𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐁𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | TWD [Book 1]

LXIX. The Betrayal of Friends

"What are you doing here?"

Madeleine's heart pounds furiously in her chest as she strides into her room, her mind reeling at the unexpected sight. Her gaze narrows as she takes in Simon, seated nonchalantly on a chair, flipping through her journal as if he owned every word written within its pages, her fingers itching to rip the journal from his grasp.

Simon's gaze flicks up from the photograph he holds, a melancholic smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "She really was a beauty, wasn't she?" he murmurs, his tone tinged with a bittersweet longing. "Hi, Lily, I wondered when we'd have the time to speak face-to-face, just us two."

"Cut the crap, Simon," she retorts, her voice dripping with contempt. "What are you doing here?"

The picture slips from Simon's fingers as he sets it down gently, his eyes never leaving Madeleine's face. "Oh, Madeleine," he sighs, a hint of mockery in his voice. "Always so quick to anger. You really haven't changed."

A sardonic smile twists Madeleine's lips as she meets his gaze head-on, her resolve unshakable. "Oh, I've changed," she counters, her voice low and menacing. "But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you? You were too busy abusing her, tryna come for me, forcing her to give her kid away."

Simon's facade falters for a moment, his expression darkening with a flicker of something akin to guilt before it's quickly replaced by a mask of indifference. "You always did have a way with words, Lily," he says, his voice laced with a dangerous edge. "But let's not dwell on the past. We need to talk."

Madeleine narrows her eyes, a sense of unease creeping over her as she watches him closely. "And what, pray tell, do you want?" she asks, her voice laced with suspicion.

Simon rises from his seat, his movements deliberate as he closes the distance between them. Madeleine stands her ground, her jaw set in defiance as she refuses to back down in the face of his presence.

"Your sister." Simon's smirk widens, a predatory gleam entering his eyes as he revels in her discomfort. "Don't I have a right to get to know her?" he taunts, his voice dripping with malice. "After all, I am her father. How did you find her?"

A surge of rage washes over Madeleine, her fists clenched tightly at her sides as she struggles to contain the torrent of emotions threatening to consume her. "You didn't have time to ask her while you and your minions were torturing her?" she seethes, her voice trembling with righteous fury.

"I didn't lay a hand on her," Simon repeats, his voice smooth but tinged with a hint of defensiveness. "In fact, I fed her and gave her some clothes. I was nothing but pleasant to my daughter."

Madeleine's jaw clenches tightly as she struggles to contain the storm of emotions raging within her. She fights against the rising tide of bitterness, the memories of her mother's death and Esperanza's suffering threatening to overwhelm her.