The Unwanted Wife

Abi's POV

I woke up with a sense of contentment. Last night at my in-laws' house was amazing. We laughed so much, reminiscing about Maverick's childhood. Brooklyn couldn't resist sharing some embarrassing stories about Maverick, which made him groan in annoyance, but it was clear he couldn't stay mad at his mother for long.

What shocked me the most was when Brooklyn showed me a picture of me and Maverick when we were kids. It turned out that Maverick and I were friends, which was weird because I didn't remember anything about him. Judging by our appearance in the picture, I was probably only five years old when we first met. I had no recollection whatsoever of our friendship, and Maverick didn't remember me either.

"You two only spent time together for a while because your family moved to Geneva a year after that," Brooklyn explained when I mentioned that I didn't remember Maverick.

I did recall that my family and I had lived in Geneva for about five years due to my dad's work before we moved back to London.

Before Maverick and I left, Brooklyn slipped the childhood picture into my purse and insisted that I keep it. Now I stared at the picture of young Maverick and me in my hand. Honestly, it felt strange. I never would have guessed that we had known each other for so long, yet we had no memories of our past friendship. It was quite comical because, looking at our present situation, we were far from being friends.

My phone then vibrated on the bedside table, indicating a call from Christian. I picked it up and answered immediately.

"Hey, Chris," I greeted him.

"Hey, babe. Hope I'm not interrupting your morning kisses with your hot husband," Chris chuckled on the line. I rolled my eyes, knowing that Maverick and I slept in separate rooms.

"Nah, you're not interrupting anything. What do you need?"

"Besides wanting to explore your husband's hot body?"

I rolled my eyes again. Chris always had a way with words. "Quit talking about my husband, Chris."

He laughed. "I'm kidding, babe. Anyway, I'm calling to let you know that the boss is throwing a small gathering for employees at his house, and we're all invited."

"A gathering party? How nice. When is it?"

"Today, at 1 PM. You'd better get ready because I'll pick you up."

I glanced at the clock and saw that it was already 10 AM. "Okay, I'll take a quick shower then. Wait, what should I wear?"

"Um, clothes?"

"I know, smartass. What I mean is, what kind of clothes? Should I dress formally like I do at the office or something?" Christian could be frustrating to talk to sometimes.

"No, just dress casually."

"Alright then, I'll text you my address."

"Sure thing. Ciao, Addison!"

Well, that's Christian for you.

I headed to the bathroom to take a shower. As I washed my hair with my favorite vanilla-scented shampoo, I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. Once I finished, I returned to my room and chose an outfit. Since Christian had mentioned dressing casually, I opted for a rose polka dot shirt and blue jeans, the kind of clothes I enjoyed wearing on a daily basis.

I brushed my hair and let it fall naturally, then applied a bit of makeup. Just as I finished, Christian texted me to say he was on his way to the house. I grabbed my phone and my green-army purse, then headed downstairs to the kitchen. Since I would be having lunch outside later, I planned to just have some bread or a small snack.

In the kitchen, Harper was washing the dishes while Maria was preparing breakfast. They both turned around when they noticed me.

"Good morning, Abi," they greeted in unison.

"Morning," I smiled, placing my purse on the kitchen island. "Can I have some bread and a cup of tea, please?"

"Don't you want a full breakfast, Abi?" Maria asked, turning off the stove.

"I'm sorry, I'll pass on breakfast. I'm in a bit of a hurry," I explained as Harper handed me my tea.

"Where are you off to?"

"To my boss's house. There's a gathering party for the employees, and I was invited."

"Okay, do you want me to tell Bennett to drive you there?"

I shook my head, taking a bite of my Nutella bread. "No need, thanks. I already have someone picking me up."

Before Harper could say anything else, Maverick walked into the kitchen, looking incredibly attractive with his messy hair. He must have just woken up.

"Morning," he greeted, his eyes flickering over my outfit. "Are you going somewhere?"

Great. Now, what should I tell him? If I mentioned I was going to my boss's house, he would start saying things.

"Yeah, I, um, I'm going out with a friend," I said, avoiding eye contact and focusing on my tea.

Maria served a full breakfast plate in front of Maverick, then excused herself along with Harper, leaving me alone with him in the kitchen.

"Where to?" He asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Before I could answer, the doorbell rang. That must be Christian. Thank God.

"Excuse me," I told Maverick, then left the kitchen to open the door. Standing there was the handsome Christian. "Hey, Chris."