Chapter 6 The Mask of Devotion

Madison's POV

The lingering warmth of Dexter's kiss on my forehead had not even faded before the hospital room door slammed open again.

Klaus marched back into the room. His dark hair was slightly mussed, his expensive tie loosened, and his eyes were wide with a frantic, desperate emotion that made my stomach twist in immediate discomfort.

"Madison," he breathed, rushing to the side of my bed before I could even open my mouth to tell him to get out. He dropped to his knees right beside the bed, grabbing my hands in his. "Thank God that doctor let me back in. Babe, please look at me. Look at your husband."

I tried to pull my hands out of his grip, but his fingers tightened, holding me captive.

"Let go of me, Klaus. I told you, I do not know who you are."

"Because your mind is playing tricks on you!" he cried. He reached into his inner suit pocket and pulled out a sleek silver phone. With trembling fingers, he tapped the screen and held it up directly in front of my face. "Look at this. Please, Maddie, just look."

I narrowed my eyes. It was a photograph. The background was a gorgeous, sunlit beach with turquoise water. In the center of the frame was me, wearing a flowing white sundress, my arms thrown securely around Klaus's neck. Klaus was throwing his head back, laughing fully, looking like a man completely besotted with his wife.

He swiped to the next photo. It was a selfie taken in a high-end restaurant. He was kissing my cheek while I grinned widely at the lens, holding up a sparkling diamond bracelet. He swiped again. A cozy winter scene in front of a roaring fireplace, both of us wrapped in a heavy blanket, holding matching mugs.

In every single picture, we looked like the definition of a fairytale couple.

"See?" Klaus whispered, his gaze burning into mine. "We were happy, Madison. We are so madly in love. You gave up everything for me... your acting career, the spotlight, the paparazzi... just so we could build a quiet life together. You chose me. You threw yourself into my arms and told me you couldn't live without me."

I stared at the photos, my mind spinning. The visual evidence was right there. That was undeniably my face, and those smiles didn't look forced. It was enough to convince any rational person that he was telling the truth.

And yet, as I looked from the screen up to Klaus's frantic face, my chest tightened with a heavy, suffocating weight.

My brain believed the photos, but my body absolutely rejected them.

There was a profound, chilling emptiness in my chest as he spoke. When he called me babe, it felt like an iron shackle settling around my ankle. When he squeezed my hands, a phantom wave of bitterness rushed up my throat, so intense it made my mouth taste like copper. My subconscious was screaming at me, throwing up invisible walls to keep this man away from me.

"If we were so happy," I started, my voice tight and entirely devoid of warmth, "why were you not here when I woke up? The doctor said I have been in a coma for over three months, Klaus. A devoted husband does not leave his wife alone in a hospital bed for ninety days."

Klaus flinched as if I had physically struck him. A flash of something dark and calculating crossed his expression before he quickly smoothed it over with a look of profound guilt.

"I was sick, Madison," he said softly, bowing his head so his forehead pressed against our joined hands. "The accident... the trauma of seeing you collapse and fall into this state... it broke me. I spent the last few months severely ill, bedridden, barely able to manage my own sanity. I wanted to be here every single second, I swear to you. But I could not bear the thought of hurting your recovery."

It was a perfectly crafted story. It was sympathetic, logical, and entirely wrapped in devotion.

But I did not believe a single word of it.

The way his eyes darted to the side before he answered, the slightly exaggerated sigh... it all felt plastic. Performative. It felt like he was playing a role he hadn't fully rehearsed.

Why was he trying so hard to play the doting husband now?

Suddenly, Dexter's dark warning echoed vividly in my mind: Klaus does not love you. He used you for your inheritance. They are using your amnesia to manipulate you.

"I need you to leave, Klaus," I said, my voice dropping into a flat, steady line as I forcefully yanked my hands out of his grasp.

Klaus stiffened on the floor, his eyes narrowing slightly as the desperate act began to crack under my rejection.

"Madison, I am your husband. You can't just..."

"I am tired, and my head is exploding," I interrupted, crossing my arms over my chest to create a barrier between us. "I do not care about the photos right now. I do not remember you. Being near you makes me feel suffocated. Please get out."

For a second, a flash of pure, unadulterated rage crossed Klaus's handsome features. His jaw clenched so tightly the bone practically popped under his skin. But just as quickly, he forced a tight, smile onto his face.

He stood up.

"Fine," he muttered, "I will give you space for today, wifey. But don't think for a second that I am giving up on you. You belong with me, at the Ashford Estate. I will be back tomorrow."

He turned on his heel and walked out.

I slumped back against the pillows, letting out a long, shaky breath. My mind was an absolute battlefield.

Klaus was a liar. Dexter told me to trust only him. But what about Cedric? The boy who had waited ten years for me, the man whose brief touch had sent a violent shockwave of genuine, raw emotion straight through my soul?