Madison listened to the voice message without a flicker of expression, then lowered her gaze to the diamond ring on her finger—the matching piece to the "Only You" perfume.

Joel had designed it himself. His proposal gift to her.

He'd been hiding behind his so-called amnesia, giving away things that belonged to her—things meant only for her—to someone else. Again and again. Then he'd watch with cold detachment as she broke down, as she screamed and raged, before tossing her just enough sweetness to pull her back in line.

The cycle had repeated so many times she'd lost count.

But not this time. She didn't want the ring anymore. She didn't want Joel, either.

Madison didn't reply. She slipped the ring off her finger and dropped it into the trash.

Then she had someone take the jewelry away.

The next morning, Joel came home before dawn.

He changed into fresh clothes, scrubbed away the scent that didn't belong to him, and climbed into bed. His arm curled around Madison from behind, his chin nestling into the curve of her neck, fingers tracing lazy circles along her waist. His voice was low and tender.

"Madison, I'm sorry. My amnesia flared up yesterday, and the whole thing went viral. I know it must've hurt you."

A pause, then: "But she's young. Spending a little time with her is the decent thing to do. Don't take it to heart."

Madison gave a calm nod. "Okay."

Joel froze. The carefully rehearsed words he'd prepared to coax her died on his tongue.

"Babe, you're really being good about this?"

Madison offered a faint smile. "Isn't this what you wanted? Obedient and proper."

Joel smiled, looking pleased. He produced a bottle of perfume and held it out to her, as though it were a reward for good behavior.

But the cloying sweetness hit her nostrils, and her brow creased instantly.

Less than an hour ago, Alexis Pruitt had posted this exact bottle on social media.

"My darling boss bought me perfume. Hate it. Making him take it back to his frumpy little wife as punishment."

There was a time Joel would have scoured the world for the finest things just to see her smile. Now he was handing her another woman's castoffs.

Madison bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted copper.

"I don't want something that's been dirtied."

Joel's brow twitched, barely perceptible. He tossed the perfume into the trash without hesitation and pulled her into his arms, his voice soothing.

"If my good girl doesn't like it, we throw it away. I've got a full physical booked at the hospital later. Madison—it's time we had a baby of our own."

A baby?

A sharp ache bloomed behind her ribs. She dropped her gaze, hiding the storm in her eyes.

Once, they had both longed for a child with everything they had. But now she would never tell him.

A long silence stretched between them. Madison was just about to offer the excuse she'd rehearsed when Joel's phone rang.

"Joel, I twisted my ankle. It really hurts."

Joel glanced at Madison, then spoke into the phone, his tone clipped and cold.

"Can't you get yourself to the hospital?"

He hung up.

Then he turned back to Madison, all smiles, and helped her gather her things.

"Today, wifey comes first!"

The car pulled away from the house. Minutes later, the phone shattered the quiet again.

Joel answered. Madison couldn't hear what was said on the other end, but he slammed the brakes so hard her seatbelt locked. He threw open his door, rounded the car, and yanked open the passenger side, pulling her out.

"Babe, just grab a cab to the hospital."

He was gone before she could blink, tires screaming against asphalt.

Madison watched the car shrink into the distance. A bitter laugh escaped her.

She'd actually believed, for half a second, that there was a shred of sincerity left in him. In the end, the only fool here was her.

She went to the hospital alone. After her prenatal checkup, she turned a corner and walked straight into Joel and Alexis.

Alexis was curled against his chest, eyes red-rimmed, a cartoon Band-Aid plastered across her ankle.

The moment she spotted Madison, Alexis lifted her face from Joel's embrace.

"Mrs. Delgado, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I just twisted my ankle, and I shouldn't have bothered Mr. Delgado to come all the way here. He should have been with you for your checkup. I feel terrible."

The sight sent Madison's stomach lurching. She gagged, pressing the back of her hand to her mouth.

"Secretaries are a real bargain these days. The job even comes with a side gig as a mistress."

Joel's jaw tightened at her words, anger flashing across his face—but then he saw her. The color had drained from her skin. Her lips were bloodless. She was swaying on her feet.

Something twisted in his chest. He reached for the papers clutched in her hand, thinking she was sick.

"What's wrong? Are you ill?"

His fingers had barely grazed the report when Alexis let out a sharp whimper.

"Joel, my foot—it hurts so much…"

Her voice snapped his attention back like a leash. He released Madison's hand immediately and turned to fuss over the woman in his arms.

"Shh, it's okay. We'll get it checked right now."

He let go so abruptly that Madison, already unsteady, stumbled backward. Her legs buckled, and she nearly hit the floor.

Her palm caught the wall just in time. She steadied herself against it, fingers pressed white against the cold surface.

By the time she looked up, Joel was already walking away with Alexis in his arms.

Her heart clenched with a pain she couldn't contain. She dug her nails into her palm, hard enough to draw crescents into the skin, forcing herself to stay composed.

She didn't look back. She turned and left.

The moment she stepped outside the hospital, a message from Phyllis lit up her phone.

"Madison, the divorce papers will be ready in a week."

After leaving the hospital, Madison drove straight to the jewelry studio.

Joel had opened it for her after the wedding. He'd felt guilty that she'd given up her career to care for him while he recovered from the accident, so he'd set this place up as a gift.

She wouldn't take a single cent of Joel Delgado's fortune in the divorce. But this studio she would claim. Every piece inside it was born from her own hands, her own sleepless nights, her own talent. She needed it to build a future for herself and the baby.

She hadn't been there long when her assistant handed her an outgoing inventory log.

Her necklaces. Her bracelets. Her archival collection pieces. Every last one of them had been transferred out, gifted to Alexis Pruitt on Joel's orders.

Rage surged through her chest. She reached for her phone to call him.

Then she saw her own name trending online.

The video was already everywhere. In it, she sat alone in the hospital waiting room. And there was Joel, cradling Alexis in his arms, murmuring to her like she was something precious.

The comments section had erupted.

"So even Madison Maddox knows when to keep her mouth shut. Guess she's terrified of losing her Mrs. Delgado title."

"Alexis is clearly the one Joel actually loves. Did you see how panicked he looked holding her?"

"Madison only married him because she nursed him after his car accident. She leveraged a favor into a wedding ring, and now reality's catching up."

The words were sharp as needles, but they couldn't pierce a heart that had already gone cold.

Joel saw the trending video too. His response was a seven-figure wire transfer and a single message.

[Alexis had nightmares and needed me there. Be good.]

Madison stared at the number on her screen. Nothing stirred behind her eyes.

She dialed his number. When he picked up, her voice was ice stripped of every last trace of feeling.

"Joel, you gave my designs to your mistress. Did you think to ask me first?"

On the other end, Joel sounded utterly unbothered, even irritated, as though she were being unreasonable.

"Isn't the money I sent you enough to cover it? You were so well-behaved yesterday. What happened?"

Madison laughed. She hung up without another word and went back to packing.

She didn't leave the studio until the following day.

Once she finished gathering her things, she would never set foot in that place again.

But when she pushed open the front door of the house, she found Alexis curled up on the sofa, nestled against Joel, cooing up at him. They looked every bit the picture of a devoted young couple.

Alexis heard the door and turned. The moment she spotted Madison, her expression shifted into something small and frightened, and she shrank deeper into Joel's arms.

"Hey, sis."

Madison's body trembled before she could stop it. She looked at the scene and let the words fall, razor-edged.

"How thoughtful of you, Mr. Delgado. Bringing your mistress home to convalesce. Was the house feeling too big and empty? Needed a little extra warmth?"

Joel's expression darkened in an instant. He straightened, his gaze locking onto Madison, disappointment heavy in every syllable.

"Madison, I actually thought you'd learned your lesson. And here you go again with the passive-aggressive nonsense. Alexis's foot hasn't healed. I don't feel comfortable leaving her out there on her own. I brought her back to rest for a few days. What's the problem?"

His words snuffed out the last faint ember of anything she'd still been holding onto.

She looked at the man in front of her, the man who had once loved her down to the marrow of his bones, and felt nothing. Not anger. Not grief. Just a vast, hollow indifference.

She didn't argue. She swept one cool glance over the two of them, turned, and walked toward the bedroom.

The door closed behind her, sealing out Alexis's soft, theatrical sobs. Sealing out the last fragile thread that still connected her to Joel Delgado.

Madison slid down against the door until she was sitting on the floor. Her hand drifted to her stomach, and she whispered into the quiet.

"You won't blame Mommy for not giving you a whole family, will you, little one?"

It was a long time before Madison could bring herself to stand. She moved slowly, gathering her things. The closet held everything she'd prepared for the baby—tiny clothes, little shoes, and the handmade patchwork quilt her mother had sewn stitch by stitch. She was taking all of it with her.

But the moment she opened the closet doors, her blood ran cold.

Everything inside had been ransacked. The clothes were gone. Every last piece.

She went straight downstairs and found the housekeeper. Her voice came out trembling and ice-cold.

"Where are my things?"

The housekeeper's eyes darted away. She stammered, wouldn't lift her head, and glanced involuntarily toward the garden.

Madison's stomach dropped. She followed the faint sounds of laughter across the lawn, and what she saw made her vision blur red.

Alexis stood on the grass, cooing at the dog at her feet. The dog was wearing the baby clothes Madison had prepared for her child.

The patchwork quilt her mother had sewn was cut to ribbons. One piece had been tied around the dog's neck as a drool bib.

And the good-luck charm—the one her mother had prayed for at the temple and given to her for protection—was clamped between the dog's teeth, being torn apart.

Alexis giggled, scratching behind the dog's ears.

"Little Maddie is such a good girl! You look so pretty in your new outfit!"

"Good dog, Maddie."

Maddie.

That name—it was the pet name Joel used for her alone. His word. He used to hold her close and murmur it against her ear.

Madison's fists clenched so tight her knuckles went white. The rage crawled up her spine like something alive.

Every ounce of fury she had swallowed, every humiliation she had endured in silence—it all shattered at once.

She crossed the distance in three strides and slapped Alexis across the face.

The crack rang out, sharp and clean.

"Madison Maddox, have you lost your mind?!"

Alexis clutched her cheek and shrieked, tears spilling instantly.

Joel came storming out of the study at the commotion. The first thing he saw was Alexis, sobbing, hand pressed to her face.

The moment Alexis spotted him, she threw herself into his arms, trembling.

"Joel! She hit me—and she hurt little Maddie!"

Joel's expression darkened. "Madison, you—"

Madison's voice tore out of her, hoarse and shaking.

"How dare you let her touch my things!"

Joel's face turned to stone. "Your things? A pile of rags and scraps. Alexis letting the dog wear them was more than they deserved."

Madison's chest heaved. Her eyes burned as she lunged past him toward the dog, desperate to save the good-luck charm.

Before she could reach it, the dog bared its teeth and launched at her, snarling, sinking its jaws into her calf. White-hot pain shot through her leg. Its front paws clawed at her knees, scrambling upward toward her stomach.

In that instant, Madison forgot the pain. She summoned every ounce of strength she had and kicked the dog away.

It yelped, tumbled across the grass, and curled into a whimpering ball.

Blood seeped from the wound on Madison's calf. Warm liquid trickled down her shin. A sharp cramp seized her lower abdomen, and she doubled over, unable to move.

"Madison!"

Joel hadn't expected her to actually fight a dog for that charm. Seeing her crumpled on the ground, his mind emptied of everything but alarm. He rose to his feet and started toward her.

He hadn't taken a single step before Alexis grabbed his arm, wailing.

"Joel! Maddie's mouth is bleeding—what's wrong with her? Is she going to die?!"

His hand froze in midair. His gaze drifted to the dog whimpering on the ground. He hesitated for one long moment, then steadied Alexis on her feet.

"Don't be scared."

He picked up the dog, took Alexis by the arm, and walked out the front door without looking back.

Madison watched him go. She bit down on her lip until she tasted iron, refusing to let herself cry. She told herself over and over that he wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth a single tear.

She staggered upright, called a cab, and went to the hospital alone.

The moment she walked through the emergency room doors, everything she'd been holding together finally gave way. Her vision went black, and she collapsed.

When she opened her eyes again, it was the next day. Her wound had been bandaged. She was cleared to leave.