"Has he gone crazy?" Maeve widened her eyes in disbelief. Her face turned red.

When she regained her senses, she tried to step on his instep to make him release her, but he anticipated her move. His long legs trapped hers, pinning her in place as he intensified the vengeful kiss. Furious, she slapped his chest, but he remained unmoved. She bit his tongue hard, tasting blood. Byron's eyes darkened. He released her, casually wiping the blood from his lips with a cold smile. "Who's more disgusting now?"

Maeve raised her hand to strike him, but he caught her wrist. He pulled her close, their bodies pressed together. "You want it again? Let them see your performance?" His low, cold voice dripped with mockery. Maeve's chest heaved as she gritted her teeth. "Byron, you're shameless!" She knocked his shoulder and left, wiping her lips as if removing bacteria.

Back at the hotel, Maeve brushed her teeth three times before the frustration subsided somewhat. Looking at her swollen lips in the mirror, anger flared again. Madman, pervert! she thought. You kissed me even though you found me disgusting? Are you a masochist?

After washing, Maeve walked out, her phone ringing.

"Ms. Reese, your apartment is ready. You can move in tomorrow. I'll send the bill," said the cleaning company representative.

"Alright, thank you," Maeve replied.

After paying the bill, her mood improved. Staying in a hotel was inconvenient, especially with Lynn's persistent visits. The receptionist had refused her repeatedly, but she wouldn't leave Maeve alone. "Baby, we're moving tomorrow!" Maeve hugged Theo, who was watching television. "Okay," he said.

"Don't you want to know where?"

"As long as I'm with Mommy, I don't care."

Maeve was delighted. Another day of her son warming her heart.

The next morning, they arrived at the Retro Apartment. Maeve had requested it during her divorce from Byron. It was a good decision; otherwise, she would have lost a valuable asset. The location was ideal, near the kindergarten, a park, a university, and a hospital—far superior to other options. Best of all, it was free.

However, Maeve hadn't expected it to remain unchanged after four years. Even the small silver Christmas tree was still there, as were the flower stand and watering can on the balcony, frozen in time. Maeve felt a sense of inexplicable loss.

"Mommy, this balcony is huge! Perfect for planting vegetables," Theo exclaimed, pointing to the flower rack. "Loren gave me man-eating plant seeds. Can I plant them here?"

"Man-eating plants?" Maeve was startled. "Why did Loren give you those?"

"For guarding the house. He said it's a cultivated kind, and it remembers its owner's smell. If a stranger comes, it'll eat them!"

"One bite..." Maeve shuddered. "Baby, forget it. I don't want to wake up with my head in a man-eating plant's mouth."

Theo pursed his lips. "If only I had a big garden." Maeve understood his implication; the thought of countless man-eating plants sent shivers down her spine.

To appease him, she bought sunflowers. Theo, however, secretly planted a man-eating plant seed in a sunflower pot. "Grow quickly! I'm waiting for you to guard my house," he whispered.

Maeve took Theo to kindergarten. While cleaning, the doorbell rang. She opened it to find Will. "Darling, didn't you go to school?" she wondered, noting he wasn't carrying his bag and looked pale. He had tracked her to the hotel, followed her, and had questions to ask. He'd hesitated before knocking.

Seeing his condition, Maeve quickly brought him inside. "Baby, what's wrong? Are you sick?"

Will looked at her calmly. Has she always been so gentle to the other child? How far will she tolerate him?

"I want McDonald's," he said in a low voice.

Maeve was surprised. "Didn't you just eat cereal?"

"I want it now," he insisted.

Maeve didn't mind his unusual demand. Children will be mischievous; silence would worry her more. "Okay, I'll buy it."

When she returned, the living room was a disaster. "Darling, was there a typhoon?" she asked Will, who was amidst the chaos.

"No," he replied, showing her the shredded tissue box. "I did it."

Maeve, surprisingly, was calm. "Darling, you did well! You have the talent of an artist. These pillows and the carpet needed replacing anyway, and you've helped me decide."

Will was speechless. Maeve smiled, handing him his McDonald's.

"I don't want it anymore," he said coldly.

This cleaned-up version corrects grammatical errors, improves punctuation, and enhances the flow of the narrative. The formatting of the original was also quite inconsistent; this version is more readable. I have also removed some seemingly extraneous and nonsensical elements such as the final "0" and the random bits of apparent online novel chapter metadata.