Chapter 8 You Make Me Sick

Madelyn's words hit hard, plunging the Clarks into an awkward and heavy silence.

Connor took his time before breaking the quiet. Eventually, he asked, "Didn't Rebecca give you tons of jewelry?"

She shot back, "Back when you shoved me into that storage room, I gave all of them-every shiny trinket and expensive outfit-right back to her. Don't tell me you've already wiped that from your memory."

Madelyn's stare dripped with mockery. In her eyes, they looked like a bunch of fools putting on a show.

Without another word, she pulled out her phone, sent Roger fifty thousand dollars, and blocked him without hesitation.

Then, one by one, she blocked the rest of the Clark family too.

"Goodbye. Don't contact me again." With those final words, Madelyn turned on her heel and walked out of the Clark household, a weight lifting off her shoulders as she went.

Just as she was leaving, she ran into Bryan, her third older brother, who happened to be coming back. She gave him a cold glance, brushed past him without slowing down.

"What's going on?" Bryan stood there puzzled. He didn't visit his home often and never had much of a bond with Madelyn, so he was in the dark about everything.

All he really knew about Madelyn came secondhand from the rest of the family. They painted her as hot-headed and prone to outbursts.

"From this moment on, Madelyn is no longer part of this family!" Roger bellowed, his voice filled with fury.

What had just unfolded felt like a stinging slap across his face. His temper had boiled over, and he was breathing hard, struggling to contain his rage. "Nobody in this house is to speak her name again!"

Watching his father lose his temper like that, Bryan bit his tongue. He knew better than to poke the bear with more questions.

Still, a nagging thought lingered in his mind- something about the whole situation didn't sit right with him.

The following morning, Madelyn had a meeting with Daniel.

Getting the chance to step back into the career she was passionate about brought Madelyn a kind of joy she hadn't felt in a long time. Her face lit up with a genuine smile. "We can finally discuss about me joining the studio."

"Well..." Daniel's grin held a trace of discomfort.

Madelyn caught the awkwardness in his tone right away. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Did something happen?"

"It's just some trouble at home..." Daniel paused, clearly unsure if he should go on. But Madelyn kept pressing him, gently but firmly, until he gave in and told her everything.

"You know my family owns a small company. Things were going smoothly. But starting yesterday, someone came after us. Every project we had got shut down out of nowhere..."

As soon as Madelyn heard that, it clicked in her mind. Only Jason had that kind of influence and the guts to act so swiftly.

But why would he go after Daniel?

Could it be because of that picture?

Jason had only been obsessed with Rebecca. So why would he bother getting involved over an alleged fling?

Madelyn couldn't make sense of it all, but the fury bubbling inside her was undeniable. She shot to her feet. "I'll take care of this!"

She paid no mind to Daniel's protests. Without wasting a second, she stormed off to the Miller Group building and burst straight into Jason's office.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" she snapped the moment she stepped inside, her tone sharp and accusing.

Jason sat behind his desk and slowly raised his gaze to meet hers.

He let the pen in his hand drop with ease, then calmly laced his fingers together, his posture relaxed, almost lazy, as if none of this fazed him in the slightest.

"We're on the verge of a divorce, so what are you doing in my office?" His tone was cold and indifferent. "I'll make sure security blocks you from coming in again."

Madelyn's blood boiled at his dismissive words.

"Cut the act." She took a few steps toward him, locking eyes with him. "You're the one who messed with Daniel's family business, aren't you?"

Jason didn't respond right away. His eyes stayed locked on hers, sharp and unreadable. His voice dropped a notch, quieter but more intense. "You really care that much about him? You'd come storming in here just to defend him?"

"That's because you're going after him!" Madelyn's voice rose, her frustration boiling over. "If you've got a problem, take it out on me. Don't drag innocent people into your mess!"

Jason's temper flared just as fast. "Innocent? You really think that? He had no business meeting with you in private, especially when you're still married."

"Yes, I met with him. And what about it?" Madelyn snapped. "Do you assume everyone's sneaking around and cheating like you did?"

That hit a nerve. Jason's face darkened. Without warning, he pushed back his chair and marched around the desk, stopping right in front of her.

The sheer intensity in his expression made Madelyn freeze. She had never seen him this furious before.

But by then, it was already too late to back out.

Jason seized her wrist and dragged her out of the office without a word.

"Let go of me!"

A wave of dread swept over Madelyn. She fought hard to break free.

But his hold was iron-strong, and pain shot through her arm like a warning.

"You're hurting me!" she cried out.

No matter how loudly she protested, Jason didn't show the slightest bit of mercy.

He hauled her into the elevator, then down the stairs, and straight into the underground garage-shoving her into his car.

The doors locked with a click. Madelyn tried to open them, but it was useless.

The engine roared to life, and the car shot out of the garage.

Before long, they pulled up outside the house they used to live in together.

Jason dragged her inside without pause. He yanked her into the bedroom and slammed the door shut behind them. In the next instant, he pushed her down onto the bed.

His anger caused his breaths to come in heavy gasps. He gripped Madelyn's wrist tightly, their skin making contact, enveloping her in his presence.

"What do you think you're doing? Let go of me!" she exclaimed.

Madelyn's blouse was torn open, and his hand reached beneath her skirt.

"We're still husband and wife. I can sleep with you, no question about it." Jason's face was grim, and he pronounced each word slowly and clearly. "Our divorce hasn't gone through yet. We still have days left in this marriage, don't we? So until everything is settled, you must act like a wife and stay by my side. You're not going anywhere!"

"What are you talking about? Let go of me!" Madelyn was in disbelief. "Have you lost your mind? Why should I stick around with you? You said yourself I wasn't Mrs. Miller anymore!"

No matter how loudly she protested, Jason didn't show the slightest bit of mercy.

"I didn't give my consent, so don't think you can just walk away!" Jason yelled.

Her blouse was being ripped apart, piece by piece.

Madelyn bit her lip hard, feeling the sting, and her eyes filled with tears.

They had shared many intimate moments; he was well aware of her sensitive areas and could bring her pleasure with just a few gentle touches.

But why was this happening? Didn't he loathe her? He should have been keener on finalizing the divorce than she was, so why would he touch her now? Could it be...

A sudden realization hit Madelyn.

"Jason, you're still treating me like a stand-in for Rebecca, aren't you? You don't actually care for me, but you want to sleep with me and pretend I'm her? You make me sick!"