Donna already knew the answer.An hour and a half later, the villa's front door swung open. The code? Her birthday.'See, he still remembers.'Upon seeing Donna, Ethan was filled with fury. But as he noticed the scars on her face and arms, along with the clothes from the psychiatric ward she was wearing, his anger slowly faded. He stared at her with a troubled look. "Who got you out of prison? I don't have time for your games."Ethan was about to leave when Donna's voice, filled with hysteria, halted him. "I was imprisoned because of a comment you made! Do you realize the torment I endured? They held me down, cutting me with sharp blades, leaving marks all over my arms and body. They labeled me as delusional, shameless, and so much worse!"After I said, 'We used to be together,' they turned against me. Everyone acted like they could push me around. I was brutally attacked, almost killed. If someone hadn't found me in the nick of time and put me in a mental hospital, I'd be gone by
After the exam, Madelyn waited at the school entrance, her umbrella shielding her from the rain that had dampened her long stockings. Ethan usually picked her up and was rarely late. When ten minutes passed without seeing him, she tried calling him. Her phone indicated that his number was out of service. With a shiver, she sent him a text but received no reply. 'We had our engagement photo shoot today. There must be a good reason for him being late.' She considered contacting Ethan's assistant, Leyton, but then remembered she did not have his number.As the rain intensified, Madelyn took shelter in a convenience store and pulled out her homework from her backpack. After a while, an employee approached. "Excuse me, it's almost eight. We're closing.""Sorry, I lost track of time. I'll head out."Madelyn quickly packed her things, amazed at how much time had passed. Outside, it was already dark. Apart from a few Ventropolis High School students leaving their evening classes, the street
Madelyn wrapped up her dinner swiftly and made her way upstairs.She couldn't afford any distractions now. With exams just around the corner in less than ten days, she needed to be on top of her game, even if she had already secured her spot at Ventropolis College of Art.A slip-up on this test wasn't an option.By 11:30 PM, having committed a series of Etlinish phrases to memory, she set her book aside. She was about to switch off the lights and sink into sleep when her cat leaped onto the bed, making itself comfortable by her pillow, its paws kneading rhythmically.Leaving a soft glow from the bedside lamp, Madelyn stroked its fur. "Even all grown up, you still bake cookies. Goodnight, Ginger."As she settled in with her eyes shut and hands tucked under her chin, sleep took her swiftly.It was half-past two when Ethan got back.Upon noticing the small wound on Ethan's lip, the servant knitted her eyebrow. "Mr. Arnold," she began, recognizing the type of wound and drawing from
Madelyn paused to take a sip from her glass. The weight of Ethan's words dispelled her sleepy haze, and her mind began to race.The soft ticking of the living room clock filled the brief silence. After a moment's reflection, she met Ethan's eyes, her lips pursed thoughtfully. "Alright then, should I move out?" she asked.There was an eerie calm to her demeanor, no trace of irritation discernible in her voice.She had observed, of late, that the warmth once evident in Ethan's eyes when he looked at her had dwindled. It was as though he now regarded her as a stranger, his gaze searching, almost as if he sought to peer into her very soul. This shift in his attitude hadn't come out of nowhere. His frequent late-night returns and prolonged absences were clues she couldn't ignore.Madelyn wasn't naive, nor was she oblivious on the matter. She had experienced what it was like to love someone deeply and unconditionally. She figured that he would not easily forget Donna, whom he had loved s
Ethan set aside his newspaper and got up from the couch. "We're only pushing the date of the engagement party. We can easily adjust the invitations," he remarked, directing a scrutinizing look toward Madelyn, as if trying to gauge her feelings.Evelyn sharply retorted, "Hold on, Ethan. I didn't ask for your input. Remember, you were the one adamant about this marriage. The entire Ventropolis is aware of it now. If you pull the plug on the engagement party at this stage, have you considered the talk that will follow? Or how Madelyn might be feeling?"It was rare for Evelyn to use such a stern tone with Ethan.Madelyn, feeling a lump in her throat, kept her eyes lowered. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke up, "...maybe Ethan's just not sure yet. His decision might be due to reasons we aren't privy to."She continued, "I get it; this is a big decision. For now, I'm cool with pushing it back. I'll talk to my father about it; he'll be fine.With a sigh, she said, "And with exam
Ethan's temper blazed. He sped to school, jamming the gas pedal down with every ounce of his vexation.Madelyn was baffled by the sudden shift in his demeanor. The air in the car was thick with tension."Out. Now."Madelyn unbuckled her seatbelt and silently got out of the car.As she walked further away, Ethan's eyes followed, seething with anger and jealousy. 'How could she betray me like this? Should I even consider forgiving her? How am I expected to just overlook this and go on? Despite everything, my love for her is undeniable, yet she's deceived me more times than I care to count,' he pondered.In a fit of frustration, Ethan's hand crashed against the car window. The impact was so forceful that the skin at the base of his fingers split open, letting a few drops of blood escape.For what felt like an eternity, Ethan's car stood idle at the school's entrance. Inside, he grappled with his tumultuous emotions, trying to calm the internal tempest. Clasped in his hand was a ring
However, as Leyton delved deeper, the complexity of the situation began to unfold, and the disparity between the Madelyn in the past and the girl he was investigating was jarring. 'Despite everything, she betrayed Mr. Arnold by having affair with Zach Jardin, and all seemingly to profit Azure Corporation,' he ruminated.But the more he thought about it, the more Leyton found the timing suspicious. 'Right before the engagement? All these revelations? It's too convenient, isn't it?'From his research, Leyton had in his possession solid proof of Madelyn's communications and liaison with Zach. Each piece was solid enough to have Madelyn condemned, yet Leyton couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, even though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.The very idea that Zach, heir to Hayson and trained by such a cunning man, would leave incriminating photos so easily accessible was puzzling. 'It's too easy. Why were these image files unprotected? What's even stranger is that the
Ethan forcefully pushed Madelyn away, causing her to stagger backward and fall, her hand landing on scattered glass shards. Pain surged through her as her palm began bleeding, the crimson hue staining her clothes and widening rapidly.A fleeting glimmer of regret appeared in Ethan's eyes, prompting him to move slightly toward her. But just as quickly as it came, the emotion receded, and he froze.Purposefully turning his back to her, he grappled with his internal conflict. Gazing out the French windows, he closed his eyes, and his voice, filled with restrained emotion, whispered, "You should go."He didn't want to cause her any more harm, but the sting of her betrayal was too fresh, too raw. In his mind, thoughts swirled. 'I loved her with everything I had, ready to lay the world at her feet. But she made a fool out of me, deceiving me at every turn. Did she laugh at my expense while with Zach, sneering at my naivety?'Madelyn endured the pain as she carefully extracted the glass p