Chapter 188

Exhausted from the night before, Madeleine dozed off curled up in Beckett's arms and didn't wake until morning. "Time for breakfast, yeah?" Beckett, already cleaned up, sat by the bed, gently waking her. Rubbing her eyes, Madeleine sat up groggily—only to realize how swollen her eyes were. "Goo… morning, Mr. Beach." Her voice was hoarse, scratchy beyond belief. Her head lowered, shoulders drooping, eyes red—it was obvious her throat was sore from all the crying last night. How could Beckett be so heartless? "We'll hit the beach later," he said, lifting her chin and placing a kiss on her cheek like it was nothing. Why did he keep acting like she meant something special? "You know how to swim?" he asked, gently ruffling her hair. "Yeah!" Her eyes lit up—clearly excited. It wasn't just swimming—she even held a small record in diving. She was seriously good at it. "Impressive," Beckett said, standing up to wait on the couch while she changed. Her ears were burning—he was being soft again,