Chapter 3 Divorce Dilemma

"Enough, Madelyn!" Connor scolded, his voice laced with exasperation. "Rebecca has clarified everything. Cease this unnecessary drama! You've always targeted Rebecca, before and even after your marriage. When will it end?"

Madelyn gazed at Connor, her heart heavy with disillusionment.

Before she wed, any reasonable request she made was twisted by Rebecca into an act of troublemaking, earning her the family's rebuke.

The Clarks unfailingly rallied behind Rebecca, leaving Madelyn to wonder why she bothered returning to such a biased fold.

Turning to Rebecca, Madelyn's stare was sharp, almost regal in its disdain. "Does your husband know the full extent of your tales?

Is he aware of the cherished moments you shared with Jason? Did he join you both for Christmas? Does he know Jason's marriage to me was, in truth, for your benefit?"

Her smile dripped with irony. "Your husband and you aren't planning to part ways, are you? So, what is the arrangement? Will Jason be a third wheel in your love story? Are the three of you plotting to share a home?"

"Madelyn, what nonsense is this?" Connor stepped forward, disbelief etched across his face.

Rebecca, visibly shaken, stammered, "How could you even suggest such a thing? Jason and I are merely friends!"

Madelyn's icy gaze swept over Rebecca and Connor, her silence deafening. She hoisted her suitcase and turned to leave.

The depth of Rebecca and Jason's relationship no longer held any weight in her heart.

She yearned only to escape this place, steeped in pain and revulsion.

As she descended the staircase, her eyes caught Jason standing by the grand window on the first floor.

His profile seemed especially lonesome, and Madelyn found herself stealing glances in his direction. It was that very silhouette that had first drawn her in at eighteen-compelling her to reach out, to be the one who might soften his guarded heart.

But in the next moment, he turned to face her, and when his eyes fell on the suitcase in her hand, a shadow crossed his expression.

It was clear he had been standing there long enough to catch every word of their conversation.

Madelyn pressed forward. If he had heard, so be it-she had spoken nothing but the truth.

"Rebecca has explained everything. What more do you demand?" Jason's voice cut through as she neared the door.

"Just because she has offered an explanation, I'm supposed to forgive and forget?" Madelyn countered, pivoting to face him.

"Very well," Jason sneered, his tone biting. "What will appease you this time? A designer handbag? A sparkling trinket?"

In the past, he would placate her with gifts whenever she was upset, but material things were never what her heart craved.

Madelyn's fingers tightened around her bag as she drew out a document. "Sign this."

Jason accepted it with a casual air, but his expression soured when he saw it was a divorce agreement.

"Madelyn, if you think remarriage will come easily, you're mistaken," he warned, his voice edged with menace.

"This marriage was a misstep from the beginning. I'm merely setting it right," Madelyn replied, her voice cool, her gaze averted.

She had drafted the agreement a week prior, but lacked the courage to present it until now.

Jason scoffed. "How long will you keep up this charade? Need I remind you, you agreed to my proposal rather desperately back then?"

Madelyn inhaled deeply, her resolve firm. "Because I was blind to the vile reason behind your proposal!"

"Vile?" Jason's face grew stormy. "What did you expect? That I married you out of some grand love?"

His expression toward Madelyn remained as indifferent as ever, his icy demeanor revealing nothing, but deep within his eyes lingered a flicker of barely concealed disdain.

Madelyn saw it clearly.

Though unspoken, his message was unmistakable-she was beneath his affection.

Hailing from humble rural roots, she carried the lineage of the elite but lacked their polished upbringing. To him, she was a mere country girl, unrefined and unworthy.