Crashing into an Old Flame
Chapter 137: His past

Chapter 137: His past

The little girl looked at the orchids that Maxim had sprinkled around her and she tucked them into the flair of her dress one by one.

Diana tilted her head to glance at Maxim who was entertaining Angel, ’’You know, initially, I didn’t want to come here today,’’ When he glanced at her, she was suddenly reminded that the reason she did not want to come here in the first place was that she did not know how to face him after yesterday.

She cleared her throat, ’’I mean... I was a bit reluctant but now I think it’s good that I ended up coming here.’’

’’You think it’s good because we are all locked?" Sometimes, Maxim did not understand how her head worked.

Diana shook her head, ’’In fact, because of work, I have been unable to take Angel out to play,’’ her other concern was that she would accidentally stumble upon her father’s men in case they were here, still looking for them or her maternal grandmother like the last time.

’’She is growing and I feel like I haven’t been doing enough for her. So, it’s good that she can enjoy herself here like this,’’ Diana said.

Maxim stepped towards her before sitting on the opposite side of the swing.

Since the terrace was surrounded by 6 feet glass walls, and it was completely child-safe, Diana let Angel play near her feet without worries.

Diana held the chain in her hand and tilted her head to the side, ’’Feels like we are back to the school days,’’ she smiled, thinking back to the first time he had kissed her wrist to console her. She was sitting on a swing back then too.

Her heart raced at the reminder and she wondered if she had felt the same back then as well.

Maxim was quiet so she took it as an affirmation.

’’I think you are doing well enough,’’ Maxim said after a long time, ’’You have made efforts for her,’’ he looked at her, wondering why in the world she did not see how special she was.

Leaving a country, her family, the lifestyle she was accustomed to, building a new life from the scratch just for the sake of a child... did she think people did it on a daily basis?

Maxim had no idea what ideal parenting looked like. He was raised by his single mother who was running around handling multiple jobs, saving money, being there for him when he needed and asking tolerate bullies to stay away from trouble all the time. His mother’s ways of deflecting from troubles were something he never liked but he knew that she was trying her best for him. She was always willing to give it her all to give him the life he deserved just like the times when she would push her portion of food to his plate back when he was 8 pretending to not be hungry, just in case he was starving.

So, to him, that was the definition of an ideal mother. He had no idea about extravagance, amusement parks, educational trips, and whatnot. But it was simply the efforts, and care.

Diana sighed, ’’I don’t know. Daisy is not around and sometimes I end up doubting my parenting,’’ she squinted, ’’I am quite worried about Daisy too. I mean, I know that she can protect herself but other than that, she is missing these moments with Angel. Angel is growing up too fast for my liking.’’

Maxim continued looking at her from the other side of the swing.

Diana tucked her hair behind her ear, ’’Forget it. I feel like I am dumping my emotional baggage on you all the time.’’

Maxim chuckled.

She looked at him. The dimples looked back at her.

How good would it be if he kept smiling that way 24X7? She could stare the whole time.

’’You can dump them. Shove them. Or do whatever you want,’’ he reached out his hand towards her and ruffled the crown of her hair, ’’I can handle any kind of baggage you send my way.’’

Diana pushed his hand away and turned to look at Angel, her heart doing a not-so-graceful tango at his words.

’’Well, that’s a first,’’ Maxim said.

’’What?" Diana looked at him.

’’You didn’t glare at me for ruining your hair,’’ he winked at her.

Diana almost got a nosebleed. Must he seduce her like that? ’’You...’’ she stroked her hair with her fingers, ’’I didn’t say anything because you never listen,’’ she avoided his gaze.

Silence descended around them once again.

After some time, Diana spoke up, ’’Warner.’’

’’Yeah?"

The sky had turned dark and the terrace was lit up with fairy lights, ’’Will you be offended if I ask you something personal?" She had never asked it him before because she was afraid he would be upset but she did not know what possessed her at that moment.

’’You can ask me anything,’’ Maxim said within a beat, ’’You don’t have to ask for permission.’’

Diana licked her bottom lips. She was touched by his words but she hesitated, ’’What if it’s a little intrusive?"

’’Fine by me.’’

’’What if it makes you sad?"

Maxim frowned and shifted his gaze from Angel who was clinging to his leg before she went back to play with a candy jar that he had handed her.

As he looked at Diana’s depressed face, he felt more stressed on her behalf, ’’There aren’t many things that affect me enough to cause me sadness,’’ he paused for a moment before adding, ’’But your face right now is quite bothering,’’ he inched closer to her and smoothened the lines between her brows with the tip of his index finger.

’’Where is your... Dad?" Diana asked and she felt the movement of his finger pausing.

When he remained silent, she felt guilty, ’’I am sorry. I should not have...’’

’’Shut up,’’ Maxim shifted his hand and tilted her chin with the tip of his index finger, ’’One more time you act this formal with me, I will punish you.’’

P-Punish?

The dark romance books she had read before unanimously flew into her mind with devil’s wings.

She was momentarily distracted by her urge to ask him what kind of punishment.

In the end, she swallowed the urge and continued looking at him.

Maxim leaned back on the swing, ’’I have never met him,’’ he paused for a moment before adding, ’’Neither have I discussed anything about him with Mom.’’

’’Must be painful for her,’’ Diana whispered. It must be hard for her to mention him or else she would have discussed it with Maxim, right?

’’Quite the opposite,’’ Maxim said with a slight shake of his head, ’’She treats him as a sperm donor.’’

Diana choked on air, ’’Wh- Cough...cough...’’

Maxim patted her back, ’’Careful.’’

After calming down, Diana looked at him in disbelief, mouth agape.

Maxim laughed and pinched her cheeks, ’’We used to live in our hometown with my grandfather. In Avalon. There were rumors about how my mother discovered that she was pregnant weeks after her boyfriend cheated on her. He was a local too and apparently, he had wanted to take responsibility for mom when he realized that she was pregnant but she chased him away. After I was born, he would go to visit her once in a while but mom never let us meet each other. One of those days when I went back from school, I heard the neighbors discussing that he went looking for my mom again and wanted to see me. But she kicked him out and warned him that she will cut his dick off the next time he appeared in front of her...’’

’’Pfft...’’ Diana who had tears pooling in her eyes till that point burst out in laughter when she heard that, ’’No way. I can’t imagine Hazel saying something like that,’’ her cheeks warmed under his gaze.

’’But she did. People had recorded it,’’ he sighed. His mother was only graceful and elegant till the point her temper was in check, ’’Then after that man left that day, he never came back. Mom had dropped out of college after she gave birth to me so it was hard for her to find decent jobs. And grandfather would never let her do odd jobs. He was a short-tempered person to everyone except me and my mother. Mom always told me stories about how people would suggest aborting the child when she was pregnant.’’

Maxim was reciting it so calmly like he was reading some fairytale but Diana’s heart clenched at every juncture.

Abort the child...? Abort Maxim?

Just the thought of this man not existing in this world made her feel like someone was crushing her heart.

It was absurd to feel upset because he was there, right in front of her, sitting and talking about his past but she had this habit of overthinking and she could not help it. She could not help but think about the endless what-ifs.

...

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