Lucian

Chapter 23

[Madelyn]

He wets his lips and looks at me. My eyes are ready to pop out of my head and my mouth is hanging wide open. Did I hear him right? Lucian reaches out a hand to tuck my hair behind my ear. My heart begins to beat faster and I can hear it drumming in my head.

"You look so beautiful, Madelyn." He tells me softly before smashing his wet lips against mine. I gasp and feel his hands trawl down to the small of my back and tug me closer to him. I wrap my arms around his neck and open my mouth for his hot tongue to slip inside my mouth and I moan.

"Wait..." I pull away but he pulls me right back. My stomach warms. He twirls his tongue around in my mouth and my lips go numb. Suddenly there's a knock on the door and I tense. Who's here in the morning? Lucian ignores it and continues kissing me while pushing up the hem of my shirt over my stomach. Another knock on the door and this time I hold his face in my hands and pull him away. "T-the door." I say breathlessly and he frowns.

"I am not excepting anyone." He says and leans his head in for a second kiss. I shake my head and laugh.

"You can't do that. What if they need help?" He sighs and brings my shirt back down before helping me down from the kitchen counter. We both walk to the door and I stand behind him when he opens it and my heart stops. Nick.
I feel Lucian's whole body tense in front of me. Why- Nick is...here. He's in Lucian's home and he doesn't look good. His hair is messy and his clothes have stains on them and his eyes are red.

"What do you want?" Lucian asks in a dark voice, the smile he was wearing now long gone. I don't even think Nick has realized that I'm also here. He just looks down at the ground and shifts a little.

"Do you know where Madelyn is?" He rasps and my heart breaks a little. Lucian takes a step forward and Nick just stands there. "I don't want any trouble I just want to talk to my wife...I know she's here."

Lucian's whole body looks like it is shaking with rage. Tears in burn the back of my eyes and I place a soft hand on Lucian's shoulder. His tense muscles relax when I lean my forehead on his back. "It's okay." I whisper and watch and his hands form into fists. "I need to talk to him." I whisper again and that seems to reach Nick.

"Madelyn?" He says and his eyes light up as he spots me behind Lucian. I step out from my hiding spot and wait for Nick to get angry and yell at me but he does nothing. He just blinks at me like he can't believe I'm real.

"What are you doing here?" I say and Nick clears his throat. He looks like he hasn't slept in days. Is this because of me?

"I-I can't tell you how sorry I am but I just want to talk. I need to explain. I need to talk to you." He pleads, his eyes begging me to hear him out. A part of me wants to listen to what he has to say. M-maybe it was all a mistake. Maybe I misunderstood the whole situation. A warm hand is placed on my shoulder and I seem to come back to reality. Lucian squeezes my shoulder trying to comfort me. Lucian. Not Nick. I can never go back to Nick. Not after everything with Lucian and everything with that woman Nick was with. But I will hear him out.

"Okay," I say and feel how Lucian tenses behind me. Nick nods his eyes look at something behind me. I sigh. "We can talk out here." Nick understands and walks out to the hall and I follow him. I don't look at Lucian, if I do I might not go through with this. I wince when Lucian's hand slips off my shoulder and I know he can hear it. I close the door after me and then it is just me and Nick outside.

"I have missed you so much Maddie-" Nick brings his arms out for a hug and I back away. Hurt flashes on his face for only a split second before he covers it up with a sad smile. "It is not the same without you. Madelyn, I want you to come home, please. I will get on my knees and beg you for it if I have to but please come home." I don't realize I'm crying until the first tear falls out of my eye and lands on my chin.

"Nick-"

"No, no. Don't 'Nick' me. Let me explain first." He cuts me off and takes a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't take you to that party and I lied to you about where I was going a-and I...cheated on you but it was all a mistake. I don't care about kids and sex anymore I just want you. Please come home and take your stupid cat with you because hell- I miss you both." My tears are flowing down my face and all I can do is listen while he continues. "I have not been the best husband but I will change- I have changed. For you, baby I want to be a better man for you and I'm so in love with you it hurts. It doesn't even matter that you don't tell me you love me because I already know you do." He's crying now too and he has never cried before. I have never seen that man cry. Never. And now he's doing it for the first time and it feels like he's splitting my heart in half.

"Nick..." I wipe my wet cheeks with the back of my hand but Nick grabs then both in his hands and shakes his head.

"Don't wipe your tears, I know you're crying because you know I'm right." He's wrong. I shake my head and look down at our hands. No. No, he's wrong. So wrong. "That woman you saw me with she means nothing to me. You do, you mean everything to me." A tear lands on my hand and I realize it's coming from my eye. I blink and look back up at him.

"Nick." He is looking at me with so much hope in his eyes. I shake my head and offer him a sad smile through the tears. I take a step back and my hands slip from his hand. They're not the hands I feel safe with. They're not warm. His hands are not big and warm like Lucian's hands. "I can't." I whisper and Nick's eyes drain from every last bit of hope he had. Now it's being replaced with a hand disbelief. I knew it was only a matter of time...

"You-" he let's out a breath in raw humor, "you are choosing him? Over me?" A shiver makes its way down my spine and the hairs on my neck rise. "You can't be serious. He doesn't even love you!" He growls and saliva spills from his mouth. My eyes grow big and I take a few steps away. I glance towards Lucian's door and then back at Nick. I can make a run for it.

"Please calm down Nick...you're scaring me." He just laughs a humorless laugh and fists his hand up above his head. I flinch but my hands up in defense. I wait for the blow but nothing happens.

"Wow.." Nick says in disbelief. "You thought I was actually going to hit you?" I look at him with new tears threatening to spill. He almost looks offended. What is happening to him?

"Nick stop it I'm scared." I whisper. He nods and then suddenly his hand is flying towards my face. I shut my eyes tightly but yet again there is no hit. This times the tears do spill.

"So I scare you huh?" He says and when I don't react he grabs my wrist with his other hand and pulls me to him. "Huh?" He tells with his hand still in the air. I am so scared my whole body is trembling. This isn't the Nick I remember.