CHAPTER EIGHT:What They Didn’t Expect
368 Words
Maxwell & Madison’s POV
Maxwell
Maxwell hasn’t slept properly since the wedding.
He stands in his apartment, staring at his phone again.
The image is still there.
Anna in white.
Anna beside Xavier Cortez.
Anna looking… different.
Not desperate.
Not heartbroken.
Different.
He zooms in on the photo.
Her posture. Her expression. Her hand in Xavier’s.
He never saw her stand like that with him.
His jaw tightens.
“It’s not real,” Madison says from the couch.
She sounds annoyed.
Defensive.
“It has to be some arrangement.”
Maxwell doesn’t answer immediately.
Because something inside him knows…
Even if it started as arrangement—
Xavier doesn’t look like a man who makes careless decisions.
And Anna didn’t look like a woman being used.
She looked steady.
That bothers him.
More than anger would.
Madison
Madison hates the silence.
She hates the way Maxwell keeps staring at that picture.
“She did this to embarrass us,” Madison snaps.
Maxwell finally looks at her.
“She walked in on us.”
Madison’s eyes flash.
“And? She’s the one who always played innocent.”
Innocent.
Madison stands and walks toward the mirror.
Studies herself.
She’s beautiful. Confident. Sharp.
She should have won.
She did win.
So why does it feel like she lost?
Because Anna didn’t beg.
She didn’t cry publicly.
She didn’t chase.
She disappeared.
And came back as Mrs. Cortez.
Madison clenches her jaw.
“She’s not built for that world,” she mutters.
Maxwell doesn’t respond.
Because deep down—
He remembers how Anna handled herself at the wedding.
Calm. Unbothered. Graceful.
And he realises something uncomfortable.
He underestimated her.
Maxwell Again
He replays the moment at the reception.
When Xavier placed his hand at Anna’s waist.
Not for show.
It didn’t look staged.
It looked intentional.
Possessive.
Protective.
Maxwell swallows.
“She won’t last,” Madison says quietly.
But it doesn’t sound confident.
It sounds hopeful.
Maxwell looks back at the photo one last time.
“She already lasted,” he says.
Madison freezes.
And for the first time—
There’s tension between them.
Not passion.
Not victory.
Just unease.
Because they thought they ended Anna’s story.
Instead—
They just started it.
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