Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 498 Marcus' POV I woke with a jolt, my neck aching from the awkward position. For a moment, I was disoriented, unsure where I was or what time it was. Then everything came rushing back at once. The hospital. Aurora. The kidnapping. I reached out instinctively, searching for Madeline beside me. My fingers touched only cold sheets. I opened my eyes fully and turned my head. The space next to me on the bed was empty, the pillow still indented where her head had been. "Madeline?" I called, my voice still rough with sleep. No answer. Maybe she was in the bathroom. Yeah. That had to be it.

I sat up, every muscle protesting, and looked toward the bathroom door. "Love? Are you in there?" Silence. I walked over, still half groggy, and opened the door. The bathroom was empty too. Dark. A cold sensation began to spread through my chest. "Madeline?" I called again, louder now, checking the small closet, even behind the shower curtain like she might be hiding there. Nothing. I went back into the room, my eyes scanning every corner. She wasn't anywhere. Maybe she'd stepped into the hallway. Maybe she needed air. Maybe- My gaze dropped to the floor beside the armchair. My blazer.

It was on the floor. I was sure I'd left it hanging on the chair. A terrible feeling hit me all at once. I crouched down and grabbed the blazer, shoving my hand into the inside pocket where I always kept my car keys. Nothing. "Fuck, Madeline," I muttered, anger and fear mixing into something explosive in my chest. She'd gone. She'd waited until I was asleep and then gone off to do something reckless on her own. 1/3 Something that almost certainly had to do with that message she'd claimed was spam. The message I knew damn well wasn't spam. Why hadn't she told me? Why hadn't she trusted me?

my phone and ran out of the room, dialing her number as I sprinted

alone, vulnerable, walking straight into whatever trap Dominic had set. The elevator finally arrived. I jumped inside and slammed the button for the ground floor, bouncing my foot impatiently as it descended. Please still be here. Please don't have left yet. Madeline's POV I locked the door of the hospital lobby bathroom and braced

was still open on the screen. There were still a few hours left. But I needed to get out of here before Marcus woke up. Before anyone tried to stop me. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. Trying to gather my courage. I had already faced

manipulation. But this... this was different. This involved my daughter. My newborn daughter, not even a day old. The child I had carried for nine months, brought into the world with pain and blood and love. The blue-eyed baby girl who had looked at 2/3 me for the first time and stolen my heart completely. When it came to Aurora, everything escalated. The fear was sharper. The desperation deeper. And the determination... the determination was absolute. I would do anything.