Chapter 3

A short while later, the bathroom opened with a soft click. Timothy walked out, still drying his hair with a towel. He found it weird when he realized that Madeline was still sitting in the living room.

Just as he started walking toward her, Madeline caught sight of him and immediately shifted her gaze away. She quickly got up and went into the bedroom first. However, as soon as she got into bed, a firm, strong hand grabbed her by the waist as Timothy's chest rested against her back.

He held her in his arms and asked in a low voice, "Has work been exhausting for you? You don't look too happy today."

"A little," Madeline answered perfunctorily. She drew her arm out from his hug and tried to shake him off, but Timothy only hugged her even tighter than before.

His lips traveled dangerously close to her earlobes as he whispered, "Don't worry. I know of a way to cheer you up."

Then, Timothy's hands started wandering down Madeline's body. She immediately froze, her eyelashes shaking under the light. A flash of mockery appeared in her eyes.

She really wanted to ask him how he still managed to act so close and intimate with her, knowing that he'd just been flirting openly with another woman on national TV, with such a straight face.

Still, the words never came out. Timothy's phone pinged with a notification just then, and it sounded very different from his other notification pings, as if it was specifically set for this contact only.

He stopped touching Madeline at once and got up to read his message. A while later, he grabbed his clothes and went back into the bathroom.

Madeline thought of the launch earlier that night and felt her arms shaking even though they were pressed together. She then got up slightly and reached for Timothy's phone, which was still pinging nonstop with notifications.

She unlocked the phone with ease and familiarity.

The person sending Timothy text messages hadn't been saved under a name, just a pink heart emoji. Still, Madeline could tell straight away that it was Lacey.

"Timothy, I really liked that dress you designed for me. Thank you so much for still remembering all of my preferences even after so many years.

"I'm home now. Drive safely back!"

Madeline read the messages, noting how close they sounded. She then scrolled upward in the chat window and saw that those messages were received at 9:00 pm. Then, the next few messages were the ones that just came in a few minutes ago.

"Timothy, my stomach kinda hurts, but I'm the only one at home. I don't know what I should do," Lacey had texted.

Timothy had instantly replied, "Hold on. I'll be there in a second."

Madeline's lashes shook again. She bit her lips and then carefully put the phone back like it was untouched. Her mind was in a mess.

A short while later, Timothy emerged from the bathroom fully dressed. Just as he pulled his coat on, Madeline tugged on his hand and asked, "It's late at night. Where are you going?"

He hesitated and paused just for a fraction of a second. Then, as if suddenly coming up with an excuse on the spot, he turned around and pressed a chaste kiss on Madeline's forehead, saying gently, "Something really urgent just came up at the office, and I need to go there and take a look.

"Go to bed first. Don't wait up for me."

Then, Timothy walked out of the door without another backward glance. However, Madeline didn't feel like sleeping anymore after that.

Around 2:00 am, about an hour after Timothy left, Madeline couldn't hold it in anymore and called him on the phone.

Lacey was the one who answered the call. "Timothy just went down to get medicine for me. If you have a message for him, you can tell me and I'll forward it to him."

Lacey's voice was saccharinely sweet. However, the sound of it felt like a knife that plunged straight into Madeline's heart.

Just before the call ended, she heard Timothy's low, scratchy voice on the other end of the line. "Babe…"

As if on instinct, Madeline hung up at once. But just a second later, she had already calmed down. Maybe it was because she had been hurt far too often in the past. She was already numb to the heartbreak that happened afterward.

The only discomfort she felt was a stuffy feeling in her chest. She was upset that she'd been lied to and kept in the dark for such a long time. She'd wasted all of her youth and emotions on someone like him.

…

Madeline was woken up by her usual daily alarm on her phone. Her pillow was soaked with tears.

Timothy only returned at night the next day. Madeline was having dinner when he came back. As soon as she'd heard the key turning in the lock, her first reaction was to get up and welcome him home. However, she quickly came back to her senses and stopped herself from doing it.

In the past, every time Timothy came home from work, the first thing she would do was to run up to him and hug him tightly. But now, there was no need for that anymore.

Timothy was a little surprised when Madeline didn't even acknowledge his return. "Why didn't you wait for me for dinner?"

Madeline set down her fork and turned to look at him. He had changed into a new suit, and he smelled clean and fresh.

She pretended as if nothing had happened as she got up to grab his plate and utensils. "I thought you wouldn't be coming back since you were so busy at the office," she said nonchalantly, without a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. It was like she was calmly describing the weather.

Still, it was vastly different from how she usually treated him. Her calm demeanor now made Timothy raise his eyebrow in confusion.

He quickly went up to her and held up a shopping bag in his hand. Hugging her with his other arm, he apologized and said, "I'm sorry, but there was just too much work at the office. I was wrong for not coming back home last night. Don't be mad at me anymore, alright?

"I visited a few of our branches today and brought you a gift. Look! Do you like it?"

Timothy lowered his head as he retrieved a box from the bag, his collar falling open slightly since he hadn't buttoned the first one. His chest and collarbones were littered all over with red scratches and bite marks, which pierced straight into Madeline's eyes.

Timothy brought out a bracelet for her, with different types of heart-shaped charms hanging from it. However, he didn't know that Madeline never wore bracelets and actually hated heart-shaped items. He also didn't notice how her eyes dimmed as soon as he brought the bracelet out.

Seeing that Madeline didn't make a sound, he grabbed her hand and put the bracelet on for her, not letting her pull away. After the bracelet was clasped around her wrist, he then slid his hand into hers and held her tightly, refusing to let go even though Madeline tried to shake him off.

He grabbed her hand and said with a smile, "Maddie, now that you're wearing the bracelet, that means you're locked by my side forever. You'll never be able to leave me anymore."

Never be able to leave him?

Madeline thought, "You were the one who let go of me first, Timothy Bloomberg. You'd already lost me a long time ago."

All the love she'd had for him that burned brighter than the sun had now backfired on her, leaving her burned to ashes and soot.

Madeline had already thought it through. She was going to smother out the fire with her own hands and throw Timothy out from the depths of her heart.