Chapter 40 Chapter 40 The word " stop " sparked a familiar Initation in Maxine . But it quickly faded , replaced by exhaustion . Maxine closed her eyes briefly , unwilling to argue . Soon , Maxine looked him straight in the eyes , her tone serious . " Sebastian , I've said it so many times I'm not throwing a tantrum . For just tired , " What makes you think this is me being dramatic ? You're not stupid . Can't you tell the difference between someone sulking and someone who really wants out ? " Sebastian's hands clenched . That hollow in his chest felt even colder . He didn't know the answer . He didn't understand . Sebastian usually understood everything . But right now - he just didn't get it . Even when thinking clearly , Sebastian had told himself Maxine truly wanted to leave . Yet standing here , Sebastian didn't want to accept that . Almost frantically , Sebastian lowered his eyes and said , his voice raspy , " If you're willing to withdraw the divorce papers , I can revise the prenup The properties , the company shares - we can discuss everything . Whatever you want , if it's within my ability , I'll give it to you . " Maxine frowned , about to say something , but Sebastian quickly cut her off . He continued , " This is my offer of good faith . I don't want Brian growing up in a broken home . " I hope you'll think it through . We're parents now . We're too old to act on impulse . " You don't have to answer right away . Just take your time . I'll wait for your decision once you've really thought it over . " With that , Sebastian turned and headed for the door . Maxine watched his back . Something suddenly became very clear in her heart . It was ridiculous , even laughable , and Maxine didn't want to dig too deep into it . She didn't want to point it out to him either . If Sebastian couldn't figure it out himself, then so be it . " Sebastian , wait . " Maxine called out . A flicker of hope lit up in Sebastian's eyes as he turned around . Maxine walked into the kitchen , packed the leftover tomato basil soup into a thermos , and handed it to him .. Maxine added , " Take this back for Brian . He got hurt earlier and I didn't get a chance to visit or help take care of him . That's on me . " The light in Sebastian's eyes dimmed , replaced by disappointment . He asked , " That's all you wanted to say ? " Maxine nodded calmly . " Yeah . That's it . Oh - one more thing . I might get really busy soon . And since we're going to sign the papers soon , I won't be able to cook for Brian anymore . I think he really liked this soup . " You could ask Thalia to try making it . She's a great cook . I'm sure she can recreate the taste . " Maxine paused for a beat and said , " That's all . I've got nothing else to say . You can go now . " Sebastian's gaze turned cold little by little . In the end , he grabbed the thermos and walked to the door without looking back . At the entryway , Sebastian suddenly stopped . With his head slightly turned and voice low , he said , " You're not thinking clearly right now . What I said still stands . 1/2 Chapter 40 " I hope you'll give me a real answer after you've really thought it through . " Then Sebastian left , shutting the door behind him . Maxine watched until he was gone , then let out a small , helpless smile . After more than ten years of marriage , no joke , Maxine sometimes understood Sebastian better than he understood himself . Maxine used to want to talk to him , to find the right way to express herself so Sebastian wouldn't what she felt . her away so he would actually fisten and accept But now , Maxine didn't care anymore . She didn't want him to know what she was thinking . Their relationship had already reached the end . Whether or not Sebastian would ever understand what tonight really meant that was something he'd have to figure out on his own AD