Chapter 40: Chapter 40

Dylan chased after Madison when she left his engagement party. Unfortunately, he failed to catch up. But he bumped into Emily, who looked worried at the time. He learned from her that Madison was running away while crying. The description made Dylan drive his car around, hoping to catch a glance at Madison.

Dylan breathed a sigh of relief when he phoned Madison. But he heard sobs at the other end of the line, making him desperate to see her. He forced her to tell her location. But she wanted to go away from him, so she did not disclose it. The sound of her suppressed cries made Dylan blame himself. He prayed that nothing wrong would happen to her while she was roaming the city alone.

"Damn! What have I done?!" Dylan exclaimed when Madison no longer picked up the phone. His palms covered his reddening face as he felt stuck in a black hole. He despised himself for not knowing how to get free without hurting his loved ones. Calling off the wedding was the only escape he could think of. But it remained only wishful thinking.

Hours of driving had passed, but Madison was still nowhere to be found. Dylan redialed her number until somebody responded on the other end of the line. However, the woman's voice was not Madison's. Frowning, Dylan glanced at his phone but found that he had dialed the correct number.

Thinking that Madison was in danger, Dylan asked, "How come that phone ended up to you? Who are you?"

"The woman who owns this phone handed it to me when she asked me to call her friend," the woman clarified in all honesty.

"Where is she? Is she still there? Is she okay?" Dylan asked in one breath.

The woman paused before she replied, "Well, yes, sir. She's still in our convenience store in a pretty bad state. The poor woman fell asleep after drinking a canned beer while crying."

Dylan's eyes glanced at the phone on his dashboard. "What? She's drunk?" he snapped frantically.

"I knew she's no drinker," the woman remarked with a faint laugh. "I guess she mistook the beer for diet coke."

"Damn it," Dylan whispered. "Where's your store, Miss?"

A calculated silence took over after Dylan asked about the location. "May I know first who's calling and how you're related to our customer?"

Although Dylan was annoyed that the woman did not disclose Madison's location right away, he pressed his lips and concealed the impatience in his voice. "This is Dylan Carter, her employer's son," he introduced. The woman seemed convinced, so she disclosed the location. "She's not familiar with the city, so please keep an eye on her until I arrive. I'll be there as soon as I can," Dylan asked.

The woman was about to say something when Dylan accidentally pressed the end button. Instead of calling it again, he sped along the road to get to the location. He did not care about a penalty. Although the store was only a few kilometers away, Dylan needed to bring Madison safely to the mansion.

Despite driving over the highest speed limit on the highway, Dylan arrived late at the store. The woman he talked to earlier said that Dexter had already picked up Madison. Now that Madison was with her friend, Dylan could not deny that she was in safe hands. Nevertheless, he could not help but feel jealous. 'I should be taking care of her,' he thought regretfully.

When Dylan got home, he bumped into his mother and learned that the Carters had a vital thing to do with the Welchs tomorrow. He nodded in a daze as the thoughts of Madison filled his head. Knowing that she was crying and even drinking, Dylan knew how badly he hurt her. When he entered his room, he threw his tired body on the bed with his right arm covering his eyes until he fell asleep.

The next day, the Carters and the Welchs' only daughter coordinated with the wedding planner. Suzette was sitting next to Dylan. But her presence went unnoticed by her fiancé, who was absent-minded. Throughout the consultation that lasted a few hours, Dylan only thought about Madison. 'The wedding will be next month. I need to think of a way to stop it. Madison is my only bride. I have to think of a plan!' he thought.

Dylan glanced at Suzette, who only nodded at what the wedding planner was saying. Dylan wondered whether she objected to their fathers' agreement. But she always looked serious, like a corporate slave. Although he wanted to know her perspective on the whole plan, they never grabbed a chance to talk alone.

When the consultation was over, Dylan bade goodbye to return to the mansion, saying he was not feeling well. But his parents needed to go straight to Global Group, Inc. I meant no Carters would be left with Suzette.

Suzette seemed to notice Dylan's glance. "I can manage. I also have some appointments to attend to," she said with a severe tone and rode a cab.

Dylan stared in the cab's direction, stunned by the mystery that was his fiancée.

'I won't marry that strange woman,' Dylan thought. Imagining Madison, he promised, 'I'll do everything to make you my wife. Just wait for me, Darling.'

Dylan was near the mansion when he noticed a car parked outside. Emily was hugging someone. Recognizing that the other woman was Madison, Dylan quickly pulled over to get there. But Madison had already gotten into the car.

Having worried about Madison all day, Dylan sprinted toward the car and knocked on the window. But Madison would not open it. When the vehicle began to move, Dylan was desperate enough to block the driveway and punch the car's hood. It would be difficult for him to find another opportunity to talk to her if he let them leave. The driver had already honked the horn, but Dylan remained in his position as he begged Madison to speak to him. Dexter came out, so Dylan strode to the shotgun seat and knocked on the window again.

"Please, Madison, talk to me. Let me explain, Darling," Dylan implored. "Madison! Please, listen to me!"

But Madison remained in the car. I looked at Dexter as he spoke.

"Leave him alone, dude," Dexter interfered, making Dylan stop knocking. "She doesn't want to talk to you. Let us go."

Ignoring Dexter, Dylan looked at the side window again. "Madison, please, face me. Talk to me just once..."

Dexter smirked and sneered, "Son of a bitch! You hurt her, and now you're asking her to listen why."

"Mind your own business!" Dylan retorted. "You know nothing!"

Dexter snickered. "I don't need to know the reason, dude. She's hurting because of you. We both hate to see her in pain, so stop hurting her. Leave her alone," he demanded. His words did not make sense to Dylan. When the latter continued banging down the window, the former spoke again. "Can't you understand? She doesn't want to talk to you. She doesn't even want to see you! Give way, dude!"

Getting pissed off by Dexter, who kept meddling in Dylan and Madison's affairs, Dylan strode to Dexter and grabbed him by the collar. "Why do you care?!" Dylan shouted.

Keeping his cool, Dexter only smirked as he removed Dylan's hand from his collar. But the latter's grip was tight, so Dexter pushed him away. "You hurt her! How long do you want me to wait for you to keep hurting Madison before I take her away from you?"

"You know nothing!" Dylan shouted and punched Dexter, knocking him down to the ground. The former's fist was about to hit the latter's face again when Madison called.

"Dexter!" Madison dashed to Dexter and supported his body to stand up without glancing at Dylan.

Watching Madison hold Dexter by the hand and wipe the edge of his lip, gushing blood, Dylan felt a sudden weakness in his legs. She turned her back on Dylan, oblivious of the tear that escaped his sad eyes.

"Madison," Dylan called in a weak voice and begged, "Please hear me out, Darling."

"What else do you have to explain, Sir Dylan? You're getting married, and I accept it. Please leave me alone," Madison replied without turning to Dylan.

"Darling, please. I can't afford to lose you," Dylan said softly. He walked toward Madison and hugged her from behind. She did not protest, so Dylan continued, "Let me explain, Darling. Please." Tears rolled down his face as he stood there silently, not minding another man seeing him crying. His mind could only think about begging the woman he loved to listen to what he had to endure that brought them to this situation.

Dexter removed Madison's hand from his shoulder and squeezed it before speaking. "You two need to talk. Give him a chance to explain, Madison. He loves you, and I believe he has a reason for what happened. I'm your friend, and it hurts to see you in pain. I want you to be happy with the person you love, Madison. It's time for you to stop avoiding him. I love you, and you know that. But you see, he loves you more."

Hearing Dexter's understanding, Dylan could not help but say, "I owe you one, dude."

"Don't thank me yet, Dylan," Dexter replied seriously. He glanced at Dylan and advised, "Fix your relationship. I expect that the next time we meet, I'll never see her cry again." Dexter turned to Madison and added, "Listen to him, Madison. You love each other, so you guys talk. I'll get going." He caressed Madison's cheek before turning away from them.

Regret bolted inside Dylan like a dagger hitting his chest when he made Madison turn to him and found her swollen eyes. His apologetic hands caressed her face as the voice in his head blamed him for what he had done. Gently, he kissed her eyelid and whispered, "Darling, I'll make you happy again. We'll be happy again."