Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 418

Chapter 418

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Chapter 418

Madeline’s POV

It had been two months since we moved into our own apartment in Florentia.

Christmas had been strange. My first one away from my family in Verdania, without the traditions I’d known since childhood. But Marcus’ family welcomed me so warmly that I surprised myself by realizing it was possible to create new traditions. Jonathan had insisted we celebrate at the country estate, and we spent an entire week among frost-covered olive trees and crackling fireplaces. Beatrice taught me traditional Valentian recipes. Luke and Mia pulled me into every family joke and game. And Marcus… Marcus gave me a delicate necklace with a small pearl-shell pendant, whispering that it was so Aphrodite would never forget Apollo.

Now, deep into the Valentian winter, with Florentia’s streets coated in a thin layer of cold rain and people hurrying past in heavy coats, the two of us stayed tucked away in our apartment, trying to build something that resembled a real marriage. And I was starting to understand why so many relationships fell apart once couples decided to live together.

They weren’t big problems. They were small things. Seemingly insignificant details that, added together, created a constant low-grade tension in the air. Marcus would leave his coffee cup in the sink after breakfast, always with that faint brown ring at the bottom that needed scrubbing. I, on the other hand, washed everything immediately after using it, unable to relax knowing there were dirty dishes, even though the cleaning lady would be there later.

He liked waking up to the Valentian news blasting at full volume. I preferred to start my day in silence, especially now that my morning sickness still showed up occasionally and I was finally sleeping a little better. Marcus took long showers and left damp towels on the bathroom floor. I folded mine carefully and hung them exactly where they belonged.

Then there was the temperature issue. He was used to the Valentian climate and always thought the apartment was too warm, opening windows even when I was cold. Me, pregnant and with my internal thermostat completely out of sync, swung between sudden heat waves and constant chills.

But maybe what bothered me the most was how we were still essentially two strangers trying to share an intimate space. In the Maldives, we had been Apollo and Aphrodite. Romantic personas inside a fantasy bubble. Here, we were Marcus and Madeline. Two real people with different habits, quirks, and expectations.

Olivia had wisely decided to live with Mia to give us space as a couple, but sometimes I wondered if it wouldn’t have been easier to have a third person around to ease the tension between us. At least then we wouldn’t be navigating all these small domestic conflicts alone.

Marcus had gone back to working at the Kensington office in Florentia, trying to maintain some sense of professional normalcy despite everything. I, on the other hand, spent most of my days alone in the apartment, exploring the city when I felt well or simply reading during the hours when nausea kept me at home.

The solitude didn’t bother me as much as the uncertainty. I was still learning who Marcus really was when he wasn’t trying to impress me or protect me. I discovered he was meticulously organized with work documents but completely careless with his personal clothes. That he spoke on the phone in a fast, assertive manner that reminded me he was, in fact, a powerful executive used to giving orders.

I also learned that he had occasional nightmares. Not about our current situation, but about things from his past he still hadn’t shared with me. He would wake up tense and sweating in the middle of the night, always

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brushing it off when I asked what was wrong.

That, too, had become a source of tension between us. I still felt hesitant about full physical intimacy, and it created a strange atmosphere of emotional closeness mixed with physical distance. We slept in the same bed. We kissed sometimes. We hugged. But there was always a moment when I pulled away, and there was always that look of carefully contained frustration in his

eyes.

But nothing irritated me more than his habit of simply disappearing for hours without warning. It was Thursday night. I was making a simple dinner when I glanced at the clock and realized it was almost nine p.m. Marcus had left that morning saying he’d be back by late afternoon so we could have dinner together.

I tried calling his cell three times, but it went straight to voicemail every time. My anxiety started to spike. What if something had happened? What if Dominic had figured out where we were? What if the police had decided to cooperate with extradition? My mind spiraled, creating more and more catastrophic scenarios.

When I finally heard the key turn in the lock at nine forty, I was practically climbing the walls with worry.

“Hey, Madeline,” Marcus said casually, like nothing was wrong. “Sorry I’m late. Christian called and we ended up talking about some issues back in Verdania and-”

“It’s almost ten o’clock, Marcus,” I cut in, my voice louder than I meant it to be.

He stopped mid-explanation and looked at me, surprised.

“I know, I’m sorry. But nothing serious happened, it was just—”

“You said you’d be back by late afternoon,” I continued, all the pent-up anxiety spilling over into anger. “I called you three times. You have no idea how worried I get when you disappear like this without saying anything.

Marcus sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Madeline, it was just a work call that ran long. I didn’t think—”

“Exactly!” I snapped. “You didn’t think! You didn’t think that maybe I’d be imagining something happened to you. That you got arrested. That Dominic found out where we are-”

“Okay, okay,” he said, lifting his hands in a calming gesture. “You’re right. I should’ve called. I’m just not used to having to account for my movements.”

The words hit me like a slap.

“Account for your movements?” I repeated, my voice pitching higher. “You think this is about me controlling you?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Marcus said quickly, realizing he’d said the wrong thing. “I’m sorry. I chose my words badly.”

“You really did,” I said, tears of frustration starting to burn behind my eyes. “This isn’t about control, Marcus. It’s about consideration. It’s about knowing I worry when you disappear without warning. It’s about understanding that our situation isn’t normal, and when you vanish, my mind goes to the worst places and

That was when it happened. A completely unexpected sensation that made me stop mid-sentence. I let out a

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small involuntary cry and instinctively brought a hand to my belly, my eyes widening as I stared at Marcus in

total shock.

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