Waking up with my nemesis baby novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18

She quickly turned her gaze away. Under Edward’s startled

stare, she tilted her head as if she hadn’t seen him at all and

walked right past.

“Madeleine.”

Edward’s voice, sharp and edged with a frown, stopped her in

her tracks.

He’d followed her deliberately, driven by a nagging need to figure out what this woman was playing at.

When he’d spotted her emerging from the bathroom, he’d braced himself for her to rush toward him, all clingy and eager, just like she’d been for years.

But before he could prepare himself, Madeleine shot him a withering glance and walked off without a backward glance.

It was a first.

And Edward wasn’t used to being ignored like that.

“What game are you playing?” His tone dripped with irritation,

Chapter 18

his patience fraying.

That little scene had been… bizarre.

Madeleine stopped, bewildered by his accusation. She turned,

sizing him up with a cool, appraising look.

“And you are… who, exactly? Do we know each other?”

Edward’s temper, which had been simmering, sputtered out in

an instant. For a split second, Edward almost looked at a loss.

It took him a beat to recover, his eyes narrowing as he regained

his composure.

“What, playing hard to get now? Cute. Did you drag your

husband here just to see if I’d get jealous?”

Edward let out a derisive chuckle. “Still the same self–important brat you were as a kid. Annoying as ever.”

Madeleine froze, a flicker of shock crossing her face. She’d

meant to walk away, but his words sparked something in her, a

need to push back.

“As a kid?” She found his claim almost ridiculous.

Her fists clenched tight.

Chapter 18

She shot back, her voice laced with defiance, “You mean the kid who kept you from starving? The one who sent you money every month so you wouldn’t be stuck toiling away in that dirt- poor little town?”

Edward’s lip curled into a sneer.

“That’s exactly it–your smug, superior attitude. It’s insufferable,

Madeleine. What, you think you’re some kind of savior?”

He took a step closer, his towering frame casting a shadow that

enveloped her, his presence heavy with an intimidating edge

that stole her voice for a moment.

His tone dropped, low and dangerous, laced with years of pent-

up resentment.

“Sure, your family funded me. But don’t kid yourself–it wasn’t out of the goodness of your heart. Your dad used me as a shiny badge for his ‘philanthropist‘ act. And you…”

He gave a cold, mocking laugh, his lips twisting into a smirk.

“You got off on the power trip, didn’t you? The thrill of tossing scraps to someone beneath you.”

Madeleine’s eyes trembled, her fingers clenching so tightly her

Chapter 18

knuckles whitened.

She hadn’t expected this–that he’d seen her kindness as

something so ugly.

“Back in high school,” Edward went on, his voice biting, “you

made a big show of handing me that scholarship money in front

of the entire school, preaching about how I shouldn’t waste your family’s generosity.”

He scoffed, his eyes glinting with disdain. “Bet you loved the spotlight, didn’t you?”

Madeleine’s mind reeled, yanked back to their high school days.

She’d been the one to convince her father to bring Edward to their city, to give him a chance at a better school. It was her first time meeting one of her family’s sponsored students. He’d

been quiet, withdrawn, always in that faded, threadbare uniform.

Yes, she’d given him the scholarship money in front of everyone. But it had never crossed her mind that the gesture would fester in his heart for so long, turning into this bitter wound.

Edward raised an eyebrow, his face radiating a cocky, defiant

Chapter 18

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