Page 93 of Madden

Chapter Twenty-Six

Brielle

I don’t know how, but somehow with everything that’s happened, it’s only brought Madden and me closer together.

I ended up crawling into bed and crashing after he sent me upstairs to get some rest. Mentally, I hate being in bed, but physically, I know it’s what I need right now.

The light on the nightstand is on, but through the sheer curtains overlooking the backyard, the sun starts to set in the distance. The clock reads after seven.

I push myself up against the headboard and glance around the room.

Madden sent me upstairs with strict orders to relax until he brought me dinner. Somehow, I managed to sleep for three hours, and he never bothered to wake me.

He’s been getting on me about resting, though, so maybe he didn’t want to wake me when he found me asleep.

I climb out of bed and glance over the balcony looking down into the entryway. The lights are off, and the house is quiet.

It’s my first clue something is not okay.

I quickly dart into his bedroom and pick my phone up off the charger. I have a couple of new emails that came through, but no missed calls or text messages.

I decide to head downstairs in search of Madden. I’m telling myself the break-in has my defenses up and I’m on edge, but I can’t escape this feeling something’s not right.

Tysin sits at the breakfast bar when I walk into the kitchen, and Kyla stands across from him, leaning against the counter. Any time I see her, she’s always greeted me with a warm smile. This is different. The look on her face says she’s gearing up for an argument.

“Hey,” I say, glancing from Kyla over to Tysin, then back to Kyla again. “Where is Madden? Is everything okay?”

She stares at me blankly and shakes her head.

“He’s not here.”

“Oh, okay. Well, is everything all right?”

The bread still sits on the counter. I walk past her into the kitchen, opening the cabinet to get a glass of water, and notice the pot with tomato basil soup left sitting in the sink.

Something is definitely wrong. It’s as if Madden took off in the middle of cooking, leaving everything right where it was.

“I don’t know, Brielle, why don’t you tell us?”

I set the glass on the counter and turn toward her.

“What do you mean?” I narrow my eyes, confused by her sudden change in tone and demeanor. It’s like everything about the Kyla I’ve gotten to know is gone with a snap of my fingers, replaced with someone cold and distant.

“Should I even call you Brielle? Is that even your real name?”

I swallow hard. I’ve already told Madden about why I chose to change my last name and go by an alias. This isn’t a secret, and he told me he understood. Why is this an issue now?

“Yes, my name is Brielle.” I shake my head, still confused. “Let’s just cut the bullshit, Kyla. What the hell’s your problem? Why do you seem upset?”

She curls her lip and chuckles, tilting her head as she glances over at Tysin.

Whatever has her upset, she’s clearly pissed off. Fuming.

“You can cut the bullshit already, Brielle. Madden knows. We all know.”

“Knows what?” I snap, waving my hands around. I wince, and the pain hits like I got knocked upside the head all over again.

“You didn’t think he would find out about your history at Hollywood Tea sooner or later? Really?” She smirks. “Did you not think that’s something you should tell him?”

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