Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 239

Madeline gave her arm a sharp tug, but couldn't break free. She wasn't panicked; she just looked up at him.

A faint, mocking amusement danced in her eyes. "Speak, then. And once you're done, leave. I have work to do."

Lucius took a deep breath, desperately trying to rein in his temper.

"Madeline," Lucius began, keeping his voice low, sounding exactly like a parent lecturing an unreasonable child.

"I know you're furious with me. Being pressured by the family to agree to marry Liliana was a mistake on my part, and I admit I mishandled the situation with Hawke.

But I've told you before, my relationship with Liliana is just—"

"Just a forced obligation?" Madeline finished his sentence, a razor-sharp sneer dripping from her words.

Lucius choked on his defense but forced himself to keep going.

"You know how fragile Liliana's health is. I can't just abandon her.

But you're different. You've always been the perfect, compliant wife. I thought you, of all people, would understand my position.

I am never going to actually marry her, and I am absolutely never divorcing you."

Hearing those words, Madeline nearly laughed out loud.

Compliant.

There was that cursed word again.

For five years, she had been held hostage by that exact expectation.

Because she was 'compliant,' she was supposed to turn a blind eye while he paraded Liliana around town;

Because she was 'compliant,' she was expected to endure public humiliation at his engagement party and still offer her blessing with a smile;

Because she was 'compliant,' she was supposed to be a loyal dog he could summon and discard whenever it suited him.

"Lucius," Madeline said softly, her tone terrifyingly hollow, as if discussing the weather. "Are you finished?"

Lucius froze.

She was too calm. It wasn't a facade; it was a profound, bone-deep apathy.

That utter lack of emotion struck genuine terror into his heart—a fear far more paralyzing than any screaming match could ever inflict.

"Madeline, just listen to me—"

"I secured your signed litigation agreement. I pushed it straight to a summary judgment."

She paused, delivering the final blow with ruthless serenity.

"Our divorce was finalized a week ago. What you're holding right now is a legally binding decree. It's not a forgery. It's not a threat. It is the absolute, legal termination of our marriage."

The hand holding the decree violently trembled.

He stared at every single word, every official stamp, desperately praying it was an elaborate hallucination.

But the ink and seals were authentic. He didn't even have the luxury of lying to himself.

He had been so blindly arrogant, convinced she would never have the nerve to follow through.

All his assumptions of what she 'wouldn't dare' do were instantly obliterated by the paperwork in his hand.

"I always thought," Lucius rasped, his throat tight with agony, "I thought once I settled the mess with Liliana, I could come back to you.

I thought you were just throwing a tantrum. I thought you were just waiting for me to turn around..."

"You thought." Madeline let out a soft, airy laugh, exhaling a lifetime of exhaustion.