After a messy and painful divorce from her ex-husband, Madeline decided to shift her focus entirely to her career. Her passion for medicine and her patients became her primary motivation-until she crossed paths with a blue-eyed detective who disrupt...
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Madeline packed up the last of her things from her parents' house, where she had been hiding out, waiting for the day she would leave Chicago. Her belongings had already been shipped to her new place in LA—a sleek penthouse with an expansive view of the city. It wasn't Chicago, but it was something. A fresh start, a chance to heal. As she carefully folded the last of her clothes and placed them in a suitcase, she couldn't shake the feeling that leaving wasn't just about moving away from the city. It was about running from the painful memories of everything she had lost, everything that had fallen apart in her life.
The penthouse in LA promised a new chapter, but the weight of her decisions still lingered. It wasn't just the breakup with Jay that haunted her. She had let herself fall so deeply into the life she'd created with him, only to see it crumble in the blink of an eye. The lies, the betrayals, the misunderstandings—it all weighed on her chest like a heavy stone. She couldn't ignore the nagging feeling that she was leaving pieces of herself behind, but she also knew that staying would mean suffocating under the weight of those same broken pieces.
As she zipped up the suitcase, one last glance at the room reminded her of how far she had come from the woman she used to be. It felt like a lifetime ago when everything had seemed perfect, when she'd believed in love and in their future together. But that was before she saw the photos, before the harsh reality of his betrayal shattered her heart.
She took a deep breath and looked around the empty room. It felt strange, almost surreal. Her apartment in Chicago had been her sanctuary for so long, and now it was just a memory, one she was leaving behind, along with the life she had built there. A life that felt impossible to continue living, not with all the lies, not with all the broken promises.
She grabbed her bag and headed for the door, stepping out of her parents' house for the last time. Her car was already packed with the few remaining things she needed for the journey ahead. It wasn't just the end of her time in Chicago; it was the end of an era. She didn't know what LA would bring, but she was ready to take the first step toward something new. A fresh city, a fresh start. A life where she could leave all the ghosts of the past behind.
And as she drove away, she realized it wasn't just the city she was leaving behind—it was herself. But maybe, just maybe, she could find a new version of her in the warmth of LA.
⋆˚✿˖°
Her parents stood with her in the airport lounge, the luxurious private jet waiting on the tarmac. The hum of the engines and the hustle of staff preparing for takeoff contrasted with the tender moment between the family. Madeline's mother held back tears, her eyes glistening with emotion, while her father offered a warm, reassuring smile, though his eyes betrayed a hint of sadness too.
"Now, you be careful out there in the streets, okay?" her mom said, her voice trembling slightly as she pulled Madeline into a tight hug. "Make sure you come home and visit, and if you ever need something, just call us, alright?"
"Yes, Mom," Madeline replied softly, squeezing her mother a little tighter. She could feel the weight of the goodbye settling deep in her chest, but she kept her emotions in check.
Her father stepped in next, his hand on her shoulder as he spoke with a quiet confidence. "Your stuff's already at the house, and everything's set up—your car, your place, everything. It's all ready for you in California." He smiled, trying to mask the worry behind his words. "Like your mom said, take good care of yourself out there. Be safe."
"I will miss you guys," Madeline whispered, her voice cracking slightly as she wiped away the lone tear that escaped her eye.
Her mother chuckled softly, brushing the hair from Madeline's face. "I think you'll be back home soon, mi amor," she said with a gentle laugh, though the wistfulness in her tone said otherwise.
"Maybe," Madeline replied, a small smile curling at her lips despite the lump in her throat.
Madeline turned toward the plane, walking slowly to her seat, her emotions a tangled mess she couldn't quite sort out. She placed her bag in the overhead compartment, then settled into her seat, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. Through the small window, she saw her parents standing together, watching her as the final wave passed between them. She blew them a kiss, her heart heavy but full of love.
"Bye, Chicago. Thank you for everything," Madeline whispered to herself, her words barely audible over the hum of the jet engines. As the plane taxied down the runway and lifted off, she felt the weight of the city—of everything she was leaving behind—slowly fading into the distance. But it wasn't just the city she was leaving. It was a part of herself, a chapter she couldn't reopen.
With each passing second, the city grew smaller, but Madeline knew her journey was just beginning.
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That's is the end of The Sargent's Daughter thank you sm for reading my book make sure to check out my other books this book will have a second book that is in the making, I will update this book once I finish coming up with a plot and summary for Book Two :)
Sorry for the short chapter and for taking forever to update the book lol
