Hired a Gigolo, Got a Billionaire

Chapter 428 Madeline's POV It was almost two in the morning when I finally admitted to myself that I wasn't going to sleep. I'd been lying in bed for hours, replaying the fight with Marcus in my head, dissecting every word, every shift in tone, every flash of pain that crossed his face when I said we didn't even know if the baby was his. The apartment felt too quiet. Marcus was in the guest room, probably sleeping just fine while I spiraled in circles with my thoughts.

I got out of bed and walked to the window, staring down at the empty streets of Florentia under the yellow glow of the streetlights. The city slept peacefully while I burned up with doubt and insecurity. I grabbed my phone and called Olivia. It rang several times before she answered, her voice sleepy and confused. "Madeline? It's two in the morning. Is everything okay?" "Can I come over?" I asked without preamble, my voice betraying the desperation I felt. "Of course. What happened?" "I fought with Marcus. I couldn't sleep.

I need to talk to someone," I admitted, frustration tears starting to form. "I can't stand being alone with my thoughts anymore." "I'll wait for you downstairs," she said immediately, no further questions. I threw on some clothes and called a cab. The ride to the apartment Olivia shared with Mia passed in a blur of streetlights and scattered thoughts. When I arrived, Olivia was already waiting at the building entrance, wearing flannel pajamas with a thick coat thrown over them, her hair piled into a messy bun. "You look awful," she said bluntly, but gently. "I feel worse," I replied.

"Mia's asleep," she whispered as we went up the stairs. "Let's go to my room so we don't wake her.' Olivia's bedroom was small but cozy, with simple décor she'd put together over the past few months to make the space feel like her own. A few plants she tended carefully. Books stacked on the nightstand. A soft blue throw blanket she'd bought during one of our first outings together around the city. It was comforting to see her building a home for herself, even under such extraordinary circumstances.

taking my hands in hers. So I did. Everything. About Annie letting it slip that she and Marcus had something in the past. About Marcus admitting it was "something" but downplaying it. About my own defensive reaction, the cruel things we'd said to each other. And

back all at once. "And you're jealous," Olivia observed. It wasn't a question. It was a statement, rooted in how well she knew me. I let out a heavy sigh, finally admitting out loud what I'd been denying to myself for

of someone I might not even really know?" "Are you jealous of Annie too?" The question made me pause, forcing me to examine my feelings more carefully. "Not exactly.

clearly wasn't the issue. She's married now, completely in love with Nate. Anyone can see that." "Marcus is married too," Olivia pointed out, gesturing toward me with an ironic smile. "That's not the

about that, then what's the problem? Why all this anguish?" e question caught me completely off guard. It was simple, but it went straight to the heart of it. Why was I rturing myself if I myself admitted this wasn't a traditional, love-based relationship? "The problem is that I shouldn't be, but I