The sky split open without warning, and rain came crashing down in sheets.

Water soaked through Madison's clothes in seconds, plastering the fabric to her skin like ice. Yet she stood in the downpour with her spine ramrod straight, her gaze fixed on Joel through the living room windows. There was no plea in her eyes. Not a trace.

Something twisted in Joel's chest, sharp and unbidden. A terrible thought surfaced.

Did she want to leave him?

He crushed it almost instantly. She couldn't leave him. She loved him too much.

His eyes went cold.

"Madison, you really think this is your house to throw tantrums in? Don't you dare use my mother to strong-arm me!"

He wrapped his arm around Alexis's waist and headed for the stairs without a backward glance, leaving Madison standing in the rain.

The downpour only worsened, each drop hammering against her body like a fist.

The bodyguards moved toward her, ready to force her to her knees. Madison lifted her gaze and pinned them with a stare that could cut glass.

"You know what Mrs. Delgado is capable of. If I kneel today, do you really think you'll be alive tomorrow?"

The color drained from their faces. They exchanged a look, and the old woman's reputation did what Madison's words alone could not. They released her, stepping back with grudging reluctance.

Madison stumbled back inside. Every step sent a dull, dragging ache through her lower abdomen.

She made it to the second floor. Joel's bedroom door was ajar, and through the gap she saw something that made the world tilt sideways.

Joel had Alexis pinned against the headboard. Their bodies were tangled together, moving in a rhythm that left nothing to the imagination.

Alexis looked up. Through the crack in the door, her eyes met Madison's.

A slow, triumphant smile spread across her lips, mockery spilling from her gaze like venom. Then she draped her arms over Joel's shoulders and let out a breathy, theatrical moan.

Something hot and metallic surged up Madison's throat. She clamped both hands over her mouth, barely keeping the blood from spilling past her lips.

She couldn't watch. She turned and fled to her own room like a hunted animal.

The moment she locked the door behind her, a mouthful of blood poured into her cupped palm. Bright red. Violent against her skin.

She slid down the door and crumpled to the floor, still wrapped in her soaked clothes. The cold seeped into her bones as pain folded her body in on itself. Her vision blurred at the edges, then began to dissolve.

Time lost its shape. The chill burrowed deeper.

She fumbled for her phone and dialed Joel's number on instinct. Once. Twice. Again and again. No one picked up.

She dragged herself out of the room on her hands and knees. From behind the bedroom door, the sounds hadn't stopped. Rise and fall. Rise and fall.

When she opened her eyes again, she was in a hospital bed. A doctor stood beside her, his expression grim.

"Miss Maddox, you spiked a hundred-and-two-degree fever. Between the rain exposure and the severe emotional distress, your pregnancy is extremely unstable. You cannot endure any further stress. If you do, we may not be able to save the baby."

Madison stared at the ceiling and nodded.

Not long after, a commotion erupted in the hallway. Every member of the medical staff was summoned away.

The nurses chattered as they rushed past her door.

"Mr. Delgado's Miss Pruitt got admitted. Apparently things got too rough in the bedroom. He called in every doctor in the hospital to see her!"

"And look at Mrs. Delgado in there. Pregnant, burning up with fever, and not a single person looking after her. That amnesia of his sure is selective. Seems like the only person he forgot is his wife."

"When it comes down to it, the one who isn't loved is the real other woman. Miss Pruitt is the one Mr. Delgado actually cares about now."

Every cruel word found its way into Madison's ears, precise as a blade.

She turned her head toward the window. Outside, the rain had stopped. Her eyes held nothing but emptiness.

In the days that followed, Joel stayed at Alexis's side, tending to her every need. He never once learned that his wife was in the hospital too.

On the third day, Madison checked herself out of the hospital against her doctors' protests. She had a finals competition to attend.

This was her gift to her unborn child, and the foundation on which she and her baby would build their future.

Backstage at the venue, she ran into Alexis Pruitt.

Alexis sauntered past her with a look of unbridled triumph.

"Madison, surprised to see me here? So what if you two were childhood sweethearts? So what if you sat by his bedside after the accident? In the end, you couldn't hold on to any of it. His body, his heart, the title of Mrs. Delgado. It's all mine now."

"And today, I'm going to destroy what's left of you."

The finals presentations followed a randomized order. Alexis happened to be slotted right before Madison.

She walked onto the main stage and unveiled her finished designs, and the blood in Madison's veins turned to ice.

The collection Alexis presented was her Starlight Memories series.

Alexis held the microphone and shamelessly narrated every design concept and creative inspiration that Madison had poured countless sleepless nights into developing.

In the audience, Joel sat front and center in the VIP section, his face radiating undisguised pride.

"Alexis has a real gift for design," he remarked.

The judges nodded in agreement, murmuring their approval.

Madison's mind went blank. She never imagined Joel would take designs she treasured like her own flesh and blood and hand them to another woman.

The host called her name several times before she snapped back to reality and walked onstage.

She drew a deep breath, presented her designs, and met the stunned gazes of the audience head-on. Her voice came out clear and unwavering.

"Esteemed judges, hello. My name is Madison Maddox. This Starlight Memories collection is my original work. The pieces Miss Pruitt just presented are a complete plagiarism of my designs."

The moment the words left her mouth, the venue erupted.

The judges exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes drifting toward Joel in the VIP section, waiting for him to weigh in.

Joel rose slowly to his feet. His gaze swept over Madison, cold as a blade, and his lips barely parted.

"Madison, what do you think you're doing?"

"Look at yourself. What kind of spectacle is this? You call yourself Mrs. Delgado? You're an embarrassment."

Madison swallowed the agony churning inside her.

"I'm making a spectacle? You took the work I poured my heart and soul into, night after night, and gifted it to your mistress. And I'm the one making a spectacle?"

Joel's expression remained glacial.

"Is your heart really that ugly? Just because we're married, no other woman is allowed to exist near me? When did you become this person?"

Madison laughed out loud. "Who changed here, Joel? You or me?"

"In your eyes, everything I am is worthless. But of course it is. You can't even remember your own promises."

"You said you'd love me until the end of your life." Her voice dropped. "Turns out your life was shorter than I thought."

She turned to Alexis, who stood there glowing with satisfaction, and the corner of Madison's mouth curved upward.

Then, in front of everyone, she walked to the fire safety station, grabbed the extinguisher, and brought it down on Alexis's counterfeit pieces. The display shattered into wreckage across the floor.

Alexis shrieked the moment she processed what had happened. Her fans surged forward, lunging at Madison, screaming at her to drop dead.

The venue descended into chaos. Madison was hopelessly outnumbered and shoved to the ground.

Joel's first instinct was to pull Alexis into his arms and rush her out of the building.

Madison curled into herself on the floor, both hands locked over her lower abdomen, objects raining down on her body. She trembled with pain but refused to let go.

It wasn't until security regained control that she was finally pulled free.

Her hair was tangled and wild, her appearance wrecked, and a thin line of blood seeped from a gash at her temple.

Reporters lifted their cameras in unison, capturing every frame of her humiliation.

Mockery and vicious remarks swirled around her. She seemed to hear none of it. She simply kept walking, steady and resolute, toward the exit.

She had barely stepped outside when a message from Phyllis came through.

"Tomorrow is Grandpa's birthday. I'm hoping you'll come one last time. I'd also like to hand you the divorce papers in person."

Madison stared at the screen for a long time before typing back a single word: "Okay."

The next morning, she arrived at the Delgado estate early, planning to offer her well-wishes and leave.

She never expected Joel to walk in with Alexis on his arm.

The courtyard erupted. Guests turned to one another, whispering in disbelief.

Phyllis's face drained of color.

"Who told you to bring her here? Security—get this woman out of my house!"

"I dare anyone to try."

Joel stepped forward, shielding Alexis behind him. His gaze swept the crowd, every word razor-sharp.

"Alexis is carrying my child. A Delgado heir. I brought her here today so everyone can acknowledge that."

The teacup slipped from Madison's fingers. It shattered against the floor, hot tea splashing across her legs. She didn't feel it.

Joel's expression was hard as stone as he pulled a folded document from his jacket pocket.

"Madison is infertile. The child Alexis is carrying is the Delgado family's only heir."

Phyllis stumbled back a step. She snatched the report with trembling hands, her face white with shock. The relatives erupted into chaos, voices overlapping, gasps rippling through the room.

Madison steadied herself. She stepped forward, her gaze locked on Joel like a blade.

"Where did you get this report?"

Joel's voice shook.

"If Alexis hadn't found out, were you going to hide this from the Delgado family forever? Let the bloodline die out?"

Madison let out a bitter laugh. No words came.

Alexis turned to her, eyes glistening with tears.

"I know my background isn't good enough. I know I'm not worthy of Joel. But this baby is innocent. All I want is to keep it..."

"This family does not recognize that child, and it certainly does not recognize you!"

Phyllis's voice cut through the room like a whip. She moved to Madison's side and stood there like a wall.

"Anyone who tries to set foot in this house with that woman will answer to me first!"

Joel raised his voice.

"Mom. Alexis is carrying a boy."

The room went still.

"I will make sure Alexis delivers this child safely. He is my only heir. As for you, Madison—you'll always be Mrs. Delgado. Once the baby is born, he'll be handed over to you to raise. That should be enough."

Let Alexis bear the child to continue the bloodline. Keep Madison as the legitimate Mrs. Delgado to preserve the family's reputation.

Madison laughed. A cold, hollow sound.

Enough?

"What a perfect little arrangement, Mr. Delgado. You really do want it all."

Across the room, Elijah Delgado heard every word. His whole body trembled. He clutched his chest and sank into his chair.

Madison looked at the grotesque farce unfolding before her. She drew a long breath, forcing the storm inside her down, and turned to face Otis Delgado, Phyllis, and Elijah. She bowed deeply.

"The Delgado family's affairs are no longer my concern."

She turned and walked away.

"Wait! Please, wait!"

Alexis rushed after her, catching her by the arm. Tears streamed down her face, the picture of fragile, rain-soaked beauty.

"Please, I'm begging you. Let me have this baby. I'm begging you..."

"Let go of me."

Madison wrenched her arm, trying to break free.

Alexis only gripped tighter. She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a whisper meant for Madison's ears alone.

"Madison Maddox. I never thought he'd still insist on keeping you as Mrs. Delgado."

The words landed. In the same instant, the grip on Madison's arm vanished.

Alexis's body pitched backward. She hit the stone steps with a sickening thud, and a piercing scream tore through the air.

"Ahhh—!"

"Alexis!"

Joel burst through the door to find Alexis crumpled on the steps, both hands clutching her stomach, her face chalk-white.

"Joel... she pushed me. My stomach... it hurts so much... the baby... my baby..."