Chapter 645: Do You Think He Would Prefer A Old Woman Like Me?

Maria stared at her for a moment.

Then she laughed.

Not a mocking laugh—a warm, genuine one.

"Of course not, Diana!"

She said, almost offended that her friend would think otherwise.

"Even though I’m tied to the Church, even though I believe in its values—something like not wanting someone to get a divorce?"

"That’s simply too much."

She shook her head firmly.

"There’s no way I would support something like that. If you were truly unhappy in your relationship, if it was really bringing you down, then I wholeheartedly support your decision."

"A hundred percent!"

Diana’s face flooded with relief.

"But..."

Maria added, her voice becoming hesitant, suddenly shy.

"There is one more thing I’m concerned about. One thing I’m not sure of."

Diana tilted her head curiously. "What is it?"

Maria fidgeted with the hem of her robe, avoiding Diana’s eyes for a moment.

"It’s the...age gap between you two."

Diana’s expression shifted to understanding.

"There’s probably over twenty years between you."

Maria continued, her voice soft.

"And that’s been bothering me. I mean, he’s such a young man, just at the starting point of his life. And you, no offense..." She hesitated. "You’re a mother. Already in your forties. I-I just don’t know what to think about that."

Diana’s lips curved into a slight smile.

"Maria." She said gently. "Are you possibly suggesting that I’m some sort of cougar?"

"That I’m on the hunt for young men and managed to snag Cassius for myself?"

Maria’s face went bright red.

"No! No, not at all!"

She sputtered, waving her hands frantically.

"Definitely not, Diana! I would never think of you that way! I am wholeheartedly happy that you managed to find someone who makes you happy!"

She took a breath, calming herself.

"It’s just...I’m more thinking about Cassius’s perspective. I’m wondering how he thinks of you."

"You know, usually men prefer women who are younger than them." She waved her hand to emphasize her point. "And when it comes to women our age, they don’t really think of us in that way."

"Other than looking at us with appreciation for our bodies from time to time, they never truly show interest. They disdain us."

She looked up shyly.

"So I was just wondering...how?"

Diana listened patiently.

Then a knowing smile spread across her face.

"Ah." She said softly. "I see what you’re asking. You want to know how Cassius looks at me."

Maria nodded shyly.

Diana leaned forward, her expression firm but playful.

"Well, let me tell you that I’ve never really had to worry about that. After all, Cassius himself has always been interested in older women from the very beginning."

Maria’s eyes widened. "What?"

Diana nodded.

"He made it very clear to me from the start. He prefers older women. Unlike most men in the world, he’s not the biggest fan of younger women at all."

She laughed at Maria’s stunned expression.

"I was surprised too, at first. I thought he was joking, or testing me somehow. But it was most definitely true."

She touched her chest.

"I knew from every word he said, every action he did, every look he gave me—he was fervent about me. He didn’t care about my age at all."

She paused, then added with a knowing smile.

"Actually, no—that’s not quite right. He definitely cared about my age. But it benefited me. He was much more interested in me because I was older than him."

Maria stared at her, utterly speechless.

A young man who preferred older women.

Who looked at a woman in her forties and saw someone desirable.

Who chose Diana—chose her because of her age, not despite it.

Diana smiled warmly at Maria’s expression, clearly enjoying the effect her words were having.

"Think about it." She said, gesturing with her hands. "Just think about his own family. His wives. The women he’s chosen to spend his life with."

Maria blinked, confusion evident on her face.

"Not a single one of them is younger than him."

Diana continued, her voice gentle but firm.

"Every single one of them is older. Some by a little, some by a lot. But all of them—every wife, every lover—they’re all older women."

Maria gasped as realization began to dawn.

She thought back to all the wives and maids she had met since arriving at the estate. The beautiful women who surrounded Cassius, who looked at him with such love and devotion in their eyes.

All of them.

Every single one.

They were all older than him.

Even Vivi, who seemed so young and carefree, was older by a couple of years. Nala as well.

And Diana, Diana was decades older, a mother with a grown daughter, and yet here she sat, glowing with happiness as she spoke about the man she loved.

"You’re right." Maria murmured, almost to herself. "He really does wear his preference on his sleeve, doesn’t he?"

Diana nodded, a knowing smile playing at her lips.

Maria’s mind was racing now.

She thought back to that moment—just days ago—when Cassius had confessed to her.

When he had looked at her with those intense eyes and told her he was interested in her. Really interested.

But at the time, even though he was right there in front of her, being completely sincere, she hadn’t fully believed him.

She thought it was just talk. Just words. Maybe even a line he used on all women to make them feel special.

And even if he did have some interest in older women, she assumed it was just amusement.

A passing fancy.

Something to occupy his time until he found someone more appropriate, someone his own age.

But this?

Marrying Diana? A woman the exact same age as Maria?

A mother, someone who came with a grown daughter and decades of baggage?

This wasn’t amusement.

This wasn’t a passing fancy.

This was real.

This was proof.

If he could love Diana—truly love her, cherish her, make her this happy—then his proposal to Maria had been thoroughly sincere.

The age gap that Maria had been so worried about, the thing that made her feel so vulnerable and uncertain, meant nothing to him.

Less than nothing.

It was actually a positive.

Maria’s heart hammered in her chest.

’If I had said yes.’ She thought wildly. ’If I had accepted him that night...’

She could be sitting where Diana was sitting.

She could be glowing with that same happiness, speaking about him with that same adoring expression.

She could be his woman.

The thought made her face burn.

But then she shook her head, trying to dispel the fantasy.

She was a sister of the church.

A woman devoted to the Goddess above all else.

Such thoughts were improper, inappropriate, something she shouldn’t even be entertaining.

But looking at Diana made it so hard to push those thoughts away.

And beneath that, something else stirred.

A feeling she had been trying to ignore for a very long time.

A desire.

A longing.

For love. For companionship. For someone to hold her at night and make her feel cherished, the way Diana clearly felt cherished.

She had been alone for so long. Devoted to her duties, to her daughter, to her faith.

But watching Diana live the life she herself secretly craved made all those suppressed feelings rise to the surface.

She couldn’t hold back anymore.

The words tumbled out before she could stop them.

"Diana."

She said, her voice shy and hesitant, her eyes not quite meeting her friend’s gaze.

"Is it possible that...that Cassius..."

She swallowed hard.

"Is it possible that Cassius could be interested in me as well? The way he is with you?"

Diana’s expression shifted to one of gentle attention.

"I mean." Maria continued, her voice growing smaller, more vulnerable. "We’re the same age, you and I. We both have daughters. We’re both..."

She gestured vaguely at herself.

"Older women. So, would he be interested in someone like me? Truly interested?"

She finally looked up, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and fear and uncertainty.

"Would he want an old woman like me?"