My fists clenched so tight my knuckles went white. I could feel the blood draining from my face.
"Did Max ever mention that I helped pay the down payment on this place?"
Right then, my phone rang.
It was Max.
I glanced at Abigail. There was a flicker of challenge in her eyes, a trace of triumph.
I hit speakerphone.
Max's voice came through, tinged with urgency.
"Madeline, where are you? I've been calling you over and over. You didn't pick up. I'm sorry about what happened at the hotel. That was my fault. Please don't be mad, okay?"
I looked straight at Abigail. A cold smile curved the corner of my lips.
"Max," I said into the phone. "I'm at Lakeview Manor."
On the other end of the line, Max went dead silent.
A few seconds passed before his voice came through again, rattled and unsteady.
"Madeline, what are you doing there? Who told you to go?"
"Why shouldn't I come?"
I shot back, my voice terrifyingly calm.
"Isn't this the house you told me was stalled in construction? I came to see for myself today. I wanted to know exactly what kind of 'stalled' we were talking about."
"And guess what I found?"
I paused, letting my gaze sweep over Abigail, then over the neighbors gathered around, and spoke slowly, enunciating every word:
"I found my home, decorated like a palace."
"I found my husband living here with his childhood sweetheart, playing house like a pair of lovebirds. And me? The legal wife? The neighbors thought I was the other woman."
"Max, don't you think you owe me an explanation?"
On the other end, Max's breathing grew ragged. He seemed to be scrambling to cover something up.
"Madeline, let me explain. It's not what you think. Abigail, she... she had nowhere to stay, so I just took her in."
I let out a cold laugh. "Max, do you really think I'm that stupid?"
Max went quiet for a long time. Then, all at once, he stopped pretending.
"Enough, Madeline!"
"Are you done?"
"Fine, I lied to you. So what?"
"You're the one who refused to give up your career. You insisted on keeping this long-distance thing going. I'm just a regular guy with regular needs."
"Madeline, don't flatter yourself."
"If it weren't for the fact that you had a government job, and my parents insisted I marry a girl with a stable position, do you honestly think I would've looked twice at you?"
I froze.