Chapter 115 Facebook, Calls
Chapter 115 Facebook, Calls
His actions served as an unequivocal proclamation to the world: Matthew was married, and any connection with Brianna was firmly in the past. It felt as if he were mercilessly delivering a series of stinging blows to her face.
At that moment, she stood among the crowd, completely disregarded by everyone.
After getting into the car, Matthew buckled his seatbelt himself and then leaned back with his eyes closed.
Madison, a bit worried, asked him, "Everything okay, Matthew?"
He opened his eyes, his voice whiny. "Babe, I feel awful. Let's go home."
Without further delay, Madison drove off.
They arrived at their house and parked the car.
"Matthew, can you walk by yourself?" Madison pondered, contemplating the possibility that if he couldn't manage, she might need to call Rachel downstairs for assistance. Supporting him alone would prove to be quite a challenge.
With a light nod, Matthew leaned on the car for support and grasped Madison's arm to steady himself as he exited the vehicle.
His face was flushed, and his breath carried the strong scent of alcohol; it was obvious that the booze had hit him hard.
Trying to walk unaided, his steps faltered, nearly causing him to stumble. Madison promptly steadied him, and in return, he clung to her for support.
Taking the elevator up, Rachel opened the door for them. Madison helped Matthew to the sofa to sit down.
"Madison, the kids are asleep. I might head back to my place," Rachel said, feeling it might be inappropriate to stay over with Matthew there.
"No, don't. It's late. It would help if you stayed in your room; I've kept it ready for you. I'll help Matthew to our room," Madison insisted.
While assisting Matthew off the sofa, she said, "Let's go to our bedroom, Matthew."
Observing Matthew's continued silence since he entered, Rachel noticed a stark contrast in his demeanor when drunk—compliant, allowing Madison to guide and manage everything.
Rachel found herself marveling at the scene unfolding before her.
Once in the bedroom, Matthew sat on the edge of the bed.
"Matthew, can you take a shower by yourself?"
"Babe, hug." Instead of answering, Matthew pulled Madison onto his lap for a snug embrace. She was surprised to find that a drunk Matthew could be as needy as a child.
Knowing he had overindulged, she chose to remain quiet and let him hold her, enjoying the calm, cozy night.
Suddenly, Madison felt something was wrong. Matthew's hands started moving up from her waist, turning her cheeks red, especially with the sounds of Rachel moving in the hallway after her shower.
"Let's take that shower first, Matthew."
Madison grabbed his wandering hands just as they found a softer destination, halting his advance.
"Just a bit longer," he insisted.
Now, Madison couldn't help but suspect he was pretending to be drunk to some extent, thinking to herself, who behaves like this?
"Rachel's around; it's a no-go today," Madison said resolutely, clasping her hands together, preventing any further movement.
Matthew hummed softly in agreement, halting his roving hands.
Listening to the silence settling in the living room, Madison figured Rachel must have finished her shower and retreated to her room. Breaking free from his grip, she stood up to fetch his pajamas. "Go take a shower," she suggested.
Obediently, Matthew grabbed the pajamas and left the bedroom, heading to the bathroom.
Madison saw Matthew's phone on the bed and, intending to move it to the nightstand, was surprised when a Facebook notification appeared as soon as she picked it up.
"Thanks for tonight, Matthew."
Frozen in place with the phone in hand, she saw the message was from Brianna.
So, Brianna was there tonight, too.
What was going on between Matthew and her?
Madison, grappling with confusion and unease, wondered about the dynamics at play. Matthew had insisted on a client dinner for a project discussion, yet Brianna's public Facebook thanks raised unsettling questions. Was there more to their connection than met the eye?
Since they had reconciled, nobody ever mentioned Brianna's name—as if the reason for their past divorce had never existed. During all this time, she had seen no contact, no interaction between them.
Matthew had professed his love, and she had believed him unconditionally. She trusted that he had resolved his past issues before declaring his love for her. Now, what did all this mean?
Madison bit her lip tightly, her face going pale as she placed the phone back on the bed. She then sat motionless at its edge.
After a while, the door opened, and a freshly showered Matthew entered. "Honey, can you help me dry my hair?" he asked, holding out a dry towel.
Regaining her composure, Madison stiffly took the towel from his hand. He sat on the bed, and she stood behind him, mechanically moving the towel over his hair.
Matthew, having drunk a bit too much, closed his eyes and didn't perceive the tension.
When Madison stopped the toweling, Matthew suddenly turned and embraced her, burying his head in her chest. "Honey, you smell so good," he murmured, nuzzling into her.
At a loss for how to respond, Madison chose to withdraw, hastily pushing Matthew away, grabbing a pair of pajamas, and escaping to the bathroom.
Once inside and the door was shut behind her, she slumped against it, hugging the pajamas and slowly sliding down to the floor.
Her mind was a mess, uncertain about what to do next—should she confront the issue head-on or look the other way?
Losing something you've obtained hurts far more than never having it at all, and it's much harder to let go.
Four years ago, Madison signed divorce papers, leaving a marriage without Matthew's love. Now, with his love and those three words, it stirred complicated emotions in her.
How could she possibly let go now?
Madison let her tears flow freely in the bathroom until she heard Rachel exit the room. Quickly wiping her eyes, she turned on the shower to conceal her emotional turmoil.
"Madison, are you taking a shower?" Rachel called out.
"Yeah," Madison replied.
"I've hung your clothes on the doorknob. I'll take the kids to school tomorrow so that you can sleep in a bit. You must be tired from looking after Matthew; he had a bit too much to drink Tonight."
"Thanks, Rachel. I appreciate it."
"No need to thank me. I'm heading to bed."
Once Rachel went back to her room, Madison finished her shower and returned to her bedroom.
Entering the room, she discovered Matthew already in bed, eyes closed, appearing to be asleep with his phone on the nightstand. Madison should have verified whether he had seen the message from Brianna on Facebook or what their conversation entailed.
She quietly crawled into bed from the other side and turned off the light.
In the darkness, the man behind her seemed to sense her presence, pulling her close and whispering, "Honey, let's cuddle and sleep."
Madison lay with her eyes open, unresponsive.
That night, Madison struggled to sleep, and by dawn, she finally found some rest. In the morning, her tired eyes showed the signs of a sleepless night, prompting her to use light makeup to hide the dark circles.
By the time she got up, Rachel had already taken the kids to school. Madison didn't wake Matthew and headed straight for the studio.
When Rachel saw her, she said, "Madison, why didn't you get some more rest?"
"I couldn't sleep anyway, so I came in," Madison replied with a faint smile.
Madison had just gotten comfortable in her office when her phone rang.
"Mrs. Johnson, can we meet up to talk?"
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