CHAPTER 2
Madelynn didn’t expect the response on the other end of the line to come so fast. It was almost like Sebastian was waiting for her to call.
“Jesus…” his voice was almost unsure. “Lynn, is it really you?”
She didn’t say anything.
“After all this time, you’re not messing with me. Are you?”
I broke into a smile. “No… I miss you.”
“I’ve wanted you since the day that I met you in high school. You’ve only ever had eyes for Olive Kane. What changed?”
“I… I’m leaving Oliver.”
She met Sebastian Wilde in high school. He was captain of the football team and the only son of one of the most exclusive families in New York.
He chased her for years, and she liked the attention. In fact, she had almost chosen him before her parents told her she had to marry Oliver.
She had left him heartbroken, and now here she was calling him out of nowhere.
“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have called. Forget I said anything.”
A deep growl came from Sebastian. “What do you mean forget? After all this time? We’re no teenagers anymore, Lynn. You called me. You’re the one who said you needed me. And I’m neve letting you go again.”
‘I’ll be there in a month, Madelynn. Finish off whatever’s left with Oliver. In a month, I’ll be bac
to take what’s mine.”
Madelynn smiled as the call ended with a soft click. Sebastian wasn’t giving her a chance t refuse.
‘He’s still my Sebastian,” she whispered to herself.
Oliver didn’t come home that night. So she spent the entire night packing. The dim lights and soft music from the speakers were her only companion.
By the time the morning light streamed through the curtains and Oliver finally walked into the bedroom, she had boxed and boxes surrounding her.
“What are you doing?” He asked.
“Just throwing out trash.”
He walked over and peeked inside one of the boxes that held all the clothes and gifts he had ever gotten her. Most of them still had tags on.
“Those are trash…”
She sighed. “They’re old. Old clothes and gifts that probably won’t be used. I thought it’d be a good idea to donate them to charity, under your name of course.”
Oliver instantly smiled at that. He always took whatever opportunity that might be good for his reputation. “Oh well, that’s good then.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. Even though she knew Oliver’s quick response meant he just didn’t
CHAPTER 1
want to deal with her.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash behind her. Madelynn turned around in shock, only to find her
sister.
Cecelia stood by the entrance of the door, and the large hand drawn portrait of Madelynn and Oliver on their wedding day was broken in a million pieces on the floor.
“Oh my God, Oliver and Madelyn,” she cried in pretense. “I didn’t see that there.” She batted her eyes at Oliver while giving her fake apology.
Oliver immediately rushed to her side to check her body for wounds. He didn’t care one bit about the broken picture. “Oh it’s okay. As long as you didn’t get injured.”
Cecelia wasn’t satisfied with that though. She had to get Madelynn’s attention too.
“Maddy, I hope you’re not upset.”
Madelynn stared at the broken pieces of what had once been her perfect life. She had spent a lot of time and money finding an artist that could paint her and Oliver at their wedding. And now that painting was just ruined.
Years ago, she would’ve definitely fallen for Cecelia’s trap, but now, she didn’t care.
She looked right at her sister as she answered. “It’s okay. Like Oliver said, as long as you’re no njured.”
Cecelia’s smile faltered for a second before she tried to mask it. “You’re so kind.” Then withou nissing a beat, she turned to Oliver. “Which is why I know that you won’t have any problem with ny next request.”
Oliver smiled, still looking at her. “Right. Madelynn, you know that Cece has just returned to the country, so she has to stay here.”
Madelynn frowned. “Why? You got her an apartment a week ago, didn’t you?”
Oliver looked annoyed by her comment. “I did. But she doesn’t like the color of the paint in there So she’s moving here. And she likes the view of the city from your room, so she’ll be staying here. Please move to a different room.”
Even after all these years of marriage, Oliver and Madelynn didn’t share a room. He said he couldn’t sleep with someone else so close to him. But she knew what it meant. He would be comfortable with anyone as long as it wasn’t her.
She also knew that whenever it came to Cecelia, he always had a long explanation rehearsed, so when she agreed without a fight, it caught him off guard.
‘It’s no problem. I’ll just move all the excess stuff out of here.”
t didn’t matter if she stayed or left. She would be completely out of this house very soon. Oliver’s rehearsed speech was at the tip of his tongue the moment she answered him. But Cecelia beat him to it. “Thanks Maddy.”
Madelynn didn’t respond. She just picked up one of the boxes with her bony hands and headed for the door. Just as she approached it, Cecelia put out a foot and made her trip.
Madelynn couldn’t stop the fall in time, and her knee landed in the broken glass from the picture frame. She let out a loud wince as pain shot through her body.
Cecelia winked at her and dragged Oliver away without him even noticing anything.
Madelynn stayed on the floor and let her tears flow freely. She thought about the way Cecelia had always been treated as a golden princess.
Madelynn was the only one who did chores in the house, Cecelia would always make up one
excuse after the other.
And even now, when they were both adults and she was married to such an influential man nothing changed.
Cecelia was always going to be everybody’s princess.
