Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 402

It made Penelope look like an absolute clown.

Like an extra in a movie she thought she was directing.

She was suffocating with rage.

-

Quentin carefully removed Madeline's shoes and socks before setting her down on the plush mattress.

His warm breath brushed against her forehead. "Does it still hurt?"

Madeline looped her arms around his neck, whispering, "Not anymore."

Quentin let out a low hum of acknowledgment.

Gathering her thoughts, Madeline explained softly, "I had a flight to catch that day. After the physical, I flew out of the country for work before the results were even processed. I genuinely had no idea there was an abnormality.

If I had known, I would have gone back for a follow-up immediately. That's the truth, Quentin. Please don't let manipulative people drive a wedge between us.

Once we get back to the city, I'll go straight to the hospital for a full workup to recheck those hormone levels. Even if there really is a problem, I will actively seek treatment and do exactly what the doctors say."

Quentin let out a deep, quiet exhale.

His face remained entirely unreadable.

Madeline couldn't tell if he believed her or not.

After a moment's hesitation, she reached up, her fingers gently tracing the sharp, handsome contours of his jawline.

She teased him softly, "You were hurting because I had a child with Lucius, but might not be able to have one with you, weren't you? I will give you a baby. As soon as my tests are clear and my body is ready, we'll start trying immediately. I want us to have a baby as soon as possible. Is that okay? Don't be mad at me, honey."

Quentin's stoic facade cracked. "You mean it?"

Seeing the sudden flicker in his dark eyes—breaking the tense, brooding silence—Madeline knew she had hit the nail on the head.

She smiled. "Quentin Prescott is such a petty man! I knew exactly why you were sulking. You're jealous that I share a son with my trashy ex-husband, so you're throwing a fit over it."

Quentin's brow twitched. "I'm petty? Hah. You have no idea how lenient I've been with you! If it were anyone else, I would have thrown them out a long time ago. Madeline, I hold back so much when it comes to you."

He took a few deep breaths, forcing back the burning sensation in his eyes before asking again, "Are you telling the truth? Are you really willing to have my child? But your fertility..."

His mind snapped back to the report. Thinking about it rationally now, it likely wasn't even Madeline's fault. She had been taking birth control pills for a prolonged period, which wreaked havoc on a woman's hormonal balance and impacted fertility.

Quentin knew Madeline had likely deduced this as well. She hadn't mentioned it just to spare him from being dragged back into the painful memories of the past.

But he remembered it all perfectly. Madeline had damaged her own body with those pills, risking her ability to ever conceive again.

And that bastard Lucius hadn't cared about her health at all. He had only used her to satisfy his own urges, hurting her time and time again.

The thought terrified Quentin.

If he hadn't forced his way into her life—if he had intervened even a second too late—Liliana and Lucius would have stripped her of everything, perhaps even leaving her permanently disabled.

He couldn't bear to imagine it.

Yet, even now, a sliver of doubt tortured him. Was Madeline truly over Lucius?