Share

Chapter 40

Author: TemsRay
last update Last Updated: 2025-06-29 19:45:26

It had been nearly two weeks since I got married, and today, I finally found the courage to go home, the real one. Just my mum’s little apartment, tucked away in the corner of the city where nothing had changed.

The moment she opened the door, her face lit up like it always had no matter how tired, no matter how late.

“My baby,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around me.

And for the first time in weeks, I let myself melt.

The tears came quietly at first. Then louder. Messier. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t have to

But she knew.

She held me tight, her fingers brushing through my hair.

“I don’t know what’s wrong,” she said gently, “but I know that marriage… marriage is not magic, Lia. It’s messy. Even the most beautiful ones have ugly days.”

I stayed quiet.

She sighed. “You don’t have to tell me, not now. But whatever it is, just know, love doesn’t fix everything. Patience does. Communication does. And time. Plenty of it.”

I swallowed hard, trying not to cry again. “What if I’m not
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter

Latest chapter

  • One Heart, Which Brother?   Chapter 75

    Lia’s POVI closed the distance.Because I knew in that messed up, confusing, terrifying moment that I didn’t want anyone else.“I don’t want to lose myself trying to be okay with everything,” I whispered, placing my palm over his chest. His heartbeat thundered beneath my fingers.“Then don’t,” he murmured, his hand covering mine. “Let me carry the weight. Let me do what I’ve always done, protect you. Even if it’s from the truth.”“But the truth is mine now, Ruben.”He nodded slowly, stepping closer, until we were nose to nose. “Then tell me what to do… and I’ll do it. Whatever it takes.”I didn’t answer. Instead, I leaned up and pressed my lips to his.Not out of passion.Not out of lust.But out of pain, and hope, and the sick, twisted feeling, that maybe we were both too far gone.His arms wrapped around me instantly, like he’d been waiting for permission. The kiss deepened, but not like the others. This one was slow, burning like kindling catching fire.But I was the one who pulle

  • One Heart, Which Brother?   Chapter 74

    Ruben’s POVSomething had changed.She still smiled at me. Still laughed when Daphne made ridiculous jokes. Still ate dinner beside me at the table, legs brushing mine underneath, like she always used to.But it wasn’t real. Not all of it.I could feel the shift in her.A man always knows when the woman he loves is drifting silently, secretly, like sand slipping through the gaps of your fingers no matter how tightly you hold on.And I was holding on.Desperately.Lia had been quieter since that morning she went out alone. She claimed she was meeting a friend. I didn’t ask who I already knew. Ken.I could smell it on her skin when she returned.Not perfume or cologne. But the scent of hard truths. Of broken illusions.Now, she sat across from me in the reading room, legs tucked beneath her, pretending to be absorbed in one of the novels I’d hand-selected for the home library.But her fingers hadn’t flipped a page in over ten minutes.“You’re quiet,” I said, voice low.She looked up, st

  • One Heart, Which Brother?   Chapter 73

    Lia’s POVI hadn’t seen Ken since that day… since that almost-moment when I had nearly given in to something I knew was wrong.Since I saw the pain in his eyes the pain I put there.But today, none of that mattered. My guilt would have to wait.I needed the truth, and I needed it now.The café was almost empty, barely six customers scattered across the polished wooden floors. The air smelled of strong espresso and cinnamon, the peaceful hum of soft music making it feel like the world hadn’t started unraveling yet.Ken sat by the window. Alone.He looked... older. More tired than I remembered. He wasn’t smiling. He wasn’t teasing. He wasn’t even pretending. Just sitting there in all black, sunglasses pushed up on his head, one arm resting along the back of the booth as if he'd been waiting for me for years.I approached slowly.“Hey,” I said, unsure if I should sit or stand.“Sit, Lia,” he said calmly, his voice quieter than usual. Almost… cautious.I obeyed.There was silence for a mo

  • One Heart, Which Brother?   Chapter 72

    Lia’s POVThe villa had always been silent.But now, it was too silent.The kind of silence that clung to your skin like static, like the moment before lightning strikes. The walls were whispering things I could no longer ignore.The names. The codes. That single mention of the Delvini Cartel.I wasn’t naïve.My husband wasn’t just powerful, he was dangerous.But it wasn’t just that. It was the way he looked at me lately. Like he was trying to protect something. Or hide it.I paced the hallway, barefoot, wrapped in my silk robe as the late afternoon light spilled through the stained-glass windows. The scent of leather and cologne still clung to the air from his earlier departure. He was always leaving now. Calls he wouldn’t explain. The doors closed when I walked in.He thought I wasn’t paying attention.He was wrong.I dialed Daph.“Please tell me you’re not still walking around that place barefoot like a haunted princess,” her voice joked over the call.I gave a weak laugh. “You know

  • One Heart, Which Brother?   Chapter 71

    Lia's POVThe sea was the deepest blue I’d ever seen, stretching endlessly into the horizon.Our private villa sat perched over the ocean, the glass walls catching the soft afternoon sunlight. It was paradise, the kind you only read about in books or watch in movies. And yet, a small knot nestled tightly in my chest.“Like it?” Ruben asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. He smelled like salt, spice, and something entirely him.“I love it,” I whispered, and I meant it… mostly.He kissed the side of my neck, his lips lingering. “Good. Because for the next seven days, it’s just us.Just you and me.”It sounded like a dream. It felt like one too. Every dinner under the stars, every long walk on the beach, every swim in the infinity pool it felt like we were starting over.Maybe we really could start again.That evening, after a quiet candlelit dinner on the deck, Ruben pulled me into a slow dance, no music, no phones. Just the sound of waves crashi

  • One Heart, Which Brother?   Chapter 70

    Lia’s POVThe ride home was quiet. Not cold. Just… filled with the weight of unsaid things.I kept glancing at Ruben, his hand resting firmly on the gear, knuckles pale. His jaw was clenched always when he was trying to keep himself in control.But even silence with him didn’t feel awkward anymore. It just… built tension. Like a match waiting for friction.As soon as we got into the house, I kicked off my flats, walking toward the stairs.“Lia,” he said from behind me. Just my name but it was low. A soft command.I turned slowly.He looked wrecked. Still in that pressed navy shirt, sleeves rolled up, the first two buttons undone. That same look in his eyes I’d caught glimpses of before but this time, it wasn’t buried. He wasn’t hiding it.I didn’t move. Neither did he.And then he crossed the space between us and kissed me.Not gentle. Not rushed either.It was desperate in a way that made my knees weak.His mouth claimed mine with hunger that had clearly been kept bottled for far too

More Chapters
Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status