For years, she had convinced herself that he cared for her in some way, but only a few days ago had she discovered that his heart had always belonged to another woman.
After the sex, she curled up, pulling the blanket around her, her lashes still wet.
"Crying again?" Jason bent down to kiss her cheek softly. "Next time, I'll be gentler."
"There won't be a next time." Madelyn's voice sounded raw.
"Why?" Jason was puzzled.
"Jason, I want a divorce."
Ignoring the pain in her back, Madelyn straightened up and met Jason's gaze, her eyes full of resolve.
He was dressed only in a robe, the buttons open, showing off his toned chest and abs.
"You're kidding, right? This isn't funny." His voice was laid-back as he turned to walk toward the bathroom.
"Jason, when you have sex with me, who do you really picture?" Madelyn's voice grew a little louder.
Jason halted and spun around, his flawless face showing a flicker of surprise.
Madelyn rested against the headboard, her face pale and delicate, but her look was firm.
"When we're in bed, are you thinking of me or Rebecca?" Her voice became cutting, almost filled with accusation. "You've left a comment on every single one of Rebecca's posts using your finsta account. You've been in love with her for ten years, and marrying me was just to keep me from messing up her happiness, right?"
It wasn't until last week, when Madelyn stumbled upon Jason's finsta account commenting on her adopted sister's every post, that she had realized her marriage had been a sham all along!
Madelyn forced a wry smile. "On my birthday, you told me you had to work late, but you were really taking her to that bakery she loves. On our first anniversary, you said you had a client meeting, but you were actually out on a date with her."
Jason's expression soured, but he stayed quiet.
"And the real reason you married me..." Madelyn stopped, her voice catching in her throat. "The Powell family and the Clark family had planned for their eldest children to marry. When I came back to the Clark family as their eldest daughter, the marriage deal with the Powells landed on me. But Rebecca wanted Evan Powell for herself. To make her happy, you married me! That way, I couldn't marry Evan, and she could have him instead!"
As she finished, Madelyn couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks.
Though she had uncovered the truth a week ago, speaking of it now still felt like a knife twisting in her chest.
She had believed she married for love, only to realize she was nothing more than a fool.
"Why are you bringing this up now?" Jason finally said, his tone as cold as ever, as if the man who had been so passionate in bed earlier was a stranger. "You can't change a thing. We might as well keep things as they are."
Madelyn let out a bitter laugh, tears streaming down her face. "So, you don't feel any remorse at all? Not even a little?"
She struggled to speak. "When I came back to the Clark family at eighteen, I was just a naive girl from the countryside. Every brother spoiled Rebecca, who's not even related to them, treating me like I didn't belong. But you didn't push me away. You were the only one who showed me any kindness. Was all of that just for show?"
She straightened up, the blanket falling away, exposing her delicate shoulders and back.
She had once believed this marriage was her way out of the Clark family.
When the Clark family had asked her to come back, she'd had no desire to return.
But the daughter of the couple who had raised her had died because of her, and their attitude toward her complicated ever since. They still cared for her, but seeing her brought back painful memories of their lost daughter.
Madelyn couldn't bear to face them anymore, so she agreed to go back to the Clarks.
However, they believed she had left them for the wealth of the Clark family, and over time, they grew bitter and resentful toward her. She couldn't explain herself, so she estranged herself from them.
When the Clark family had turned against her, she had thought Jason, the only person who had been nice to her, might be her last chance at happiness.
But she had been deeply wrong.
This marriage had turned out to be a dark pit she struggled to escape.
Jason's frustrated voice was the only answer to Madelyn's question, as if she were the one being difficult. "That was years ago. What's the point of bringing it up now?"
"Right, totally pointless. But today is our third wedding anniversary. Remember?" Madelyn cracked.
Jason didn't say a word in response.
Madelyn twisted her lips in a sneer. "Let's just get a divorce."
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