Betrayed by the Father Reborn in His Rival's Arms novel Chapter 460

When he finally skidded to a halt at the dining hall entrance, this was the devastating scene waiting for him:

Madeline was standing entirely alone by the beverage station. Both her hands were clamped around her glass of lemon water, the rim hovering near her lips, though she hadn't taken a single sip.

Her beautiful face was as pale as a ghost. The rims of her eyes were stained a horrifying red, yet she was stubbornly fighting back the tears.

A handful of guests brushed past her, shooting her highly intrusive, pitying glares before hastily scurrying away to gossip.

It felt as though a massive, invisible fist had violently reached into Quentin's chest and crushed his heart.

"Sweetheart," he rasped, rushing forward. His voice was cracked and hoarse in a way he had never heard before.

At the sound of his voice, Madeline's shoulders violently jerked, but she adamantly refused to turn around.

Quentin stepped directly in front of her, reaching out to gently pry the heavy glass from her trembling fingers.

The absolute millisecond his fingertips brushed against the condensation, Madeline brutally recoiled as if he had seared her flesh with a branding iron.

The glass hit the floor, instantly exploding into pieces.

The lemon water splattered aggressively across the marble tile, the jagged shards of glass glittering beneath the overhead lights.

"Sweetheart..." Quentin extended his arm, desperate to pull her into a comforting embrace.

Madeline forcefully retreated a step, dodging his touch entirely.

That single, defensive flinch tore through Quentin's soul, agonizing him far more than any screaming accusation ever could.

"Penelope said... she's pregnant," Madeline finally choked out. Her voice was eerily, unnaturally calm. "She said you're the father."

She slowly raised her chin, forcing herself to lock her tear-filled eyes directly onto his.

"Quentin, is it true?"

Quentin stared deeply into her beautiful eyes. He saw the desperate questioning, the suffocating terror, the colossal effort it took to keep herself from completely shattering into pieces. But he didn't see a single trace of hysterical screaming or vicious blame.