Chapter 2
Quinn’s scowl deepened, and his icy stare pinned me to the spot “Natalia, do you have any idea what happens to people who try to threaten me?
His voice was sharp, dripping with menace, and the anger radiating off him was enough to make my chest tighten.
What the hell was he so mad about? Shouldn’t he be happy I was giving him exactly what he wanted? A clean break. A free. pass to play house with Diana. Or did he think this was some kind of trick, another one of my so–called schemes?
Swallowing my emotions; I forced a calm expression and met his glare with a faint smile. “If you’re free tomorrow, we can head to the court and get the divorce done.
I thought I was being reasonable–hell, I was practically bending over backward to make this easy for him. Letting go of a man who would never love me wasn’t just for his benefit. It was the only way to protect myself and my baby.
Before I could react, he grabbed my chin with a grip like steel. His fingers bit into my skin, and the look on his face was pure disdain
“Natalia,” he sneered, his voice dripping with venomous amusement, “don’t flatter yourself. You’re just a pawn your family sold to mine. Whether I keep you around or throw you away–that’s my decision. Not yours.”
His words were like a slap, but they shouldn’t have surprised me I knew exactly what he was implying. When we got married, the Madden family had handed over 10 million dollars as an engagement gift to secure a lucrative business deal with the Hintons.
And now? He was reminding me, loud and clear, that without the Maddens, my family’s fragile empire would crumble.
Just then, his phone buzzed, cutting through the heavy silence. Diana. It had to be her, impatient and needing his attention. Quinn’s jaw tightened as he glanced at the screen, then back at me. His eyes bore into mine for a long, hard second before he turned on his heel and walked away, leaving me standing there like I didn’t even exist.
Outside, the storm was still raging Rain pounded against the hospital’s entrance, lightning flashing across the sky like the universe itself was angry. I stood frozen, staring out into the chaps, unsure of where to go or what to do next,
Slowly, I looked down at my belly, placing a hand over the tiny life growing inside me. I took a deep breath, steadying myself against the storm inside and out.
“Don’t worry, baby, I whispered, my voice breaking but resolute No matter what, I’ll make sure you come into this world. safe and sound. That’s a promise.”
By the time I finally made it back to my family’s house, it was the middle of the night. The place was dead silent, the kind of quiet that pressed against your ears. Everyone was obviously fast asleep.
I eased the door open, doing my best not to make a sound, but it didn’t matter. Lucia Brown, the maid who lived on the first floor, must’ve heard me anyway.
She stepped out of her room, her expression far from friendly. Her eyes narrowing as if I were some kind of intruder. “Ms Hinton, why are you coming back at this hour?” she asked, her eyes flicking to my suitcase as she crossed her arms. Her voice carried just the right amount of snark to let me know I wasn’t welcome.
Too exhausted to engage, I dropped the suitcase by the door and waved her off. “Go back to bed. Just move the morning. I muttered, already heading toward the stairs.
it 10
my
av room in
“Wait,” Lucia called after me, her tone suddenly dripping with false sweetness, “Ms. Hinton, I almost forgot. Your room got turned into a studio a little while ago–Miss Skylar needed the space.”
1/4
22:32 Thu, Dec 12 TO.
Chapter 2
Her words hit like a bucket of cold water. My room? Of all the empty ones in this house, she’d taken mine?
匝
56%
Lucia’s voice dripped with mock sympathy. “Oh, don’t take it too hard, Ms. Hinton. I mean, you are married, right? Who could’ve guessed you’d come dragging your suitcase back here in the dead of night?”
She paused, letting the sting sink in before adding. “If I set up another room for you now, it’d wake Mr. and Mrs. Hinton. How about this–you crash in my room instead?”
I bit back a sneer. She was just a maid, but her audacity spoke volumes–she wouldn’t dare act this way without Skylar Hinton giving her the green light.
“No need,” I replied coolly, turning toward
he living room sofa unstead.
The storm raged on through the night, its howling winds a perfect backdrop for the whirlwind in my heart. By morning. I was startled awake by my adoptive father, Elijah Hinton’s voice, cutting through the haze of exhaustion.
“Natalia, why are you sleeping on the couch?” His brows furrowed as his sharp gaze shifted to Lucia. “Why didn’t you prepare a room for Ms. Natalia?
Caught completely off guard, Lucia stammered, tripping over her words as she tried to conjure an excuse.
Before she could manage one, a soft, apologetic voice drifted down the staircase. “Dad, don’t be too hard on Lucia–it’s my fault. I turned Natalia’s room into a studio for convenience
Skylar descended the stairs with that trademark wide–eyed, innocent look she’d perfected. “Natalia, I didn’t mean anything by it Next time, just give me a heads–up if you’re coming back, and you can have my room instead.”
How ironic. The home where I’d grown up now treated me like an outsider, a guest who needed to call ahead,
Forcing a faint smile, I replied evenly, “Actually, I’ll be staying for a while this time. Could you please restore my room right away, Skylar?”
Skylar’s saccharine smile faltered for a fraction of a second before she recovered, nodding quickly. “Of course.”
Elijah’s gaze lingered on me, as though he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.
I could sense the unspoken questions weighing on him, but now wasn’t the time for explanations—not about my pregnancy, and certainly not about the disaster my marriage had become.
Drawing a deep breath, I decided to test the waters. “Dad, if I want to divorce Quinn… will you support me?”
The words hung in the air, and he froze, his expression shifting from confusion to concern. “Natalia, what happened?”
I shook my head, unable to share everything just yet. The weight of it all felt too heavy to unload in one conversation. Instead of pressing, he handed me a glass of water, his voice tinged with guilt. “Natalia, I know I failed you back then. If life with the Maddens is making you unhappy, just come home. I’ll stand by whatever you decide.
His words, so simple yet heartfelt, brought a flicker of warmth to my chest. At least someone still had my back.
After unpacking my bags, I decided to check in on my adoptive mother, Jenna Hinton. She struggled with chronic insomnia and usually slept late into the morning, so I thought it would be the right time to see her.
The door to her room was slightly ajar, and as I approached, I caught the sound of her agitated voice cutting through the air. “If we hadn’t taken her in, do you think she’d be living the high le as a wealthy socialite today? Divorce? Does she even have a shred of gratitude?”
Elijah sighed heavily. “Natalia might be adopted, but we’ve raised her as our daughter for twenty years. If it weren’t for her stepping up, negotiating with the Maddens, and marrying Quin back then, we would’ve gone bankrupt years ago.”
2/4
현 56%
Chapter 2
“Don’t give me that! Jenna’s yoice sharpened, laced with grievance. “Sacrifice? Are you kidding me? Marrying into the
en family is a golden ticket! Most women would kill for that kind of opportunity.
“And let me remind you, Elijah, Skylar is our real daughter. She was out there suffering for years before we found her last year. She’s the one who deserves our love and attention now. We owe it to her to make up for everything she’s been through!”
“I know, but it’s obvious Natalia’s miserable with Quinn-
“Enough!” Jenna snapped, her frustration boiling over. “We can’t risk losing the Maddens‘ support now. We raised Natalia for twenty years–that’s more than enough. Consider this her way of paying us back!”
Her words landed like a sucker punch, leaving me momentarily frozen.
I’d always known I was adopted, and I never questioned Jenna and Elijah’s love for me. They’d given me everything: a home, an education, a chance to thrive. But Skylar–their real daughter–had been taken from them when she was just three years old
They’d searched for years before finally reuniting with her last year. Since then, everything had changed.
I didn’t blame Jenna for wanting to make up for lost time with Skylar; it was natural for any mother.
But hearing those words–hearing that I was nothing more than a debt to be repaid–crushed me. It felt like the ground had shifted beneath my feet, leaving me stranded.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I turned and walked away, unspoken hurt pressing down on my chest. I wasn’t in the mood to dwell on it any longer, so I headed straight to work at the Madden Group
The moment I stepped into my office, Raelynn Novak, my secretary, walked in with a written all over her face. She’d been with me for years, long before I started working here, and I could tell when she had
сир of coffee. Her hesitation was something to say. “Ms. Hinton… she began, hesitating.
I raised an eyebrow. “Spit it out, Raelynn. What’s going on?”
She set the coffee on my desk carefully, her voice dropping to a near whisper. “A new design director was appointed this morning. A female director. Mr. Madden hired her himself. Her tone lingered on the word “female,” loaded with implication.
I froze for a second. My stomach tightened as the realization hit Diana Terell, isn’t it?” I asked, my voice steady, though my fingers instinctively clenched the edge of my desk.
Raclynn’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yeah, that’s her. You know her! She’s got that whole sweet, innocent vibe going on, but let’s be real–any woman Mr. Madden hires personally has to be more than just a pretty face, right?”
Quinn, bringing his mistress into the company? Yeah, that sounded exactly like him. And if it was Diana, the lengths he’d go for her made perfect sense. Nobody else could command that kind of attention from him.
My lips curled into a bitter smile. “Got it. Thanks, Raelynn. Get back to work.”
After a sleepless night and hours buried in paperwork, exhaustion finally hit me like a freight train. I barely managed to pick at my lunch before nausea swept over me, forcing me to rush to the restroom.
My stomach lurched violently, and I clung to the sink, trying to steady myself as dry heaves wracked my body.
“Are you okay?” a soft voice called out, and a hand stretched toward me, offering a tissue.
I turned, accepting the tissue. But as the words “Thank you” hung in my throat, my gaze collided with Diana’s delicate face, There she stood, her doe eyes wide and innocent, her expression as fragile as a blooming flower, as if she couldn’t hurt a
