Chapter 5

Ignoring the IV drip in his hand, Zachary rushed out of the hospital room, only to crash straight into someone's arms. Madison's face darkened as she asked, "What are you doing?"

His fever was raging, leaving him still delirious. He mumbled incoherently, "Maddie… I saw Maddie."

Seeing the tears stream down his face made Madison's heart waver. Even in his delirium, he was calling her name. Had she gone too far?

Almost as if possessed, she wrapped her arms around him. "There, there. I'm here," she said softly.

Only then did Zachary regain some of his senses. Realizing who was standing before him, he pushed her away. He staggered back to his bed, closed his eyes, and lay there like a withered corpse.

Madison hadn't expected that reaction. Her gaze fell on the bandages wrapped around his legs, and a belated flicker of regret stirred within her.

Still, she spoke irritably. "I'm here now, aren't I? You don't have to put on this act for me."

Zachary said nothing. His gaze lingered on her hands.

If Madelyn were still here, she would never do anything like this to hurt him. But Madison wasn't her.

The sorrow and longing in his eyes somehow softened Madison a little. "I've spoken to the doctor. They're just superficial wounds. Get some proper rest, and I'll visit you again."

From that moment until Zachary was discharged, Madison never showed up at his hospital room again. By then, he no longer cared.

When Zachary got home, he contacted his landlord to terminate his lease.

He had already booked a flight for three days later, and he needed to settle everything back home before then. He packed up everything he no longer needed and called a recycling service company to haul it away.

As he stepped outside, Zachary unexpectedly ran into Madison. She was holding a bag and stared in surprise as the workers carried his belongings out one by one and loaded them onto a truck.

"Are you moving?"

He didn't answer. He had no idea why she had shown up at his doorstep. "What do you want?"

His distant tone immediately upset her. The soup she was carrying suddenly felt unnecessary and uncomfortably hot in her hands.

"I came to see if you were dead yet."

As Madison spoke, her gaze fell on Zachary's legs. Her tone turned snarky.

"You seem all fine, despite that dramatic, pitiful act the other day. With your acting skills, you should've been in a troupe rather than an orchestra."

He couldn't understand why she was always so cruel to him, but he no longer had the energy to argue. "If there's nothing else, I'd like to rest."

Madison's expression turned grim. She grabbed him to stop him from leaving, then leaned in and forced him back against the wall.

"Done playing the victim? You're playing hard to get now, aren't you?"

Zachary winced in pain and was about to push her away when a startled voice came from behind them. "Mads…"

Elroy stared at the scene in disbelief. In the end, he turned and strode away.

Madison instantly snapped out of it. She shoved Zachary aside and hurried after Elroy. In the span of a moment, Zachary was knocked to the floor again.

The wounds on his legs reopened, and crimson blood seeped through the dressings. Crimson blood seeped through the dressing like a blooming flower.