2 LUSTS CAN MAKE A RIGHT のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 81 - チャプター 90

MadelynThe courtroom was so quiet when the judge began to speak that I could hear the faint buzz from the lights overhead. It was the kind of silence that felt heavy, like everyone was holding their breath at the same time, afraid that even the smallest sound would change what was about to happen. I sat with my hands clasped together on my lap, my fingers numb, my nails pressing lightly into my skin as if that was the only way to remind myself that I was actually here and not watching this from somewhere far away.Nathaniel stood when the judge told him to. He looked smaller than I remembered, not physically, but in the way a man looks when there is nowhere left to run. His lawyer stood beside him, face stiff, already knowing how this would go. Across the room, the Blackwells sat frozen. Alexander’s jaw was tight, his face carved into something unreadable, but his hands were clenched so hard that the veins stood out. Dominic sat beside him, shoulders rigid, eyes fixed forward. He did

MadelynThe lawyer’s office smelled faintly of paper and something citrusy, probably a spray she used between clients, and it clung to the back of my throat while I sat there listening to her explain things I already understood. I had read everything the night before, then again early that morning, then once more in the car before I walked in. There was nothing left to clarify, nothing left to soften.The divorce papers were already printed and waiting inside a slim folder on the desk between us. My name was typed neatly in all the right places. His too. Seeing it like that felt strange, not dramatic, just oddly final in a quiet way that made my chest feel tight.She slid the folder toward me and pushed a pen across the desk. “Whenever you’re ready,” she said.I picked up the pen and signed where she pointed, my handwriting steady even though my hand felt tired. I signed every page carefully, not rushing but not pausing either. When I was done, I placed the pen back on the desk and cl

MadelynI was already at my desk when Ava’s message came in, and I almost ignored it because my morning had started the way most of them did lately, with back to back emails, calls I had postponed for days, and a calendar that refused to give me even ten quiet minutes. My coffee had gone lukewarm beside me, untouched, and I was halfway through reviewing a proposal when my phone vibrated again.Ava: Have you seen this yet?There was a link attached.I stared at it for a second longer than necessary before tapping it open. The page took a moment to load, and when it did, my name wasn’t written outright, but it didn’t need to be. The pictures were enough. Old photos. Some recent. Some taken without my knowledge. Me walking out of buildings, me at events, me laughing in places I hadn’t realized cameras were watching.I scrolled slowly, my fingers steady even though something unpleasant had started to settle in my chest.Anonymous sources, that was what the article called them. Close to th

DominicI froze when the link popped up on my secretary’s message. My hand went stiff on the desk. Madelyn hated the public, hated attention that wasn’t hers. And now she was caught right in the middle of my mess with Leana. A full-blown, loud, ugly scandal, and she’d never signed up for any of it.I slammed the laptop shut, my chest tight, stomach twisting like chains. She was innocent in all of this, and somehow, because of me, she was being dragged through the mud. I didn’t care about anything else right then. Not work, not calls, not meetings. I only cared about her.I grabbed my keys and ran out, ignoring the shouts of my assistant. My boots clacked against the floor as I practically tore down the stairs and jumped into the car. The engine roared to life, and I didn’t even wait to think about the hour drive ahead. I needed to be there. Needed to see her, needed to make sure she was okay.The entire drive was a blur. Traffic was a background hum I barely registered. My mind replay

MadelynI woke up because pain cut through me before my eyes were even fully open, the kind that made my breath catch and forced a slow groan out of my throat. My body felt heavy and sore in too many places at once, the dull ache from the attack mixing with the deeper, more familiar soreness from last night. For a few seconds I lay there, staring at nothing, letting it all settle, letting my mind catch up with where I was and what had happened.The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner and the steady sound of breathing beside me. I turned my head slowly, careful not to move too fast, and saw Dominic still asleep. He was on his side, one arm thrown carelessly over the pillow, his face relaxed in a way I hadn’t seen in a long time. Seeing him like that did something stupid to my chest. My heart squeezed, then immediately hardened, like it was scolding itself for reacting at all.I watched him for a moment longer than I should have. The line of his jaw, the way hi