Waking up with my nemesis baby novel Chapter 26

But she didn’t dare snap at Madeleine. Instead, she waved over

a waiter to take over the camera duties.

She insisted on finishing her little photoshoot before letting Madeleine touch her food. “Just a few more shots,” Mary said,

adjusting her hair. “It’s gotta look perfect.”

Madeleine crossed her arms, her irritation bubbling up.

“Seriously?”

“Alright, alright, I’m done!”

Mary laughed awkwardly, snatching her phone back and flashing a placating grin.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Maddie. Let’s dig in.”

Madeleine didn’t respond. She picked up her fork and knife,

slicing into the food. The dishes were decent enough, though a

couple had gone cold, their flavors dulled.

As she ate, she decided to fish for some answers about the past few years.

Chapter 26

“Mary, we…”

“Call me Leticia!”

“So, Leticia,” Madeleine started, the name feeling clumsy on her

tongue. “When did we become friends?”

Mary glanced up, surprised. “Why are you asking that all of a

sudden?”

“Just came to mind,” Madeleine said with a shrug.

Mary smirked, leaning back. “What, is your head so full of your

husband you forgot everything else? It was, like, four or five

years ago. We ran into each other at a golf course. You saw me

nailing my swing, came over to chat, and then we realized we

went to high school together!”

She conveniently left out the messier details.

That day, Mary had been at the golf course with a wealthy

playboy, only to get caught by his furious wife.

The woman had pounced, leaving Mary battered and bruised

until Madeleine stepped in, smoothing things over and saving

her from further humiliation.

Chapter 26

“Golf…” Madeleine muttered, poking at a delicate bubble of molecular gastronomy on her plate.

“I don’t even like golf.”

“You don’t, but your husband does,” Mary said with a knowing grin. “You pulled out all the stops to win Edward over.”

Madeleine’s fork slipped, hitting the plate with a sharp ring.

“My husband… you mean Edward?” she asked, her voice barely concealing her shock.

“Yeah,” Mary said, rolling her eyes. “That’s what you’ve always

called him in front of me.”

Madeleine’s gaze drifted to the perfume bottle on the table.

No wonder the scent felt so familiar.

She’d caught a whiff of it that night at Phelrania, when she’d

crossed paths with Edward.

Her thoughts began to spiral, pieces clicking into place.

If her suspicions were right, her body had been taken over-

hijacked by someone else with a purpose she couldn’t yet

grasp.

Chapter 20

Mary was probably just a pawn in this stranger’s game–an NPC

in whatever bizarre mission had been set in motion.

Approaching Edward, obsessing over him… that must have

been her goal.

But why?

Why use her body to get close to Edward, even to obsess over

him?

Had she succeeded? And if she had, why was Madeleine- eighteen–year–old Madeleine–here now, trapped in this

unfamiliar life?

Her head throbbed, a dull hammering pulsing behind her temples. The more she tried to untangle the mystery, the worse

it got.

She pressed a hand to her forehead, her face paling.

Only when she forced her mind away from the thoughts did the

pain finally ease.

“Maddie, you okay? You look like you’re about to pass out,”

Mary said, her voice tinged with concern.

Chapter 26

“I’m fine,” Madeleine murmured, shaking her head.

She excused herself to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face to dull the pain. When she returned, she felt steadier

but no less wary of Mary.

She didn’t like Mary–never had, really. But over the years, it seemed she’d spilled her secrets to her, and today, that loose

tongue was proving useful.

Mary had let slip plenty: how Madeleine had quit ballet because Edward once sneered at her “ugly” dancer’s feet and how she’d started wearing pink because Edward had ogled a starlet in a

pink gown at some glitzy event.

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