Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 428

Chapter 428

Madeline’s POV

It was almost two in the morning when I finally admitted to myself that I wasn’t going to sleep. I’d been lying in bed for hours, replaying the fight with Marcus in my head, dissecting every word, every shift in tone, every flash of pain that crossed his face when I said we didn’t even know if the baby was his.

The apartment felt too quiet. Marcus was in the guest room, probably sleeping just fine while I spiraled in circles with my thoughts.

I got out of bed and walked to the window, staring down at the empty streets of Florentia under the yellow glow of the streetlights. The city slept peacefully while I burned up with doubt and insecurity.

I grabbed my phone and called Olivia. It rang several times before she answered, her voice sleepy and confused.

“Madeline? It’s two in the morning. Is everything okay?”

“Can I come over?” I asked without preamble, my voice betraying the desperation I felt.

“Of course. What happened?”

“I fought with Marcus. I couldn’t sleep. I need to talk to someone,” I admitted, frustration tears starting to form. “I can’t stand being alone with my thoughts anymore.”

“I’ll wait for you downstairs,” she said immediately, no further questions.

I threw on some clothes and called a cab. The ride to the apartment Olivia shared with Mia passed in a blur of streetlights and scattered thoughts.

When I arrived, Olivia was already waiting at the building entrance, wearing flannel pajamas with a thick coat thrown over them, her hair piled into a messy bun.

“You look awful,” she said bluntly, but gently.

“I feel worse,” I replied.

“Mia’s asleep,” she whispered as we went up the stairs. “Let’s go to my room so we don’t wake her.’

Olivia’s bedroom was small but cozy, with simple décor she’d put together over the past few months to make the space feel like her own. A few plants she tended carefully. Books stacked on the nightstand. A soft blue throw blanket she’d bought during one of our first outings together around the city. It was comforting to see her building a home for herself, even under such extraordinary circumstances.

She led me to the bed, and we sat facing each other, legs crossed, the way we used to when we were kids.

“Tell me everything,” she said simply, taking my hands in hers.

So I did. Everything. About Annie letting it slip that she and Marcus had something in the past. About Marcus admitting it was “something” but downplaying it. About my own defensive reaction, the cruel things we’d said to each other. And finally, about Aria.

“Who is Aria?” Olivia asked, leaning forward with the same curiosity that had been eating at me.

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“I have no idea. But sometimes he calls her name in his sleep. And when I confronted him about it, he went completely on the defensive. Said it wasn’t my business,” I said, the frustration flooding back all at once.

“And you’re jealous,” Olivia observed. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement, rooted in how well she knew me.

I let out a heavy sigh, finally admitting out loud what I’d been denying to myself for hours.

“I am. Completely. And I feel ridiculous for it.”

“Why?” she asked gently. “It’s natural to feel jealous when your…,” she hesitated, searching for the right word, “when Marcus is clearly carrying feelings for someone else.”

“Is it natural?” I shook my head. “Olivia, how can I be jealous of someone I might not even really know?”

“Are you jealous of Annie too?”

The question made me pause, forcing me to examine my feelings more carefully.

“Not exactly. I mean, it bothered me that Marcus didn’t tell me about them, but with Annie it’s different. They both said it never turned into a real relationship. It was just a fling.”

“So what’s the problem, then?”

“The problem is that it makes me question why Marcus doesn’t seem able to fully commit to anyone. Annie clearly wasn’t the issue. She’s married now, completely in love with Nate. Anyone can see that.”

“Marcus is married too,” Olivia pointed out, gesturing toward me with an ironic smile.

“That’s not the same,” I replied immediately, shaking my head. “What we have is an arrangement. He rescued me from a horrible situation, I’m pregnant, and now we’re trying to make this work. But it’s not a real marriage in the traditional sense.”

“If you’re so clear about that, then what’s the problem? Why all this anguish?”

e question caught me completely off guard. It was simple, but it went straight to the heart of it. Why was I rturing myself if I myself admitted this wasn’t a traditional, love-based relationship?

“The problem is that I shouldn’t be, but I am jealous of Marcus,” I finally admitted, the words spilling out in a rush of raw honesty. “Jealous of this Aria. Who is she? Is she the reason he can’t commit to anyone? Is he still in love with some past relationship that never worked out? Did she walk away and he never got over it?”

The questions came out in a cascade, all the insecurities I’d been stockpiling for weeks finally finding a voice.

“You should talk to him about this,” Olivia said. “Be honest about what you’re feeling.”

“Of course not,” I shot back immediately, like the idea was absurd. “He’s completely defensive about that topic. And I’m definitely not admitting I’m jealous of him. I’ve humiliated myself enough for one night.”

“Madeline…”

“No, Olivia. He made it very clear it’s none of my business. So it isn’t. I’ll move on and stop worrying about it.”

Even as I said it, I knew I was lying. I wouldn’t just forget it or ignore it. The name Aria was now burned into my mind, tied to mysteries and secrets Marcus clearly had no intention of sharing.

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We sat in silence for a few minutes. Me lost in dark thoughts. Olivia clearly trying to find a constructive way to help me.

“You know what I think we need?” she finally said, breaking the heavy silence.

“What?”

“A distraction.”

I frowned, confused.

“But you’re working at Kensington, aren’t you?”

“I am, but it’s basically symbolic, considering it’s not even my field,” Olivia shrugged. “But that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about a hobby. Something to clear your head. You’re obsessed with this situation because you don’t have anything else productive to focus on. Your mind just keeps chewing on the same problems over and over.”

I laughed for the first time since I’d left the apartment, recognizing the truth in her words.

“You’re probably right. I can’t really plan anything long-term right now, considering I don’t even know where I’ll be in a few months. But if you’re looking for something to do tomorrow, you can come with me to the baby’s ultrasound. We might be able to hear the heartbeat for the first time.”

Olivia’s face lit up with genuine joy, warming my chest.

“That has to be magical! Marcus isn’t going with you?” she asked.

“He was. But now I don’t know. I don’t know anything anymore.”

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