After leaving the hospital, Madison drove straight to the jewelry studio.
Joel had opened it for her after the wedding. He'd felt guilty that she'd given up her career to care for him while he recovered from the accident, so he'd set this place up as a gift.
She wouldn't take a single cent of Joel Delgado's fortune in the divorce. But this studio she would claim. Every piece inside it was born from her own hands, her own sleepless nights, her own talent. She needed it to build a future for herself and the baby.
She hadn't been there long when her assistant handed her an outgoing inventory log.
Her necklaces. Her bracelets. Her archival collection pieces. Every last one of them had been transferred out, gifted to Alexis Pruitt on Joel's orders.
Rage surged through her chest. She reached for her phone to call him.
Then she saw her own name trending online.
The video was already everywhere. In it, she sat alone in the hospital waiting room. And there was Joel, cradling Alexis in his arms, murmuring to her like she was something precious.
The comments section had erupted.
"So even Madison Maddox knows when to keep her mouth shut. Guess she's terrified of losing her Mrs. Delgado title."
"Alexis is clearly the one Joel actually loves. Did you see how panicked he looked holding her?"
"Madison only married him because she nursed him after his car accident. She leveraged a favor into a wedding ring, and now reality's catching up."
The words were sharp as needles, but they couldn't pierce a heart that had already gone cold.
Joel saw the trending video too. His response was a seven-figure wire transfer and a single message.
[Alexis had nightmares and needed me there. Be good.]
Madison stared at the number on her screen. Nothing stirred behind her eyes.
She dialed his number. When he picked up, her voice was ice stripped of every last trace of feeling.
"Joel, you gave my designs to your mistress. Did you think to ask me first?"
On the other end, Joel sounded utterly unbothered, even irritated, as though she were being unreasonable.
"Isn't the money I sent you enough to cover it? You were so well-behaved yesterday. What happened?"
Madison laughed. She hung up without another word and went back to packing.
She didn't leave the studio until the following day.
Once she finished gathering her things, she would never set foot in that place again.
But when she pushed open the front door of the house, she found Alexis curled up on the sofa, nestled against Joel, cooing up at him. They looked every bit the picture of a devoted young couple.
Alexis heard the door and turned. The moment she spotted Madison, her expression shifted into something small and frightened, and she shrank deeper into Joel's arms.
"Hey, sis."
Madison's body trembled before she could stop it. She looked at the scene and let the words fall, razor-edged.
"How thoughtful of you, Mr. Delgado. Bringing your mistress home to convalesce. Was the house feeling too big and empty? Needed a little extra warmth?"
Joel's expression darkened in an instant. He straightened, his gaze locking onto Madison, disappointment heavy in every syllable.
"Madison, I actually thought you'd learned your lesson. And here you go again with the passive-aggressive nonsense. Alexis's foot hasn't healed. I don't feel comfortable leaving her out there on her own. I brought her back to rest for a few days. What's the problem?"
His words snuffed out the last faint ember of anything she'd still been holding onto.
She looked at the man in front of her, the man who had once loved her down to the marrow of his bones, and felt nothing. Not anger. Not grief. Just a vast, hollow indifference.
She didn't argue. She swept one cool glance over the two of them, turned, and walked toward the bedroom.
The door closed behind her, sealing out Alexis's soft, theatrical sobs. Sealing out the last fragile thread that still connected her to Joel Delgado.
Madison slid down against the door until she was sitting on the floor. Her hand drifted to her stomach, and she whispered into the quiet.
"You won't blame Mommy for not giving you a whole family, will you, little one?"
