On the third day, Madison checked herself out of the hospital against her doctors' protests. She had a finals competition to attend.
This was her gift to her unborn child, and the foundation on which she and her baby would build their future.
Backstage at the venue, she ran into Alexis Pruitt.
Alexis sauntered past her with a look of unbridled triumph.
"Madison, surprised to see me here? So what if you two were childhood sweethearts? So what if you sat by his bedside after the accident? In the end, you couldn't hold on to any of it. His body, his heart, the title of Mrs. Delgado. It's all mine now."
"And today, I'm going to destroy what's left of you."
The finals presentations followed a randomized order. Alexis happened to be slotted right before Madison.
She walked onto the main stage and unveiled her finished designs, and the blood in Madison's veins turned to ice.
The collection Alexis presented was her Starlight Memories series.
Alexis held the microphone and shamelessly narrated every design concept and creative inspiration that Madison had poured countless sleepless nights into developing.
In the audience, Joel sat front and center in the VIP section, his face radiating undisguised pride.
"Alexis has a real gift for design," he remarked.
The judges nodded in agreement, murmuring their approval.
Madison's mind went blank. She never imagined Joel would take designs she treasured like her own flesh and blood and hand them to another woman.
The host called her name several times before she snapped back to reality and walked onstage.
She drew a deep breath, presented her designs, and met the stunned gazes of the audience head-on. Her voice came out clear and unwavering.
"Esteemed judges, hello. My name is Madison Maddox. This Starlight Memories collection is my original work. The pieces Miss Pruitt just presented are a complete plagiarism of my designs."
The moment the words left her mouth, the venue erupted.
The judges exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes drifting toward Joel in the VIP section, waiting for him to weigh in.
Joel rose slowly to his feet. His gaze swept over Madison, cold as a blade, and his lips barely parted.
"Madison, what do you think you're doing?"
"Look at yourself. What kind of spectacle is this? You call yourself Mrs. Delgado? You're an embarrassment."
Madison swallowed the agony churning inside her.
"I'm making a spectacle? You took the work I poured my heart and soul into, night after night, and gifted it to your mistress. And I'm the one making a spectacle?"
Joel's expression remained glacial.
"Is your heart really that ugly? Just because we're married, no other woman is allowed to exist near me? When did you become this person?"
Madison laughed out loud. "Who changed here, Joel? You or me?"
"In your eyes, everything I am is worthless. But of course it is. You can't even remember your own promises."
"You said you'd love me until the end of your life." Her voice dropped. "Turns out your life was shorter than I thought."
She turned to Alexis, who stood there glowing with satisfaction, and the corner of Madison's mouth curved upward.
Then, in front of everyone, she walked to the fire safety station, grabbed the extinguisher, and brought it down on Alexis's counterfeit pieces. The display shattered into wreckage across the floor.
Alexis shrieked the moment she processed what had happened. Her fans surged forward, lunging at Madison, screaming at her to drop dead.
The venue descended into chaos. Madison was hopelessly outnumbered and shoved to the ground.
Joel's first instinct was to pull Alexis into his arms and rush her out of the building.
Madison curled into herself on the floor, both hands locked over her lower abdomen, objects raining down on her body. She trembled with pain but refused to let go.
It wasn't until security regained control that she was finally pulled free.
Her hair was tangled and wild, her appearance wrecked, and a thin line of blood seeped from a gash at her temple.
Reporters lifted their cameras in unison, capturing every frame of her humiliation.
Mockery and vicious remarks swirled around her. She seemed to hear none of it. She simply kept walking, steady and resolute, toward the exit.
