"Madisyn, I need to know!" Joey's voice trembled with urgency, her eyes searching Madisyn's for answers. "You don't deserve to know!" Madisyn shot back, her voice cracking as tears welled up in her eyes. "Not after you broke up with me!" Her words dissolved into sobs, her chest heaving with the weight of her emotions. "Please," Joey's voice softened, filled with desperation. "Just tell me… is the kid you're pregnant with mine or is it my brother's?" --- Madisyn had always envisioned a simple, colorful life. She dreamed of nurturing her children with love and being a devoted mother, building the family she had always longed for. After years of falling for the wrong men, she thought she had finally found the perfect one, the man who would complete her picture of happiness. But she had made a grave mistake. In her eagerness for love, she had handed over her heart too quickly, trusting too easily. It was a mistake that would cost her dearly when he abandoned her at the altar, leaving her humiliated on what was supposed to be the happiest day of her life. As if that betrayal wasn’t enough, she soon uncovered the bitter truth: his love had never been real. He had faked every tender word, every promise of forever. But fate has a way of balancing the scales. Madisyn knew that revenge was a dish best served cold, and what could be more satisfying than turning to the one person her ex hated most? His own brother. Dating his brother wasn't just about moving on; it was about reclaiming her power. It was about showing him that she could rise from the ashes he left behind and find love in the most unexpected place—right under his nose.
He looked up, puzzled. The entire week, she had addressed him as "Mr. Connor," and now she was calling him by his first name. A subtle shift, but it triggered his instincts. He could sense something was off.
"I was wondering..." Madisyn started, her voice soft but weighted. Her gaze deepened, and her body language betrayed a tension she couldn't fully mask. She knew it wasn't the right move. She knew she was overstepping boundaries, but in that moment, rationality seemed like a distant concern.
He was nobody but her boss.
Yet sometimes, emotions slipped from their tightly wound leash, and her heart — unbidden and reckless — wanted what it wanted. In that moment, only one thing was clear to her: she couldn't let him go through with his plans with that other woman.
Clearing her throat to steady herself, she spoke again. "I was wondering if we could have that dinner together. I'm kind of free today." Her words hung in the air, heavy and deliberate.