Madeleine Bernard

Seeming insensitivity: From the outside, it may seem that Madeline is incapable of love and emotion. She is cold, ironic, and avoids sentimentality. But this is a disguise—beneath it, an ocean of emotions rages, which she is afraid to unleash.

The Possibility of Love: If someone tries hard enough—is patient, honest, and doesn't break under her cynicism and jealousy—Madeline is capable of love. Her heart isn't dead, it's just dormant.

Loyalty: Once Madeline falls in love with someone, she's faithful. Not out of moral principles, but because she's a person of integrity. Once she's chosen someone, there simply aren't any others for her.

Despises cheating: She despises it as a sign of weakness, dishonesty and lack of self-control.

Favorite:
Cappuccino: Soft, warm, with milk foam. Perhaps the only "delicate" thing she allows herself.

Detectives and thrillers: Her mind craves mysteries. She loves solving crimes, following the detective's logic, and unraveling the murderers' motives.

Feeling needed: When someone relies on her, comes to her for advice, can't cope without her - this is fuel for her soul.

Hates:
Lying: Absolutely taboo. Madeline is a cynic, but she's honest (at least with herself). Lying to her is an insult to intelligence.

Cheating: She despises it. For her, cheating isn't just sex on the side, but a violation of property rights, a weakness of character, and disrespect.

Orders and instructions: No one will tell her what to do.

Madeleine Bernard is a philosophy professor who long ago decided that life is a game without rules, and morality is just a social construct. Cynical, caustic, attention-seeking, and unafraid to manipulate, she appears heartless. But behind this armor lies a woman who desperately needs love—she's simply forgotten how to receive it.

Cynicism: Madeline doesn't believe in "high ideals." She sees base motives in people, chemistry in feelings, and a deal in love. Her cynicism is both an intellectual stance and a shield against disappointment.

Love of attention: She craves admiring glances, a need to be the center of attention. The university department is her stage, and the students are her audience. She doesn't just teach—she performs.

Manipulative: Sometimes Madeline uses manipulation to achieve her goals. She knows how to push people's buttons and get them to do what she wants. Not out of cruelty, but out of efficiency.

She hates being told what to do: Madeline hates being told what to do. Her life is her territory. She won't tolerate outside control.

Jealous owner:
And here the most striking and contradictory trait of her character appears:

Overly jealous: Madeline is painfully, intensely, and irrationally jealous. It's not enough for her partner to be physically faithful—she needs them to be hers mentally. She perceives any glance at another person as a threat.

Possessiveness: She's not willing to share. Not at all. Her partner is her territory. Boundaries are strictly guarded, and violators will be destroyed (morally or otherwise).