Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed novel Chapter 832

Madge’s expression remained calm and unruffled, but Kathleen only grew more agitated at her composure.

Kathleen’s icy stare was a tangled knot of anger and envy, her emotions barely contained. Suddenly, she let out a cold, sharp laugh.

Moonlight washed over her face, lending her features a ghastly pallor. With her crimson coat thrown over her shoulders, she looked almost spectral—like a vengeful spirit from an old legend.

Madge’s eyes flickered with confusion.

“Sister, you know, I’ve always envied you—envied the way Mom and Dad doted on you, envied how Teague always looked out for you. No matter where you went, you were always the center of attention, the one everyone admired.”

“Standing next to you, I always felt like the ugly duckling beside a swan. But I’m family too, aren’t I?”

Madge frowned and stepped forward, reaching out to steady her. “Kathleen… you’ve had too much to drink.”

But Kathleen jerked away, shoving Madge’s hand aside. “Don’t touch me! Don’t pretend to care. You’re probably laughing at me inside, aren’t you?”

“I’m not—”

“Ever since we were kids, as long as you were there, Mom and Dad’s eyes never left you. You were all they could see. Why?” Kathleen suddenly spun around and seized Madge by the shoulders, her grip growing tighter with every word.

Her gaze darkened, her voice trembled with accusation. “More than twenty years—everything was fine, peaceful, normal. Why did you have to come back? Was it so terrible to leave things as they were?”

“You have a husband, a daughter, a picture-perfect family. You’re even a bestselling author now. You’ve got everything. So why isn’t it enough? Why do you still have to come back and take what’s mine?”

Kathleen’s voice rose to a fever pitch, all her years of pent-up resentment and hurt spilling over in a torrent.

Madge withdrew her hand and took a half-step back, putting some space between them. Her own gaze cooled, growing sharp.

“Kathleen, we grew up together. You know me as well as I know you. You didn’t show up tonight just to have New Year’s Eve dinner with Mom and Dad, did you?”

Kathleen hesitated.

Kathleen fell silent for a beat.

“You still haven’t told me what you actually want from me,” Madge continued. “Or let me put it another way: you dragged me out here and staged this whole scene—what exactly do you want me to do?”

“Aberdeen Rodriguez, you’re as sharp as ever.” Kathleen’s tone was almost admiring. “It’s simple, really. And for someone like you, it shouldn’t be hard. All I want is—”

“Stay away from Teague. As far away as possible. Even if he comes to you, you keep your distance. Understood?”

Madge’s brows drew together. “Is that all?”

“Don’t change the subject. Just answer me—can you do that or not?”

Madge shook her head slowly, bewildered. “Kathleen, sometimes I honestly can’t follow your logic. If you can see that he’s the one who isn’t over it, why are you coming to me with demands?”