Marcus' POV "Madeline?" I murmured, seeing her standing in the doorway like she was about to come in just as I was about to leave. Her eyes were red, clearly betraying that she'd been crying. Her hair was slightly messy, like she'd run her hands through it over and over. And her expression—she looked exhausted. Not just physically. There was a deep emotional weariness etched into every line of her face, a kind of fatigue that seemed to come straight from her soul and spread through her entire body. "You scared me," I said, instinctively pulling her into an embrace, a wave of overwhelming relief washing over me just from seeing her there—safe, whole. She didn't resist, but she didn't hug me back either. She stayed still in my arms, passive, as if she were merely tolerating the contact instead of participating in it. It felt like I was holding a distant version of her. "I told you I was getting a ride home," she said when I pulled back slightly, her voice sounding more tired th
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