Hired a Gigolo Got a Billionaire (Zoey and Christian) novel Chapter 455

Chapter 455

Madeline’s POV

I ran without looking back, my footsteps echoing down the hospital corridor. I couldn’t breathe properly, like the air had thickened, turned heavy and impossible to process. Marcus’s words kept looping in my head like a scratched record, repeating the same devastating sentence over and over.

‘I don’t know if I can handle this much longer… I don’t even know if this child is really mine.’

I pushed through the exit doors of the medical complex and stepped outside, surrounded by tall trees and the sharp afternoon cold of the mountains. Without really thinking, I followed a narrow trail leading into the forest, driven by a desperate need to get away from everything and everyone.

When I finally stopped, I was in a small clearing. The forest was silent except for the wind rustling through the leaves and my own uneven breathing. That was when the tears finally came.

Sitting down on a moss-covered rock wasn’t exactly comfortable, especially while pregnant, but I didn’t care. I let everything spill out through the crying. The pain. The disappointment. The crushing feeling of being unwanted. Marcus couldn’t take it anymore. Our marriage, me, the pregnancy… it was all a burden he was carrying against his will.

And the question of paternity… How could he say that? Of course I didn’t know if the baby was his or Dominic’s either, but hearing him voice those doubts so bluntly, so tired and worn down, felt like a slap to the face.

Maybe I’d been naive to believe something real was growing between us. Maybe it had all been an elaborate performance. A decent man doing what he thought was right while secretly regretting every decision he’d made.

I stayed there for what felt like forever, letting the mountain cold dry my tears as I processed the reality settling in. Marcus didn’t want me. He didn’t want our complicated situation. And he was probably just waiting for the right moment to get rid of me in a way that wouldn’t damage his reputation as an honorable man.

“My God, I finally found you!” Olivia’s voice cut through my thoughts.

I turned to see her emerging between the trees, clearly out of breath from searching for me.

“Everyone’s getting organized for-” she started, then stopped abruptly when she saw my face. “Madeline, are you okay?”

I quickly wiped away any trace of tears with the back of my hand.

“No,” I answered honestly, “but I don’t have time to talk right now. There’s a challenge to win.”

Olivia stepped closer, concern written all over her face.

“Madeline, seriously, what happened? You look-”

“If we win this last one,” I cut her off, standing up from the rock, “Kensington still has a chance to take first place overall. That’s what matters right now.”

“But you-”

“I don’t want to talk,” I said firmly, already walking back toward the complex. “Let’s go.”

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She hesitated, clearly wanting to push, but in the end she followed me in silence. On the way back, I forced myself to pull it together on the outside. I fixed my hair, wiped away any remaining tears, and put on a neutral expression like armor.

When we reached the briefing room for the final activity, the atmosphere was tense with competition. All three teams were being briefed on the last challenge. An elaborate escape room, where each team would be locked into identical wings with the same clues and puzzles.

The first team to get out would win.

Simple as that.

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