustrated?"

Rosemary scoffed, "No, I'm actually grateful for your restraint over these years. I can only imagine, if you had, it would've been worse than sleeping with an animal! The first experience is utterly horrible. What a terrible waste of your God-given physique!"

She got so worked up that her voice rose without her realizing. Little did she know that Pearl had just come downstairs and caught this jaw-dropping statement! And so did Wendy in the kitchen; was it too late to shut the kitchen door now?

Rosemary was momentarily frozen, internally screaming like a prairie dog, cursing up a storm. At Meadowlark Retreat, at the apartment where there was no one else, she'd forgotten that this was the villa, not only teeming with servants but also her mother-in-law.

She bolted upright, grabbed her bag without even a goodbye, and made a beeline for the door. Maxwell, with lips pressed tight, was about to follow.

"Maxwell," Pearl called out to him, using such a tender tone for the first time since he got married.

He turned around, asking plainly, "What's up?"

"Whenever you've got some free time, don't just bury yourself in work. Maybe look at some educational material. Asking friends with experience could help too."

"Um." She tilted her chin, gesturing towards the front door, "You better chase after Rosemary. It's tough to hail a cab around here; don't let her get away."

Less than half a minute later, Rosemary had bolted out the villa's front gate. But she heard rapid footsteps behind her and soon felt her wrist seized.

"Maxwell, let go."

Maxwell's jaw was set as he dragged her a few steps to his car, threw open the door, and practically shoved her inside.

As Rosemary tried to get out, Maxwell's towering figure blocked the car door, looking down at her with a half-smile that was enough to send shivers down her spine.

"Mrs. Templeton, think my skills are lousy? You're saying being with me is worse than being with an animal, huh?"