Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 220

The officer had zero interest in untangling their messy romantic drama, so he cut straight to the chase:

"According to regulations, brawling can result in administrative detention and a fine. However, since neither of you suffered any serious injuries, if both parties agree to mediation, you can sign a waiver and leave. What do you say?"

"I refuse mediation," Madeline stated flatly.

Everyone in the room turned to look at her.

Madeline sat perfectly straight, her hands resting calmly in her lap, pronouncing every word with crystal clarity:

"Lucius has been relentlessly harassing me for weeks. Today, he physically blocked my path in the hospital corridor and refused to let me leave.

Mr. Hayden only stepped in to protect me.

If we are assigning legal blame, Lucius is the aggressive provocateur, and Mr. Hayden was acting entirely in self-defense."

"Madeline." When Lucius said her full name, his voice broke, carrying an indescribable weight.

Madeline finally turned her head to look at him.

It was the first time she had looked him in the eye since entering the police station.

"Lucius, look me in the eye and tell me which part of that isn't true.

Did you not physically block my path in the hallway?

Did you not throw the first punch?

Have I not told you, time and time again, to stop harassing me?

And officer, I need to put something even more disgusting on the record. This ex-husband of mine was playing the devoted partner to another heavily pregnant woman in her hospital room just moments prior.

I don't know if he has a split personality, but how does he have the sheer audacity to still call himself my husband?"

Lucius opened his mouth, but not a single sound came out.

He suddenly realized that every single word Madeline said was an undeniable fact.

He had blocked her path, he had thrown the first punch, and he had indeed been playing the role of Liliana's devoted fiancé right in front of Madeline's face.

But he just couldn't bear to let her walk away.

Seeing Silas standing so closely by her side drove him so mad with jealousy he felt like he was losing his mind.

The cold night wind whipped fiercely against his collar, but he didn't feel the chill.

He only felt an all-consuming emptiness.

His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from his assistant: *Mr. Whitman, Liliana can't reach you. She called us to ask when you'll be back.*

He didn't reply.

Madeline slipped into Silas's car. The click of the car door shutting was soft, but in Lucius's ears, it sounded like a massive iron gate slamming shut forever.

He stood frozen on the steps, watching helplessly as the luxury car merged into traffic, its red taillights shrinking until they dissolved completely into the endless sea of city lights.

He felt utterly defeated, as if he had just lost something irreplaceable.

But what no one could have predicted was that by the very next morning, the entire incident had exploded to the top of the trending charts.

A major gossip outlet named Empire Entertainment Gossip posted a massive expose at 3:00 AM.

The headline was designed to go viral—[Billionaire Love Triangle! Whitman Group CEO and Photon Tech Founder Professor Silas Hayden Brawl Over a Woman! All Three Detained by Police!]