Chapter 15
On the back of one of the photos, Maddie had written:
“The current you seems like you no longer need me. You look like you‘ re living at happy life.”
Rico felt as though someone had driven a dagger into his chest. His heart ached with an intensity that left him gasping for breath.
Why did Maddie have photos of Jane? And not just any photos–these were selfies, intimate in nature. Unless…
A horrifying realization struck Rico.
Unless Jane had sent these photos directly
to Maddie.
Desperation clawed at him as he flipped through the album’s remaining pages. On the very last page, he found the photo of the two of them at the orphanage.
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Or rather, what remained of it.
The picture had been cut neatly in half, leaving only a young Rico standing alone on the grass. The absence of Maddie in the photo mirrored the emptiness now consuming him.
His trembling hands pulled the photo from the album and on the back, he found Maddie‘ s final words:
“Rico, I’m leaving. I wish your happiness.”
Rico’s knees buckled as he slid off the
bed, landing on the floor in a crumpled heap. He clutched the photo tightly, his fingers trembling as he stared at the words.
“It’s not true,” he whispered hoarsely, shaking his head. “It’s not true!”
His voice grew louder, breaking into a panicked shout. “Maddie, you wouldn’t leave me! You can’t leave me! Who gave you the right to leave me?”
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In his desperation, he grabbed his phone and dialed Maddie’s number, but a cold, robotic voice answered him instead:
“The number you have dialed is currently switched off.”
“No!” Rico shouted, his voice cracking. He tried again, but the same monotone voice repeated the message, hammering another nail into the coffin of his hope.
He quickly typed a message and hit send. A red exclamation mark appeared almost immediately, sealing his heartbreak.
The reality hit him like a tidal wave: Maddie was truly gone.
Rico slumped against the bed, his breathing ragged. His mind raced, trying to make sense of her departure. Maddie wouldn’t leave him without reason- something must have happened.
The photos.
Of course.
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It had to be those photos from Jane.
Without wasting another second, Rico grabbed his phone and called Jane. She picked up on the first ring, her voice teasing and sweet.
“Hello? Missing me already?” she purred, her tone dripping with false innocence.
“Cut the act,” Rico snapped, his voice. hard and cold. “Why did you send those photos to Maddie?”
“What photos?” Jane replied, feigning ignorance.
“Don’t play dumb with me!” Rico‘ s anger boiled over. “You deliberately sent those revealing photos to her to make her misunderstand us, didn’t you?”
On the other end of the line, Jane froze. She hadn’t expected Maddie to reveal the photos to Rico, let alone leave him over it.
But she quickly regained her composure, her mind racing. “You mean my selfies?
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Phapter 15
tos fiaco, those weren’t meant for Maddie. I
was trying to send them to a friend and
her sec
must’ve sent them to her by mistake. I d called
ring, h
en deleted them as soon as I realized.
Tow
w is that my fault?”
tico’s grip on the phone tightened.
already
Really? Then why did Maddie print out very single one of them?”
h falsei
Snapper
did you
te replic
e exhaled sharply, sensing his
spicion. She had to tread carefully.
Rico,” she began, her voice softening,
s it possible Maddie printed them
cause you were in them? Maybe she saw ith me a in the background and wanted to keep You delam as a memory.”
s to hers to
dn didn
o hesitated.
e pressed her advantage. “Look, you he linee l
I are in a contractual relationship. We 1 Maci Man
eed to this for appearances and we still one lemnel
ve two years to go before it’s over. Why nedhenearth would I risk ruining things by ou monetting your sister? It doesn’t make
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meanthase.”
em to am to
r words gave Rico pause, the cracks in o herby hu
fury widening just enough for doubt to
ep ulp in.
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t deep down, an unsettling feeling
honetizone
awed at him.
id Maced M
em?hem?
sensi sens
might also like
treadxtream
beripher
le
Le jardie panly Love
That
then the poblem
ound and
- ry.
Love You, Is
a Problem?
Broken Trust Revered Love
Broken Trust,
Renewed Love
Song Zeroes
Shining Armice Just a Deceitful
He Is Not My Knight in Shining Armor,…
ZMSS
advantag
ntractuali
ir appearan
o go before
Irisk ruin
ister? It de
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