Waking up with my nemesis baby novel Chapter 19

me to take last month?”

Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Roderick, arriving just in time to hear this, felt a sharp pang in

his chest.

Edward, with a smug glance at Roderick, unfastened the cufflinks and tossed them at Madeleine’s feet. They hit the ground with a sharp, metallic clink.

She didn’t react in time. The cufflinks hit the ground with a sharp clatter, the metallic sound echoing.

Edward leaned in close, his voice dripping with mockery. “Don’t bother with gifts next time. Your taste only cheapens my style.”

He turned his head, throwing a provocative glance at Roderick.

“Your husband seems to like them, though. Funny how he’s always chasing what I discard.”

Madeleine’s eyes flicked to the cufflinks on the ground, then

snapped up at Edward’s words. Her heart lurched.

He was humiliating Roderick.

Her heart skipped in alarm. She knew Roderick’s temper–hot

Chapter 19

and reckless.

Back in middle school, he’d nearly put a kid in the hospital over

some photos snapped without his consent.

Owen had punished him harshly for it, but that never changed

his nature.

She couldn’t let Roderick lose it now. If he threw a punch,

Edward would milk the drama for all it was worth.

Without thinking, Madeleine shoved Edward back, her voice

fierce.

“What the hell are you talking about? You’d better watch your

mouth. Talk about my husband like that again, and I swear I’ll

knock some sense into you!”

Edward froze, stunned.

Roderick, who’d been listening nearby, was equally floored.

Both men stared at Madeleine, their disbelief palpable. She

was… different today.

Caught off guard, Edward stumbled back from her push, his

face a mask of shock, his composure crumbling.

Chapter 19

This woman was insane.

When he didn’t respond, Madeleine raised her fist, doubling

down on her bravado.

“You gonna leave, or what?”

Roderick, who’d been simmering with anger, felt his tension ease, a grin tugging at his lips.

For a moment, he felt like the guy being shielded by his fierce

wife, and it was oddly… comforting.

Edward, clearly stung by the blow to his pride, let out a cold

laugh. “Fine, Madeleine. If this is how you want to play it, don’t

come crying when it backfires.”

He stormed off, his frustration crackling in the air. Madeleine’s

raised fist finally dropped, her shoulders relaxing.

Roderick started to say something, but then he saw her crouch

down, her brow furrowed as she picked up the cufflinks from

the floor.

His heart sank. He stopped mid–step.

To Roderick, it was clear Madeleine still cared about Edward.

Chapter 19

He felt foolish, clinging to a fleeting hope that their argument

meant something more.

He realized maybe she’d only stepped in to keep him from

hurting Edward, staging a performance to protect her old flame.

In the end, the one who loved without being loved back was

always the fool.

Roderick gave a bitter smile, his fists clenching, then slowly

loosening.

Madeleine stood, holding the cufflinks, her eyes sparkling as

she turned to him.

“Ricki, these are Cartier cufflinks. They’re worth a fortune. Know

anyone who deals in luxury resale?”

Roderick gazed into Madeleine’s sparkling eyes, his throat tightening as words failed him.

Suddenly, he reached out, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead.

“What are you doing?”

Madeleine swatted his hand away, her tone laced with playful

Chapter 19

annoyance.

She wasn’t feverish, nor had she lost her wits.

Her eyes, far from betraying any hint of heartbreak over

Edward’s discarded gift, gleamed with the thrill of someone

who’d just stumbled upon a windfall.

Roderick hadn’t seen that look on her face since Madeleine was

a teenager.

A thought flickered in his mind, hesitant but persistent. “Could it

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