Waking up with my nemesis baby novel Chapter 23

Chapter 23

She sent a restaurant address, and Madeleine’s jaw dropped when she saw it.

The place was fancy, and a single dinner there could easily run into tens of thousands.

Madeleine thought about checking on Kevin’s therapy session but decided against interrupting.

Standing outside his room, she could only make out the soft, soothing voice of a woman through the door’s thick insulation.

“Guess I’ll deal with it later,” she muttered, turning away.

***

She was about to call a cab. But when Kirsten spotted her

heading out, she said, “Mrs. Livingston, let me get the driver for

you.”

“Driver? Didn’t he take Roderick to the office?” Madeleine asked,

confused.

Kirsten hesitated, her voice timid. “Mr. Livingston assigned you

Chapter 23

a driver. Mathew’s back–he was discharged yesterday.”

“Really?” Madeleine’s eyes lit up, a grin tugging at her lips. “Well,

props to Ricki for thinking of me.”

Her memory was still stuck at eighteen, when she had just

gotten her license and had barely driven at all.

“Wait. Discharged?” She caught Kirsten’s earlier words, turning

back. “Was he sick?”

Kirsten and Meagan, who’d been passing by, exchanged a

glance.

Their eyes held a strange mix of confusion, wariness, and

something like fear.

When neither spoke, Madeleine played up a wince, pressing her fingers to her temple.

“You know, I bumped my head a few days ago. Everything before that’s a bit… fuzzy.”

Kirsten and Meagan visibly relaxed, their tension melting.

No wonder she’d been acting so strange–she’d forgotten everything.

Chapter 23

“Mathew was in the hospital because…” Kirsten started, but Meagan grabbed her arm, cutting her off with a forced smile.

“Mathew’s getting up there in age,” Meagan said smoothly.

“Health issues come with the territory. Nothing to worry about,

Mrs. Livingston.”

Madeleine could tell they were holding back, but she didn’t

push. She changed into fresh clothes and headed out.

As soon as she left, Kirsten turned to Meagan, baffled.

“Why’d you stop me?”

Meagan scoffed. “What, you really buy that she ‘forgot‘

everything? Don’t be so naive. She’s probably fishing for dirt. Even if she’s blank now, what happens when her memory

comes back? If she gets mad, we’re done for.”

Her eyes narrowed, her voice dropping. “You haven’t forgotten how Mathew ended up in the hospital, have you?”

Kirsten shuddered, clapping a hand to her chest.

“Oh, you are right… Thank God you stopped me.”

In the car, Madeleine leaned forward, noticing the bandage on

Chapter 23

driver Mathew Bryant’s forehead.

“Mathew?” she said softly.

Mathew Bryant stiffened at her voice.

“Yes, Mrs. Livingston?”

“What happened to your head?”

Mathew’s eyes widened with panic, his hands trembling on the

steering wheel, his fear palpable.

Madeleine sighed inwardly. Whatever happened, she was

clearly at the center of it.

She reached out, giving his shoulder a gentle pat. “Never mind,

don’t worry about it. Let’s just go.”

She gave him the address and turned to the window, pretending

to be absorbed in the passing scenery.

Mathew’s heart was still racing. For a moment, he’d thought she

was displeased and was about to silence him for good.

On the way, Madeleine texted Roderick and finally pieced

together what happened to Mathew.

Chapter 23

Two weeks ago, Roderick had asked Mathew to keep tabs on

her. Desperate to meet Edward, she’d stepped in front of

Mathew’s car to stop him.

Panicked, Mathew swerved to avoid hitting her, crashing into a

tree.

The multimillion–dollar car was nearly totaled, and Mathew

thought his career–and maybe his life–was over.

Roderick, to his credit, handled it fairly. He knew it was

Madeleine’s fault and covered Mathew’s medical bills, urging

him to focus on recovery.

Grateful for Roderick’s kindness, Mathew returned to work the

moment he was discharged.

When Madeleine asked about his injury, he’d braced for a

repeat of that nightmare.

Slumped in the back seat, Madeleine let out a heavy sigh.

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