Rafael clenched his jaw in a tight line while his cold gaze grew infuriated, sending shivers down Erica's spine. "Your assumption is your deepest delusion," he uttered.
Erica's innocent act melted into a puzzled expression, her face frightened by the gaze that looked as if it could burn her to ashes for what she had just said.
Erica had thought Madelyn was infertile, and she believed that might be the reason behind Rafael's behavior toward her. Anyway, she had expected him to kick his wife out of the house since he didn't love her.
"But why is she still yet to conceive?" Erica asked.
"Get off me!" Rafael roared.
Startled, Erica flinched at the force of his voice, scrambling off his lap so abruptly she nearly fell to the floor.
Madelyn's words still echoed in Rafael's mind, each one stoking the fire in his chest. He couldn't stand being near Erica—it disgusted him.
Without another word, he pushed up from the couch and stormed out of the living room, heading upstairs to their bedroom.
"Why is he so furious?" Erica muttered, her fists tightening at her sides as she watched him disappear up the staircase.
***
Inside the master bedroom, Madelyn rummaged through the closet, pulling clothes from the shelves and tossing them into the luggage. The tears that had been threatening at the corners of her eyes finally fell, streaming down her cheeks as her heart ached, breaking under the weight of it all.
How did this happen?
Could there be a mistake elsewhere?
Madelyn thought, hoping this was a lie yet she couldn't bring herself to deny what had happened.
When the door creaked open and footsteps approached, she quickly wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.
Before she could reach for more clothes, a firm hand grabbed the wardrobe door and slammed it shut.
"Madelyn, what are you doing?" Rafael's voice, cold and sharp, demanded.
"It's none of your business," Madelyn uttered, refusing to look at him.
The harshness of her words sent an unexpected jolt through Rafael's chest, stirring emotions.
"What do you mean it's none of my business? Are you planning to just walk away?" His voice rose with anger, his chest heaving, eyes blazing with frustration.
Madelyn stared at him, confused. Why was he so upset, so furious, by what she said? It was the first time she saw him react this way—unsettled and angry.
Locking eyes with him, Madelyn tried to understand, but she couldn't. "Stop pretending like you care that I'm living with you as your wife when you've never treated me like one."
Rafael rubbed his neck, his gaze dropping as he struggled to find the right words. "It's about Erica…"
"And what about her? Were you sneaking around with my half-sister behind my back?" Madelyn's voice was sharp with accusation.
Rafael's expression twisted with remorse, his face contorting as he spoke. "What happened between Erica and me... It's not what you think, Maddy. I can't even explain how it got to this point. Please, just trust me. Let me handle it. Everything will go back to normal, I promise. Just don't do anything rash."
Madelyn let out a bitter laugh, turning away from him to mask the pain that clenched her heart. Emotions tangled inside her, unnameable and impossible to untangle.
She wanted to believe him. But did he not understand how exhausting it was to keep loving someone who never gave any sign of hope?
To the world, she was just his wife. But to him? She had never been more than a placeholder.
She had endured sharing his affection and devotion with other women lurking around him, but now it was enough. Especially now that Erica carried his child.
She was the one who was supposed to have his children. She was supposed to be the one who was enough.
Madelyn sighed, struggling against the storm rising in her chest.
"I need rest. You should do all you want but…" she muttered. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."
She moved to walk away, but Rafael reached out, gripping her arm and pulling her back against his chest. The unexpected closeness caught her off guard, her heart racing from the sudden intimacy after their heated words.
She grabbed his wrist, the unease creeping up her spine, but when his fingers gently brushed her stomach, a softness bloomed within her. Her tension faded, replaced by the flutter of a fragile hope she couldn't suppress.
His touch was a quiet promise, a gentle offering for something unspoken between them.
"Please don't leave, Maddy," Rafael begged in a whisper. "Wait for me. I'm trying."
Stunned, Madelyn's eyes widened, caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice. She wondered what had caused this shift in him, so unlike his usual self. Her lips twisted into a faint, tentative smile as the smell of alcohol on his breath filled the space between them.
"You're drunk, Rafael. Let go of me," she whispered, her voice trembling with the need to break free.
"I'm not drunk," he muttered, trying to deny the haze of alcohol clouding his mind after discovering Erica's pregnancy. "I'm not keeping Erica, and I don't want anything to do with her. We shouldn't let anyone come between us. We still have so much time ahead."
How long could she wait for a love that might never come? Just one year.
Could she endure the longing for that long, with only a year left in their contract marriage?
Madelyn broke free from his embrace, turning to face him. His gaze was unreadable, a storm of emotions swirling in his eyes. She found her resolve slipping under the intensity of that look.
"I don't know if I can keep waiting," she said softly, her voice trembling with the weight of her uncertainty.
Rafael buried his face in her neck, inhaling her scent. The warmth of his breath made her pulse race. He had missed this. Her proximity, the scent of her skin, the curve of her body—all of it. Exhausted though he was, there was never a moment when he was too tired for her.