He snatched his coat and stormed out of the apartment. He needed answers now. And the first place he would check, the only place Madison might return to was her old workspace in Midtown. But as he reached the elevator, his phone buzzed. A text from an unknown number. Stop looking for her. No name, no signature, just three words. His breath stalled.
Someone was helping Madison. And now they were threatening him. He stared at the message, rage simmering under his skin. Whoever sent it had made a mistake. They thought fear would stop him. They had no idea who he was. Logan’s footsteps echoed through the marble lobby of the Midtown design firm where Madison used to work.
He expected to see her curled over her MacBook, sketching floor plans the way she always did, headphones in, lost in her own world. Instead, the receptionist looked up with startled eyes when he approached. “Is Madison here?” he asked, breath clipped, impatient seeping through every word. The receptionist shifted uncomfortably. “Mr. read. She resigned 3 days ago.
Logan’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth achd. That’s impossible, she would have told me. The young woman hesitated, then added. She said she needed distance and that she was relocating for health reasons. Health reasons. The phrase sliced through him. Madison was 5 months pregnant and she left the city alone.
He felt a flash of panic but buried it quickly under anger. Where did she go? I’m sorry, sir,” she didn’t say. He knew the receptionist wasn’t lying. Madison kept her world very small. She avoided drama, avoided gossip, the kind of woman who slipped in quietly and did her work without demanding attention.
