The Rewritten Love: A Second Beginning by Max Charming Chapter 681
The blood on Madelyn’s arm had stained the bathtub. It was heart- wrenching. Zach said, “Madelyn, do you know about Stockholm Syndrome? As long as the hostage believes there’s no possibility of escaping, she’ll fall in love with a criminal…”
Before he turned sixteen, Zach engaged in many criminal activities with Hayson’s subordinates to make a living. He had witnessed a group of men being mean to a girl. Girls like her were made to work at nightclubs because they owed too much money with really high interest.
When they were severely hurt mentally and physically to the point where they broke down, they would fall in love with the abusers. Zach had seen countless examples like this…
Over the next two weeks, Zach stayed in Floral Loft. Before going to work, he would have Madelyn help him get dressed, tie his tie, and make breakfast.
In the evening, Madelyn would prepare a table full of dishes waiting for him to come home to have dinner together. She did what a wife would do. However, she performed these daily tasks emotionlessly. She did them only to make him happy.
Madelyn had considered running away. But Zach had installed motion sensors at the door. If she stepped out, an alarm on his phone would go off. The bodyguards would immediately arrive and promptly take her away.
Madelyn’s freedom was restricted to within the residential area. The bodyguards would keep an eye on her from a distance. Today, she went downstairs for a walk. She rarely did that. She sat on a bench in the Emerald Garden. Throughout the day, starting from the morning, she had a persistent feeling of unease in her chest for some reason. She thought it was because of spending too much time in her room.
She then sat there for nearly an hour, but this feeling did not go away. Whenever she had this feeling, something bad would happen. She covered her chest and suddenly remembered something, ‘Could it be him?”
There was one thing that Madelyn had never mentioned to anyone or told anyone. Actually, she had always known that Ethan was looking for her.
Three years ago, a week before she went to France for a one-week research trip with Leonardo, she went to buy some daily necessities.
On the street lined with trees that she often passed through, there were buildings with walls that had already lost their original colors. The ground was covered with a layer of white snow.
That day, Ethan remained unaware that a simple turn around could have revealed her presence.
Madelyn, hidden behind a tree, watched his solitary figure. She recognized the black coat he was wearing; it had once belonged to her. The red scarf draped around his neck was a gift from her, left behind at the Arnold residence. He sat by the flowerbed, adorned in leather gloves, with a stray cat nestled on his lap, gazing skyward as snowflakes descended upon his face.
Madelyn hid behind a tree. She heard Ethan say, “Do you think I still have a chance to meet her again? After today, I’ll be leaving.” He was bound for his next destination in pursuit of her.
He heard that Madelyn was going to Roshya. he clung to hope that he might reunite with her there.
‘No one knows how much I miss her… I’m the person who caused her to disappear…’ The weight of her absence and his own role in her disappearance burdened him.
That day, Madelyn remained concealed behind the tree, observing Ethan for as long as he sat there. The memory of their silent presence endured until darkness enveloped them.
In the bitter cold, Madelyn had stood there for nearly five hours, and upon returning to her rented place, her hands were so cold that they had become unresponsive. Lila came to her rescue, employing a hot water bag to gradually restore warmth to her numbed hands. While her hands were warmed, her heart remained indifferent.
A few days before her departure for Roshya, Madelyn made a discreet return to Ventropolis.
