Battle Divorce! - Chapter 31

Chapter 16.1

She only meant to take a quick snoop before the water stopped running.

She never expected him to appear out of nowhere. He hadn’t made the slightest peep. It felt like seeing a ghost. Daisy was so stunned she froze on the spot.

‘…What now?’

There was no talking her way out of this.

Seated smack dab in the middle of his scattered clothes on the long sofa, she looked undeniably guilty. Anyone with eyes could see she’d been caught red-handed.

“I asked you, what are you doing?”

Maxim’s voice pressed her again when all she could do was open and close her mouth like a fish gasping for air.

He had every right to be confused. After all, she’d been rifling through his belongings in the short time he was in the shower.

Welp. If denial was futile, she might as well own up to it.

Frankly, no excuse would get her out of this.

Then again, did she even need an excuse?

On second thought, Daisy had no reason to gain her husband’s favor. If anything, this might be the perfect opportunity to ruin her image a bit. With newfound confidence, she puffed out her chest.

“Exactly what it looks like. I went through your clothes.”

No hesitation. No stammering. Just a bold confession of her “crime.”

Maxim, apparently taken aback by her unexpected candor, let out a baffled laugh.

“Why?” he asked abruptly.

Why indeed? She didn’t need to win him over, so she hardly needed a legitimate reason. On the contrary, she was more interested in irritating him enough to push for a divorce.

“Married couples shouldn’t keep secrets from each other, right?”

“Absolutely. I couldn’t agree more.”

“Well, the truth is, I’m a chronic overthinker. I tend to be very suspicious. If something feels off, I must check. Otherwise, it keeps me awake at night.”

No man in his right mind would enjoy having a paranoid wife.

Daisy had heard one too many horror stories about her former colleague—code name Trash—who had slowly lost his sanity thanks to his wife’s obsessive surveillance. It was practically burned into her brain.

She felt pretty confident in her answer.

“…Oh, I see.”

“…”

“So, did you find anything?”

She had thought up the creepiest reason possible, yet Maxim didn’t seem even slightly fazed.

…Why is he acting so indifferent?

Um, hello? Your belongings were just rummaged through. Shouldn’t you, oh, I don’t know, feel offended?

Daisy’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. That was not the reaction she’d been expecting.

“If you’re curious about something, you don’t need to go through the trouble of snooping. Simply ask me. I’ll always be honest with you, Izzy. But if you’d prefer to look around yourself, be my guest.”

…Wait, what? Not only was he not upset, but he actually seemed to be encouraging her behavior.

“You’re not mad?”

“Not at all.” Maxim raised a brow.

“Why not? I mean, I secretly went through your things. Is that not… invasive?”

“You wouldn’t do so without reason. There must be something troubling you.”

“No, actually, I think I am just being unreasonable. I don’t even know why I’m acting like this. I just can’t bring myself to fully trust you, Max. I keep doubting you.”

“I see. That must be stressful. Very well, then. Go ahead. Dig through everything, tear things apart if you must. Whatever it takes to set your mind at ease.”

“You’re seriously all right with this?”

“Yes. If anything, I find it rather endearing that you’re so interested in me, Izzy.”

Okay, so he clearly does not think like a normal person.

But she was not about to surrender so easily.

Maybe the best approach was to throw him off with something so ridiculous he’d have no choice but to back down.

“In that case, I have a question. And I expect you to answer truthfully.”

“Of course.”

Even though she was about to say something completely outrageous, Maxim’s expression remained perfectly composed.

“Max, are you a s*x addict?”

“Unfortunately, not yet. But it is my future goal.”

“Excuse me? That’s your future goal? Something so inappropriate?”

“Yes.”

She had aimed to insult him, yet he took it so casually that it completely threw her off instead.

“Of course, I’ll need your full support to achieve it, Izzy. Let’s eat plenty of protein and boost my stamina, shall we?”

It was like nothing she said could even put a dent in him.

Daisy had met all kinds of men in her life, but never had she encountered someone so outrageously insane. And it was starting to wear her down.

Her temper flared, but this was only the beginning. She couldn’t afford to lose the upper hand now.

Fine. Since it had come to this, she would just keep throwing wild cards at him.

“Since we’re already on the topic, can I make another confession?”

“As many as you like.”

“I have kleptomania.”

There. If he was into obsessive women, then surely stealing would be the deal-breaker. Some men could tolerate a little clinginess, but theft? That was an actual felony.