Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 15

The wedding dress displayed in the center of the walk-in closet caught her eye.

It wasn't overly extravagant, and she had only worn it once in front of a handful of Lucius's relatives.

But for years, it had been her most cherished possession.

She had dedicated an entire wall to it, preserving it in a pristine glass display case draped over a high-end mannequin.

Looking at it, Madeline recalled what should have been the happiest day of her life.

Standing in that white gown, she had eagerly accepted Lucius's proposal, genuinely believing they would grow old together.

Now, all that remained were scars and agonizing regrets.

She opened the glass case and lightly brushed her fingers against the flawless white embroidery.

But she had already decided to throw it away. The marriage it represented was hopelessly tainted.

The next morning.

Early.

Madeline stepped out of the master bedroom and realized Lucius had already left for work. Liliana and Leo were sitting at the dining table having breakfast.

Madeline glanced at Liliana.

Liliana was wearing a silk camisole, a bold red hickey glaringly obvious on her neck. Despite her deliberately provocative attire, her complexion was glowing, and her makeup was flawlessly applied.

Not a single strand of hair was out of place, perfectly styled and set.

Her youthful, seductive face radiated confidence, and her exposed arms and neck were dripping with expensive jewelry. She looked undeniably alluring.

But deep within those bright, captivating eyes lay a toxic mix of smugness and contempt.

When Liliana enrolled and people complimented her looks, they had the nerve to call her 'Little Madeline', claiming their aesthetics were similar but subtly different.

Madeline's beauty was legendary, relegating Liliana to a mere imitation.

What Liliana really wanted was to drive Madeline totally insane and get her locked up in a psychiatric ward.

Staring coldly at her rival, Liliana thought to herself, it's only a matter of time.

Feeling a surge of wicked satisfaction, she cooed, "Why aren't you eating, Madeline?"

Madeline simply pulled a carton of milk and a pastry from the fridge.

She sat down and began to eat, completely ignoring Liliana's chatter. There was no point in engaging with a lunatic.

Liliana pressed on. "Madeline, don't eat cold food from the fridge. What if you get sick? I had a slight stomachache last night from eating something cold, and Lucius stayed up with me the entire night. He sat right by my side, rubbing my stomach and feeding me medicine. When you get sick, does he ever take care of you like that?"