The Day I Stopped Waiting Was the Day He Started Begging novel Chapter 29

Madeline crouched down, easily catching the toddler in her arms. The little girl was a warm, soft bundle against her chest.

Golden sunlight spilled across the courtyard, bathing the mother and daughter in a heartbreakingly tender glow.

Evie Monroe's dark eyelashes fluttered as she tilted her head back. "Mommy, are you staying with me today?"

Her enormous, bright eyes were shining with pure hope, causing Madeline to instantly freeze.

She still had work to finish this afternoon, and she had to chaperone Sienna's audition tomorrow. Worse, since she had to pack up her things and move back into the master bedroom at Azure Bay, her time with Evie was about to be drastically cut down.

A sharp, agonizing ache sliced through her heart.

Evie was so little, yet she was forcing her to hide away... After a long pause, Madeline hugged her tighter. "I'm so sorry, Evie. Can you wait for Mommy just a little bit longer?"

Just until she could build a solid nest egg, then she and her daughter would fly far, far away from all this chaos.

Though Evie looked crushed, she nodded in incredibly mature understanding. She was such a good girl; she never threw tantrums or tried to make things difficult for Madeline.

Madeline let out a heavy sigh, wondering if forcing her daughter to grow up so fast was doing more harm than good.

Fiona Xavier saw the guilt written all over Madeline's face and smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'm retired with nothing but free time, so I'm with her all day. But you should know, the little one is almost old enough to start preschool."

Madeline fell silent for a moment. "I'll figure out a way to get her registration paperwork sorted."

She stayed and played with Evie for another hour, waiting until the toddler finally went down for a nap before slipping out the door.

Terrified that Evie would feel abandoned, Madeline rushed back to Willow Lane after work to have dinner with her, before immediately sprinting back to the magazine to finish her late-night edits.

By the time she finally dragged herself back to Azure Bay, it was past midnight.

York still wasn't home.

She absentmindedly opened his message thread, but he hadn't sent a single text.

She didn't snap out of her daze until Susan knocked lightly on the door, bringing in a mug of warm milk.

"Ma'am, Mr. Yates specifically asked me to prepare this for you."

Madeline's fingers curled tightly into her palms. It felt as though a heavy stone had been dropped directly into the center of her chest, sending ripples of complicated emotions cascading through her.

She thanked the housekeeper and slowly drank the milk down to the last drop.

The following afternoon, Madeline finished her final edits and immediately met up with Sienna.

"Madeline, thank you so much for coming with me today."

Sienna was wearing a chic, strapless black dress, her hair professionally swept up into a messy bun. Soft, wavy tendrils framed her face, highlighting her youthful, striking beauty.

Sienna practically shoved a high-end designer gift bag into Madeline's hands. "Just a tiny gift to say thank you! I hope you like the perfume."

She was stunning, sweet, and entirely humble. It was impossible for Madeline not to adore the girl.

Knowing Sienna would feel endlessly guilty if she felt like a burden, Madeline accepted the bag without making a fuss. Instead, she instantly transferred a lump sum straight to Sienna's bank account—one that easily tripled the cost of the perfume. "A little encouragement for the audition. Take it."

Sienna practically squealed, hugging Madeline's arm tightly. "You're the absolute best!"

Madeline was gorgeous, fiercely generous, and an absolute powerhouse in the industry. In what universe was she not vastly superior to someone like Felicity?

Sienna made a mental note to tell her dad that if he ever wanted to compare her to Madeline, she would happily take the compliment.

On the way to the casting venue, Sienna started to panic. Madeline talked her through a few grounding exercises that the A-list celebrities she worked with used before major red carpets, slowly talking her off the ledge.