A Deal With My Boyfriend's Billionaire Brother
"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.
Chapter Seven
"Dating app? Are you insane?!" Madisyn shook her head in disapproval. Her sister was always making impulsive decisions and somehow always found a way to drag her into these crazy schemes.
Madisyn grabbed her phone and checked the profile her sister had created, regretting not having a PIN to lock her phone. She sighed as she stared at the super-detailed bio her sister had written for her:
"Hello. I am Madisyn, 26 years old. I was dumped on my wedding day, so I am desperately searching for someone to join me on my honeymoon. Who wants a free trip to Ibiza?"
"This is so ridiculous. I'm going to sound desperate," Madisyn muttered, shaking her head as she searched for the 'delete account' button. "This is crazy. I don't need anyone to share the trip with me. Especially not a man."
Belle nodded, taking the phone from her hands. "You do." She quickly tapped on the screen before handing it back. "I logged out of the account. I'll log in from my phone and select three men. You'll meet them and choose one."
"No way!" Madisyn protested.
"Come on!" Belle urged.
"Okay, okay, but let's make a deal. If I don't like any of them, you'll let me cancel the honeymoon."
"Deal," Belle agreed.
Madisyn rolled her eyes and sighed. After chatting for a while, Belle handed her an old, repaired phone. Madisyn thanked her, though she was perfectly fine without one. She felt disconnected, and it was a relief to be unreachable.
"You can turn it on or just switch the SIM card if you don't want to deal with notifications. It's up to you, but I wanted you to have this," Belle said with a gentle smile as she shyly offered the phone.
About an hour later, Madisyn returned home. She took a shower and made herself an iced coffee, staring at the powered-off phone. She knew she had to turn it on—all her contacts were stored there, and she needed to save Ethan's number.
She wished there was a way to turn on the phone without the flood of notifications, but there wasn't. After a few minutes of hesitation, she finally turned it on. The phone buzzed incessantly as notifications poured in, and Madisyn sighed.
There were about 20 missed calls from her father and five messages from him, along with numerous calls from relatives and a few from friends. She ignored everything except her father's texts.
"I'm so sorry, darling. I hope you're okay." "I'm worried. I don't want to bother you, but let me know if you need anything." "How are you feeling?" "I thought he was the one. I don't understand what happened. Did you guys fight? I'm sorry you're going through this." "I tried calling him. He changed his number and quit his job."
Madisyn took a deep breath. How could she explain the truth to her father without breaking his heart?
She tapped on her phone: "I'm fine... He broke up with me... Things didn't go well between us... But—" Delete. "Hi, Dad. I'm doing fine. I'll call you in a while; I just need some time." She read it over. Too cold? She shrugged and sent the message.
She needed time to heal before facing her father. Otherwise, she'd end up crying in front of him. She wanted him to see the strong woman he raised, not the heartbroken mess Joey had left behind.
She would tell her father and everyone else the truth only after she had completely moved on from Joey and was stronger for it.
Madisyn had learned to shut off her emotions when she was just seven years old, the year her mother died after a long battle with cancer. The day her mother passed away, she learned that emotions were like a remote control. With enough practice, you could turn them on and off as easily as pressing a button.
What she didn't realize was that the more she shut off her emotions, the lonelier she became, pushing people away and preventing anyone from getting too close. Before she knew it, she was in college with few to no friends, spending most of her time emotionally detached.
Then she met Joey. He seemed like a good guy, and she decided to let her emotions back in for him. Little did she know, that would turn out to be the worst decision she could make.
.