I Walked Away And He Fell Apart Chapter 01
I’d been hopelessly in love with Garland Ridgley, the duke’s heir, ever since we were kids. For ten years, I followed him wherever he went.
Then, during my coming-of-age ceremony, we were locked in a room together while he was blackout drunk.
When he finally came to, he looked at me with absolute disgust.
“Have you no shame?” he snapped, his face twisting in fury. “Just to marry me, you’d stoop this low? Pathetic.”
I said nothing in my defense. The next day, I cut ties with my family and left for the north with my uncle.
Three years later, I came back to London with my husband. We were at a banquet when Garland’s best friend—already flushed from the drinks—grinned and pointed my way.
“Hey, Garland, Ms. Kempton is back in town. Isn’t it about time you two finally got married, as planned since childhood?”
Garland let out a harsh laugh.
“I’d rather die alone than marry a shameless schemer like her.”
I was just about to stand up and leave when my little girl, Lorna Harington, came running into my arms, squealing, “Mom!”
Garland’s gaze locked onto Lorna’s face. He gripped his wineglass so hard it shattered in his hand.
***
The crack of the glass made Lorna jump, and she ducked behind my legs.
“Mommy, that man looks mean. I’m scared,” she whispered.
I leaned down, scooped her up, and gently covered her eyes.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” I murmured. “I’m taking you home.”
Wanting absolutely nothing to do with Garland, I turned and headed for the doors.
I barely made it three steps before he stepped right in front of me.
“You’re leaving?” he demanded. “You set this whole thing up, Madelyn, so drop the act.
“I always wondered why you walked away so easily, giving up your place in the Kempton family. Turns out you ran off to the middle of nowhere just to have my kid in secret.”
The mood in the room shifted instantly. People were staring at me with clear judgment.
“Oh, wow…” someone murmured. “I always thought it was suspicious how she left so suddenly.”
“She fled London pregnant with Garland’s baby to dodge a scandal.”
“She’s incredibly calculating. She knew Garland was going to be here tonight and brought the kid along just to trap him into marriage.”
“Exactly. She followed him around constantly when they were younger. Everybody knows how desperate she was to marry him.”
I looked up and met Garland’s mocking stare.
“Get out of my way, Garland.”
“Are you mad because I called you out?” he asked, his voice dripping with contempt. “Did you honestly think having my child behind my back would force me to marry you?”
A cold laugh escaped my lips. He was being absolutely absurd.
That night three years ago, somebody else had tried to take advantage of him while he was wasted. I only stayed behind to make sure he was okay, and that was how we ended up locked in that room.
Absolutely nothing happened between us, but he instantly jumped to the conclusion that I’d set him up and accused me of having no shame.
And now, just seeing Lorna, he immediately assumed she was his!
“Garland,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “Lorna is not your daughter. Her last name is Harington. Now, step aside and stop scaring her.”
Garland froze for a split second. Then he scoffed.
“Harington? You found some guy to use as a cover and thought I’d fall for it? Don’t try to brush me off with such a garbage excuse.
“You followed me constantly for ten years, and everyone knows you’d do whatever it takes to marry me. Three years ago, you had us locked in a room just so you could force yourself on me.
“We have a daughter now, so quit playing the innocent victim!”
I pulled Lorna tighter against my chest. Any feelings I ever had for him were gone.
Ever since he saved my life when we were children, I had loved him with a fierce devotion. Back then, I followed him like a shadow, quietly enduring his coldness.
But the second he called me pathetic in that locked room, I made up my mind to walk away for good.
“Step aside,” I said, looking at him with cold eyes. “I’m only going to say this one last time. My daughter has absolutely nothing to do with you.”
Garland met my glare, visibly annoyed though he couldn’t quite seem to figure out why.
I never used to talk to him like this. I’d always deferred to him, bent over backward to do what he wanted, and never so much as raised my voice.
Yet here I was, openly defying him in front of a room full of people.
“Madelyn, do you seriously think playing hard to get is going to magically make me want you?” he asked.
The guests around us sneered.
“Madelyn, Garland knows exactly what you’re up to,” someone muttered. “Stop embarrassing yourself.”
“Seriously. It’s shameless, parading a fatherless kid in here to try and trap Garland into taking responsibility.”
I glanced around at the crowd, finding the whole situation completely absurd.
“I already told you, Lorna isn’t his!” I snapped. “Get out of the way and let us through!”
Unwilling to take no for an answer, Garland grabbed my wrist.
“You think you can just walk away?” he demanded.
“The girl will remain at my home until I confirm who her real father is!”