Chapter 5

Madeline's instinct was to snap her laptop shut. "Give me a second."

She quickly ended the call and turned to face Trevon. "What's got you home at this hour?"

Trevon eyed her hurried movements and washed his hands before replying, "Just needed to pick something up."

Madeline responded with a noncommittal hum.

His gaze landed on a nearby takeaway box. It was the sour beef and cabbage soup with noodles.

It looked just like the one she had had for lunch. Was it really that tasty?

A jolt of panic hit Madeline, and she blurted out, "It's for Yeneth, not me."

Back when they were newlyweds, Madeline had grabbed some street sausages, and Trevon had gone into a tailspin, bombarding her with articles about the filth of street vendors and the dangers of eating out.

Since then, she had avoided eating street food around him.

However, she had slipped up and forgotten to stash the evidence.

Trevon's chuckle was detached as his eyes drifted to a notebook on the table.

Madeline's heart was pounding, and she pushed aside the wave of nausea to dash toward the notebook—her secret journal of pregnancy appointments.

The last thing she wanted was for Trevon to find out she was expecting.

However, Trevon was quicker. He stretched out his arm and lifted the notebook from Madeline's reach.

Without regard for her protests, he calmly flipped it open.

The 'Prenatal Appointment Schedule' header stared back at him.

He raised an eyebrow, his cool gaze landing on Madeline.

Madeline felt her heart jump into her throat.

"Is this for Yeneth, too?" Trevon asked.

"Huh?"

Caught off guard, Madeline quickly nodded. "Yeah, yeah. Yeneth's getting married, thinking about having kids, so I was helping her research."

Trevon's suspicion did not wane. "So, why the panic?"

Madeline's forehead creased. She let go of the notebook and looked away.

"I didn't want you to think I was up to something."

Madeline's beauty was marred by her recent illness. Her pale face was then tinged with the flush of sickness, making her look even more vulnerable.

Trevon felt a twinge in his chest, and his annoyance grew. Her cold was messing with his work.

He tossed the notebook back to Madeline. "I don't have time for this. You should be resting, not running around. If you show up to a divorce proceeding looking like this, people will think I'm the bad guy."

Madeline silently clutched the notebook with her head bowed.

…

At the steakhouse, Lydia stared at her barely touched steak, her mood souring by the minute.

When she heard Trevon returned to the Angelic Garden Residence, her annoyance turned to outright anger.

"Madeline, that witch!"

She whipped out her phone and dialed Skylar's number.

Madeline had just reviewed the casting call from Skylandia, wrapped up her draft, and was stretching after a long day when Skylar's call came through.

"Get over here tonight. If you don't show up, I'm tossing your mom's stuff."

The line went dead. Madeline thought she had taken care of all Bella's things, so what could possibly be left at the Sanders' place?

She could not risk it, so she hailed a cab and headed over.

The Sanders' mansion was ablaze with lights, screaming new money from every gilded corner. Madeline stood at the entrance, taking in the garish display, and figured Skylar was behind it.

Skylar greeted her with a grin, tugging her inside. "I just knew you'd come."

Madeline jerked her hand away. "Cut the act, Skylar. There's no one else here. I did what you asked, so where's my mom's stuff?"