Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 429

Chapter 429

Marcus’ POV

I’d barely slept. I spent the entire night in the guest room tossing and turning, replaying the fight with Madeline in my head, every word, every flicker of pain on her face when I said things I never should have said. The bed was comfortable, but the weight of my guilt made real rest impossible.

By six in the morning, I finally admitted defeat and got up. I looked at myself in the guest bathroom mirror and saw exactly what I expected. Dark circles under my eyes, hair completely disheveled, and an expression that screamed ‘man who spent the night hating himself.’

I needed to apologize to Madeline. I wasn’t ready to fully open up about certain parts of my past, but I couldn’t let my inability to share turn into an unbridgeable gap between us. Especially not today, of all days, when we had the ultrasound appointment.

Today we might hear our baby’s heartbeat for the first time. That moment was too important to be overshadowed by the tension from last night.

I went down to the kitchen and made coffee, only to realize we barely had anything for a proper breakfast. On impulse, I decided to go out and buy something special. Something tangible to show her I cared, that I wanted to make things right. I knew an excellent bakery just a few blocks away, famous for its fresh croissants and an impressive selection of Valentian pastries.

I walked through the still-quiet streets of Florentia, letting the cool morning air help me organize my thoughts. I needed to find a way to explain my defensiveness without revealing details I wasn’t ready to share yet. It was a delicate balance.

At the bakery, I bought warm croissants, different kinds of bread, fruit, fresh juices, and a few Valentian specialties I knew Madeline liked. As I was paying, though, something she’d mentioned during dinner with Annie and Nate came back to me. How much she missed brigadeiro.

I left the bakery planning to head straight home, but the memory of that wistful comment made me change direction. Florentia had a small but active Verdanian community. Someone had to sell Verdanian sweets.

spent the next hour circling the city, stopping at small specialty shops and asking at cafés I knew Verdanians requented. Finally, at a tiny confectionery near the historic center, I found a Verdanian woman who made brigadeiros to order for events. I managed to convince her to sell me a small box she’d prepared for a party later that day.

I went home carrying full bags and a simple plan. Make a special breakfast. Bring it to Madeline in bed with the brigadeiros as a surprise. Offer a sincere apology for how I’d behaved the night before. Then go together to the appointment.

It was a plan that relied on timing and goodwill, but it had to work.

When I stepped into the apartment, everything was silent. Madeline hadn’t gotten up yet. I carefully arranged everything on a tray. Warm croissants. Fresh orange juice. Coffee with milk at the exact temperature she liked. Artfully cut fruit. And in the center, the small box of fudge balls as the final touch.

We’d have to leave soon for the ultrasound anyway, so she couldn’t sleep much longer. It felt like the perfect moment for reconciliation, followed by an important day for both of us.

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I climbed the stairs carefully, balancing the tray and rehearsing what I’d say. Something simple but sincere. About having acted defensively for no reason. About wanting us to go to the appointment together. About not letting the past interfere with the present we were trying to build.

“Madeline?” I called softly before opening our bedroom door. “I brought breakfast.”

No answer.

I nudged the door open gently with my foot and stepped inside.

“Madeline?” I tried again.

Nothing.

It was only when my eyes fully adjusted to the light filtering through the curtains that I realized it.

The bed was empty.

The covers were thrown aside, like someone had gotten up in a hurry, but there was no one there.

I quickly set the tray down on the nightstand and headed for the bathroom.

“Madeline?” I called, knocking lightly on the door. “Are you in there?”

Nothing.

I opened the bathroom door. Empty.

A cold knot formed in my stomach. Where was she? I checked the time. It was barely eight in the morning. Where could she have gone so early? My mind immediately started spinning worst-case scenarios.

What if something had happened to the baby overnight? What if she’d had complications and gone to the hospital alone? What if our fight had stressed her out enough to cause problems with the pregnancy?

orse… what if Dominic had finally found us?

ned through the apartment, checking every room, calling her name. Nothing. Her clothes were still in the set. Her bag was on the couch. But she herself was gone.

It was only when my phone rang that I realized I was on the verge of panicking.

I answered without even looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Marcus?” Mia’s voice came through the line, carrying an authority I didn’t expect from someone so young.

“Mia? What-”

“Can you explain why your wife spent the night at my apartment?” she cut in bluntly. “What did you do, Marcus?

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The relief hit me so hard my knees almost gave out. Madeline was with Olivia and Mia. She was safe. Nothing terrible had happened to her or the baby.

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“Is she okay?” I asked immediately.

“She is. She and Olivia are having breakfast right now,” Mia replied, though her tone still held a note of disapproval. “But you still haven’t answered my question.”

I let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through my hair.

“We fought last night. I slept in the guest room.”

“And the fight was bad enough that she left the house in the middle of the night to seek comfort with her cousin?” Mia pressed.

“Apparently,” I admitted, feeling like a teenager being scolded by his younger sister.

“I don’t know what you did, but you’d better apologize,” she said with the confidence of someone who had clearly already talked this through with Madeline and Olivia.

I laughed despite the seriousness of the situation.

“How can you be so sure I’m the one who’s wrong?”

“Because Madeline is pregnant,” Mia replied, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “It’s never her fault. It’s always the hormones. And in situations like this, the man is always wrong. Universal rule.”

I laughed more genuinely this time, recognizing there was a lot of truth in that.

“I admit I messed up,” I said finally. “But I don’t think she wants to see me right now.”

“Stop being ridiculous,” Mia shot back immediately. “Go meet her at the hospital for the ultrasound. She really wants you there.”

“Are you sure?”

“I am. And Marcus…” she paused dramatically, “bring chocolate. And a really good apology speech.”

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