Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 119

Madeline had been unconscious for a full day, trapped in a relentless nightmare.

In the dream, she was running freely, just like she did as a child. But suddenly, her legs began to turn translucent, slowly fading until they disappeared completely.

An overwhelming wave of despair crashed over her.

Even in her sleep, tears cascaded down her cheeks.

It was as if she already knew the diagnosis.

Her legs meant the world to her. They meant the world to anyone, but despite her humble upbringing, she had never felt inferior because of it. Though she had never known her parents, she harbored no resentment toward them, because they had gifted her a healthy, able body.

Her legs were beautiful, and she loved them.

Please, no...

Madeline's eyes fluttered open, and her immediate instinct was to look down at her legs. They hadn't turned invisible, but she couldn't feel them at all. No warmth, no sensation of touch. Nothing.

She realized with horrifying clarity that her legs were completely dead.

Panic-stricken, she tried to force herself upright, but an agonizing pain tore through her chest, freezing her in place. It felt as though her ribcage would explode with the slightest movement, cutting off her air supply completely.

A suffocating wave of terror pulled her under. Trapped in her own body, all she could do was stare wide-eyed as tears streamed down her face, letting out muffled, choked sobs.

"My... my... legs..."

Silas had just arrived when he heard her heart-wrenching cries, accompanied by the ragged, desperate sounds of someone struggling to breathe through shattered ribs.

"Don't panic, Madeline. Your ribs are broken. Breathe slowly."

Though Silas's soothing words helped slightly, Madeline's entire body continued to tremble violently from the sheer trauma. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face drenched in tears, and she looked utterly shattered.

Lucius, fresh from the dressing room, heard her sobbing and immediately rushed into the room, stopping right beside her bed.

Silas was doing his best to keep her calm. When Lucius saw her state, his face drained of color. Guilt gnawed at his insides.

Lucius refused to back down, terrified that Silas had been whispering poison in her ear. He rushed forward to explain himself.

"Maddy, please don't be like this. I was negligent with the boy. I failed to stop this from happening, but I swear I never wanted you to get hurt. I take full responsibility, and I'll make it up to you. Please, just forgive me."

Madeline's voice dripped with pure venom, sounding more like a curse than a sentence. "Lucius, you, Liliana, and Millicent... The pain you've inflicted on me—I swear to God, I will pay it back twofold."

Lucius stared at her in shock. It was as if he was no longer her husband, as if they were no longer family, but mortal enemies. He had never seen such ferocious, unadulterated hatred contorting her features.

His legs gave out, and he collapsed heavily into a chair by the bed.

He buried his face in his hands, completely overwhelmed by an unprecedented sense of defeat and panic.

It was as if he were the one who had lost his legs. A stark, terrifying realization crashed into him, leaving him dazed: he had practically murdered the one person in the world who loved him the most.

His world had always been devoid of love. Just as Madeline had pointed out, no one genuinely cared for him. His father despised him, his mother projected her hatred of Alastair Whitman onto him, Liliana merely used him, Millicent only coddled him to secure her own comfortable retirement, and Arthur only cared about the corporation's bottom line. Yet, despite being a man who had never known true affection, he had received the most fierce and passionate love from Madeline.