Twin Cupids at Work Daddy Come Home novel Chapter 456

Madeline let out a quiet sigh. His voice came through from the other side of the door, soft and gentle, almost hypnotic, like he was trying to sweet-talk her into opening up.

She walked over and stared at the doorknob, but she couldn’t bring herself to touch it.

On the way home, she had thought everything through. Julian had called her just before she left for the Graysons'. She’d only been at their house for, what, twenty, maybe thirty minutes? That wasn’t nearly enough time for anything to happen.

She’d figured that out before she even got home.

But just knowing the truth didn’t make her feel any better. If anything, it made her realize she hadn’t really let go of the man who’d hurt her so badly.

Seeing what she saw in that bedroom… She’d felt her heart twist. It got to her.

But Madeline was stubborn. If Helene wanted to see her break down or fall apart, she wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction. So she put on her best poker face, acting like nothing in the world could touch her.

Julian stood right outside, probably picking up on every little sound, maybe even feeling her standing there, just on the other side.

All that separated them was a door.

But she couldn’t open it.

After a minute, Madeline finally spoke. “Julian, I’m tired. I just want to rest. You should go home.”

Everything felt heavy. She was just… worn out.

There was a pause, a few seconds of quiet, and then she heard him sigh softly. “Alright. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

She hung up.

Julian lingered, looking at the door one last time before heading downstairs. But he didn’t leave right away.

He was still there when Brenda showed up.

Brenda knew the code to Madeline’s place, so she just let herself in. She found Madeline curled up on the sofa, arms wrapped around her knees. Brenda slipped off her shoes and came over. “I saw Julian downstairs.”

“Why are you in such a bad mood?” they both asked at the same time, their voices blending together in the quiet.

Brenda laughed, exhaling smoke. “You first.”

Madeline leaned against the wall, head propped on her hand, and told her everything that had happened earlier.

“So if nothing actually happened, why are you so upset?”

Madeline looked away, her voice barely above a whisper. “I just feel so… weak.”

She’d honestly believed she was over him. But today made it clear she wasn’t. If she had let go, she would have laughed it off. It wouldn’t have gotten under her skin like this.

Brenda slung her arm around Madeline’s shoulders and smiled. “Don’t beat yourself up. It doesn’t mean you’re weak. When you really love someone, it’s not that easy to just move on. Besides, he’s really trying. He’s not perfect. Nobody is. We all make bad choices sometimes. Who hasn’t done something stupid when they were young…”

Her words trailed off. She was about to keep going, offering more advice, but she stopped herself. Brenda turned away, took another drag, flicked the ash, and let out a soft laugh. She muttered, almost to herself, “Who hasn’t done something stupid when they were young.”

Madeline glanced at her, hesitated, and finally asked, “Are you thinking about him?”