Chapter 2 A Sister's Betrayal

"Fine by me!" Jason cast a scornful look at Madelyn before storming out, the door slamming shut behind him with a resounding thud.

Madelyn brushed away her tears with resolute defiance, swearing to herself that she would never again let this pain bring her to tears.

Rising with purpose, she took a refreshing shower and began methodically packing her possessions into a suitcase. As she sealed it with a decisive zip, a faint rustling from downstairs below caught her ear.

For a fleeting moment, she thought Jason had returned, but a woman's voice called out from the hallway, "Madelyn, are you there?"

It was Rebecca.

Madelyn, her heart steeled, ignored her and finished securing her suitcase. Her expression was as cold as winter frost when she opened the door.

There stood Rebecca, taken aback by the unfamiliar sight of Madelyn's distant, impenetrable demeanor. Hesitant, she studied Madelyn's face with caution, as if fearing a misstep might shatter the fragile moment.

"Madelyn, are you alright? You seem upset."

"If you can see I'm upset, then give me space," Madelyn replied, her voice sharp as a blade. She brushed past Rebecca, descending the stairs with her suitcase in tow.

"Madelyn, please, wait!" Rebecca's voice, soft and tremulous, carried an air of wounded innocence, as though she were the one wronged. "I need to explain. There is nothing between Jason and me. If you're considering divorce over some misunderstanding, I want to set things right."

Madelyn's grip on the suitcase tightened, a fresh pang piercing her heart. So, Rebecca already knew about the impending divorce.

Clearly, Jason hadn't wasted a moment confiding in her.

Rebecca pressed on. "That time I had a dreadful stomachache and was craving cupcakes, Jason kindly took me to that little shop we both loved. We went to the same high school, you know, and that place holds so many memories for us. He didn't exclude you to be unkind; he just thought it might stir painful memories of your small-town high school days."

Her voice was gentle and fragile, carrying an air of innocence-as if she bore no fault at all.

"And at Christmas, some old college friends returned from abroad, so we met for dinner. We didn't leave you behind on purpose. You didn't know them, and we only wanted to spare you any discomfort." Rebecca's explanations sounded reasonable, yet they brimmed with quiet superiority.

She was showing it off-her shared history and deep bond with Jason, the countless moments Madelyn could never claim.

"Do you really take me for an idiot? Do you honestly believe I can't see what you're really getting at?" Madelyn sneered, her voice laced with contempt. Without a moment's pause, she lifted her hand and struck Rebecca sharply across the face.

She was through with feigning civility toward Rebecca.

Rebecca stumbled sideways, her hand pressed to her cheek in disbelief, reeling from the reality that Madelyn had struck her. She stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded.

"Madelyn, what on earth are you doing?" Connor Clark, Madelyn's eldest brother, shouted, coming up the stairs.

He had just arrived when he saw Madelyn's hand meet Rebecca's face. His temper ignited like a spark to dry tinder, his fists tightening as he fixed Madelyn with a furious glare. "How dare you raise a hand to Rebecca? She has known Jason far longer than you have, so of course they're close! If you can't handle that, maybe you should take a hard look at yourself instead of pointing fingers at her. She has done nothing wrong!"

Madelyn's voice, sharp and unyielding as frost, sliced through the tension. "And tell me, Connor, what wrong have I done to deserve all this?"

Connor's rage burned so fiercely that it seemed he might lash out at any moment.

Rebecca swiftly caught his arm, pretending to soothe him. "Connor, please. I've explained everything to Madelyn. She'll come around once she has had time to reflect. Don't be too hard on her."

Even in this moment, Rebecca's words subtly fanned the flames, and Madelyn could only let out a derisive scoff.