All Out Of Love

The Demons Win

Author Note: I wrote this chapter ages ago. Still, I wasn't impressed with how it went. I hope you enjoy the rewrite. Also listen to the music as you read each chapter. Most of the time, these chapters were written with the song in mind or explains the chapter. This song was on replay as I rewrote the chapter and really inspired me. Anyways. Enough rambling. Happy reading. (Also check out the new cover which I made myself)

For as long as Madison could remember, storm clouds were bad omens.

In the tumultuous world of reality dating shows, storm clouds signalled more than steady downpours and bad weather. In the magical world of bright lights and expensive productions, drama thrived on sudden rainstorms.

Noble and Kristin were still at odds. Their interaction had gone from the taunts and sassy comebacks to the frigid one word answers that would freeze the Sahara Desert. After returning from her group date, the tension between them had doubled in size.

As she sat in the makeup chair, Noble stormed into the room. Immediately the energy changed as the super-fans who normally gawked and fawned over him scampered out of his path.

"Where's Kenny?"

"I knew they would pull something like this," Noble growled. Since becoming friends, she had never seen Noblesse angry.

"What's going on?"

"They're making you do a sit down interview with Ethan. The order came from the guys at the top but Kenny approved it saying that it was good for ratings,"

"They can't do that. It's nowhere in her contract that she has to meet with Ethan again," Kristin scowled, pulling up the copy of her contract on her phone.

Almost immediately, her blood ran cold. There had been no contact with the man who had broken her heart into a million pieces since last season's finale. Her hand hurt for days after slapping him for leading her on after he revealed she had only made it so far because she was the safe no-drama bet. In his words, she was the one who a man could take home to their parents but was also the one men never fell in love with because they were so boring.

Months later, his words left a permanent scar. Ethan made for interesting conversations with her therapist. He was not only the definition of a textbook narcissist but Madison was sure that even if the world was on fire and she had the only glass of water that could save him from burning, she would probably let him die.

The anger within her toward him had cooled but it hadn't extinguished completely. Even now, she shook uncontrollably as the dormant anger she had neatly tucked way once again trickled to the surface.

Normally, she was far from an angry person. In fact, most times she was extremely passive. Still, there were things that even the most passive person couldn't endure.

She had stayed quiet after returning home, settling back into her teaching job. Her work colleagues, the PTA moms and even her students had stood behind her. Her kids had even offered to drive to where Ethan live and dogpile him for breaking their teachers heart.

Having the combined support from her family, the congregation and from her work family had kept her going in her darkest days.

Still, her passivity had a limit. When Ethan had been caught in his lies in a tell-all interview and expressed that he hadn't had any feelings for her, she had smiled through the pain and borne it all. It had all changed following his attacks on her personality, her looks but his attacks on her family and work was where she had finally cracked.

It was hard to believe that the man she had been so confident about and who she saw forever in had changed in such an instant. It was even harder to believe that it had all been a lie and he had strung her along when he had no intention of taking their relationship seriously.