Chapter 8 You Still Are My Wife

Madelyn's words cast a frigid hush over the living room.

After a tense silence, Connor stammered, "But Rebecca showered you with jewelry..."

Madelyn's gaze hardened, her voice laced with scorn. "I returned every piece of jewelry and every stitch of designer clothing to her. And now you dare try to bleed me dry?" To her, the Clarks were nothing more than parasites, clinging to her for their own gain.

She pulled out her phone, transferred fifty thousand to Roger, and swiftly blocked his number.

One by one, she blocked every Clark family member.

"Farewell," Madelyn said, her voice resolute.

As she turned away, a wave of liberation washed over her, as if she had shed a heavy chain.

At the threshold, she nearly collided with her third brother, Bryan Clark. "I hope our paths never cross again," she said coolly, brushing past him.

Bryan, a rare visitor to the family home, stood bewildered. "What has happened here?" he asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

He barely knew Madelyn, having only heard the family's complaints about her fiery temper and penchant for chaos.

"Madelyn is no longer my daughter!" Roger bellowed, his face flushed with humiliation.

His chest heaved as he spat, "No one speaks her name in this house again. Just consider her dead!"

Bryan, sensing Roger's fury, held his tongue, though a nagging suspicion told him there was more to this tale than met the eye.

The next morning, Madelyn met with Daniel, her heart alight with the thrill of returning to a cherished passion. Her smile glowed as she said, "We can finally talk about the studio."

Daniel's response, however, was a strained smile. "Well..."

Madelyn's instincts sharpened. "What's wrong?" she pressed.

Daniel hesitated, then relented under Madelyn's insistent gaze. "It's my family's company... a small, steady business. But since yesterday, someone has targeted us. All our projects have ground to a halt."

Madelyn's mind raced. Only Jason could wield such influence with such ruthless speed.

But why did he target Daniel?

Was it because of those photos?

Jason's heart belonged to Rebecca, so why meddle in her affairs?

Madelyn's confusion gave way to fury. "I'll sort this out," she declared, rising abruptly despite Daniel's protests.

She stormed to the Miller Group headquarters and marched into Jason's office, her voice slicing through the air. "Do you find this amusing, Jason?"

Behind his desk, Jason lifted his gaze slowly, exuding an infuriating calm.

He tossed his pen aside, his long fingers interlacing as he leaned back.

"We're in the process of getting a divorce. Why do you still come to the Miller Group? I'll have my reception revoke your access," he said, his tone as cold as winter.

His nonchalance stoked Madelyn's anger.

"You know why I am here," she snapped, stepping closer, her eyes locked on his. "You're targeting Daniel's family business, aren't you?"

Jason's piercing stare met Madelyn's, but he didn't answer.

His voice, low and deliberate, cut through the tension. "You claimed you had no affair with him. Yet here you are, confronting me because of him."

"Because you're attacking him for no reason!" Madelyn retorted, her voice rising. "If you resent me, take it out on me, not irrelevant people!"

Jason's expression darkened, his anger flaring. "Do you really think he's innocent in this?"

Madelyn scoffed, "What, you think everyone is as unfaithful in relationships as you?"

Her words struck a nerve. Jason's composure shattered.

He shot to his feet, rounding the desk with a predatory stride.

The violence in his demeanor made Madelyn freeze-she had never seen Jason this furious before.

Madelyn's heart pounded as escape slipped beyond her reach.

Jason's grip clamped around her wrist, unyielding as he pulled her from the office.

"Let go!" Madelyn demanded, a chill of dread coursing through her.

She twisted against Jason, her struggles frantic, but his hold was ironclad, her wrist aching under the pressure. "You're hurting me!"

Her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Jason's face was a mask of unrelenting fury as he hauled her into the elevator, its descent to the parking garage feeling like a plunge into uncertainty. He thrust her into the passenger seat of his sleek car, the door locking with a decisive click that trapped Madelyn inside.

The car tore out of the underground garage, tires screeching, and within moments, it halted at the grand entrance of the villa.

Jason had brought her back to his house and then to the bedroom.

The door slammed shut with a thunderous echo, and before Madelyn could catch her breath, she found herself pinned to the master bedroom's bed.

Jason loomed over Madelyn, his breath ragged with rage. His hands, forceful yet precise, secured her wrists above her head, their skin brushing in a way that sent an involuntary shiver through her, his presence overwhelming.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" she cried, her voice sharp with defiance.

The sound of fabric tearing filled the air as Jason ripped Madelyn's clothes, his hand grazing her waist with a boldness that made her pulse race.

"Having sex with my own wife," Jason growled, his expression fierce. "We have thirty days until the divorce is finalized. Until then, you're still my wife. You'll stay here, fulfill your duties, and go nowhere."

"What are you saying? Let go of me!" Madelyn's mind reeled. "Have you lost your mind? Why would I stay with you? You're the one who said I was unworthy of being your wife!"

She thrashed against his hold, her struggles fierce but futile.

"I haven't agreed to let you go," Jason shot back, his voice low and unyielding. "You don't get to walk away."

Piece by piece, Madelyn's clothes fell away under Jason's relentless hands, his touch igniting a confusing heat across her skin.

Madelyn bit her lip, her eyes blazing with fury and unshed tears.

They had shared intimacy countless times, and Jason knew every sensitive spot on her body-his expertise now left her trembling.

But why?

He had scorned her, pushed for divorce with more fervor than she ever had.

Why did he still touch her?

Was she merely a stand-in for Rebecca?

A chilling realization struck Madelyn like a bolt from the blue.

"Jason," she spat, her voice dripping with contempt, "you're using me as a stand-in for Rebecca, aren't you? You don't even want me, yet here you are touching me? Are you imagining her in my place? You're repulsive!"