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CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: Small Steps

Auteur: Kim castro
last update Date de publication: 2026-03-17 17:16:29

Day three in Switzerland. I wake to find Lucian already gone.

Panic hits immediately. Heart racing. Breath catching. The bond stretches but doesn't break… he's close, somewhere in the house. But my body doesn't care about logic. It only knows he's not next to me.

I find him in the kitchen, making coffee. The relief is so intense I almost cry.

"Hey," he says, turning. Then he sees my face. "Nightmare?"

"You weren't there when I woke up."

Understanding crosses his features. "I'm sorry. I thought…
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  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: Learning to Breathe

    Day twenty-two feels different.For the first time since this started, I wake up without immediate dread. No panic about what fresh crisis awaits. Just morning light through warehouse windows and Lucian's steady breathing beside me.The bond is quiet. Content. Like it's finally stopped bracing for impact."You feel it too?" Lucian asks without opening his eyes."The calm?""Yeah." He pulls me closer. "It's weird. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.""Maybe there are no more shoes. Maybe we're actually safe.""Nine days," he says. "Nine days until the contract ends and we can really test that theory."At the facility, the atmosphere has transformed completely. The researchers who remain are the ones who genuinely care about the science. The corporate stooges resigned or were fired. Dr. Chen runs the operation with ethical oversight that would make Dad proud."Today we're documenting recovery patterns," Dr. Walsh explains. "How the bond heals after sustained trauma. Most bonded p

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: Facing the Monster

    Day twenty. Adrian's arraignment.We're not required to attend. Patricia Chen makes that clear. "You've done enough. You don't owe him your presence."But Lucian needs to go. I feel it through the bond…the burning need to look Adrian in the eye and see him powerless. So we go.The courthouse is chaos. Media everywhere. Protesters on both sides…some supporting Adrian, claiming he's being framed, others demanding justice for Diana. Security escorts us through a side entrance.Inside, the courtroom is smaller than I expected. More intimate. There's no hiding here. No distance between us and the man who tried to destroy us.Adrian sits at the defense table in an orange jumpsuit. Prison has aged him. Gray at his temples. Lines around his mouth. But his eyes are the same. Cold. Calculating. Predatory.He sees us enter. His gaze locks on Lucian, then slides to me. He smiles.The bond recoils."Don't look at him," Lucian says quietly. "Don't give him anything."But I can't look away. This man

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER SIXTY: The Call

    Week three with Echo. She sleeps in our room now, still at the foot of the bed, but inside. Progress.I'm writing at my desk… ten pages into my fantasy novel…when my phone rings. Unknown number. My stomach drops."Don't answer it," Lucian says from the piano.But I do. Because hiding from the world doesn't make it disappear."Aria Bennett?" A woman's voice, professional and familiar."Patricia Chen?""Yes. I'm sorry to interrupt your healing time, but we need to discuss the trial."My hand tightens on the phone. "Adrian's trial.""It's been moved up. Starts in three weeks. The judge wants to expedite given the severity of charges and the evidence."Three weeks. Twenty-one days. I look at Lucian, see him watching me with concern through the bond."What do you need from us?" I ask."Testimony. Both of you. The DA wants you there in person, not remotely. Your presence will be more impactful for the jury.""We'd have to come back to New York.""Yes. For approximately two weeks. Maybe long

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE: Rescue and Rescued

    Week two in Switzerland. We've established fragile routines. Coffee at dawn. Writing for me, piano for Lucian. Lunch on the terrace. Afternoon walks. Dinner. Nightmares. Survival.But today, Lucian has a plan."We're going to the dog rescue," he announces over breakfast."Today?""Today. We've been saying 'eventually' for two weeks. Eventually is now."I want to argue. Want to say we're not ready. That we can barely take care of ourselves, how can we take care of a dog? But the look in his eyes stops me.He needs this. Needs to rescue something, nurture something, prove he can protect something vulnerable."Okay," I say. "Let's get a dog."The rescue is at the edge of the village. A converted barn with kennels and runs. A woman named Heidi greets us in English tinged with German accent."You are looking to adopt?" she asks, smiling."Yes," Lucian says. "Something that needs us.""All of them need someone." Heidi leads us through the facility. "But some more than others."She shows us

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: Small Steps

    Day three in Switzerland. I wake to find Lucian already gone.Panic hits immediately. Heart racing. Breath catching. The bond stretches but doesn't break… he's close, somewhere in the house. But my body doesn't care about logic. It only knows he's not next to me.I find him in the kitchen, making coffee. The relief is so intense I almost cry."Hey," he says, turning. Then he sees my face. "Nightmare?""You weren't there when I woke up."Understanding crosses his features. "I'm sorry. I thought… I didn't think.""It's okay. I know it's irrational.""It's not irrational. It's trauma." He pulls me into his arms. Through the bond, I feel his own guilt. His regret for triggering my panic. "I won't leave the bed without waking you first. I promise.""That's going to get annoying.""I don't care. Your peace of mind matters more than coffee."We drink our coffee outside on the terrace, wrapped in blankets against the mountain cold. The village below is waking up. Lights flickering on in windo

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN: Foreign Ground

    The Swiss Alps look like a postcard.Snow-capped mountains against impossibly blue sky. Villages that belong in fairy tales. Air so clean it almost hurts to breathe.Viktor's driver navigates winding roads with practiced ease while Lucian and I press our faces to the windows like children."It's beautiful," I whisper."It's quiet," Lucian says, and I hear the wonder in his voice.No sirens. No traffic. No reporters. Just mountains and sky and silence so complete it feels like a physical presence.The house appears around a curve. Stone and timber, three stories, perched on a hillside with views that steal my breath. Smoke curls from the chimney. Someone's prepared it for our arrival."This is ours?" I ask stupidly."For as long as you need it," the driver says in accented English. "Mr. Volkov's instructions. The house is yours."Inside, it's even better. Rustic but luxurious. Stone fireplace. Exposed beams. Windows everywhere flooding the space with light. And in the corner of the mai

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: The Mate Bond Deepens

    The cabin has one bedroom, a tiny kitchen, and a fireplace that barely works. It's rustic in a way that would be charming if we were here by choice.We're not.Day three in isolation, and I'm starting to understand what Harper meant about the bond getting stronger.It started small. Sensing Lucian'

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-21

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: The Fundraiser Trap

    Brandon arrives on day five with news we don't want to hear."There's a charity gala," he says, spreading photos across the cabin's small table. "Hayes Industries annual fundraiser. Adrian's making an appearance. First time since the Plaza.""So?" Lucian doesn't look up from the laptop where he's r

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-22

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Building the Alliance

    Brandon arrives the next morning with three burner phones and a stack of files."These are the people," he says, spreading documents across the kitchen table. "Everyone Adrian's screwed over in the last decade. Business partners he bankrupted. Employees he destroyed. Competitors he crushed through

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-22

  • His Forbidden Mate: The Billionaire stepbrother’s claim    CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: The Parking Lot Confession

    The fire alarm is chaos incarnate.Sprinklers engage, drenching the ballroom in seconds. Guests scream. The orchestra stops mid-note. Security's attention splits between us and the panicking crowd."Go!" Brandon's voice crackles in the earpiece. "Service exit, north side. I've unlocked it. Thirty s

    last updateDernière mise à jour : 2026-03-22
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