Semua Bab Married My Ex's Uncle In My Second Time: Bab 121 - Bab 130

“Strip,” he says, leaning back on the bed, his elbows propped behind him, watching me with that intense gaze that always makes my knees a little weak.“Alright,” I whisper, my voice a little shaky. I'm nervous—but I signed up for this. And I’m going to see it through.Taking a slow breath, I let my fingers trail up my back to unclasp my bra. As sexily as I can manage, I slide it off and bunch it in my hand before tossing it at him. He catches it without blinking, his eyes never leaving mine.“Everything,” he says, his voice thick with desire.My eyes flick down to the undeniable bulge in his trousers. The sight gives me a flicker of confidence. I hook my thumbs into the waistband of my panties and slide them down, stepping out of them slowly. Then, with a mischievous smirk I didn’t know I had in me, I throw those at him too.This time, he catches them and brings them to his face, breathing in deeply like I’m something rare and intoxicating. The raw hunger in his eyes makes my breath h

“That was wonderful, Miss Anna,” someone says as I step down from the podium, my heart still thrumming like a drumline after a final beat.I offer a composed smile, even though my palms are damp from nerves. My fingers tighten instinctively around the edge of my note cards—mostly untouched during the presentation, but clutched now like a security blanket. The room around me hums with quiet approval—warm smiles, murmured compliments, impressed nods exchanged between executives like secret handshakes. The air feels electric, like I just passed through a lightning storm and somehow came out glowing.Almost everyone is smiling.Almost.My gaze shifts and lands on Lisa’s superior—her direct manager and probably her biggest supporter until, well… now.His expression is nothing short of thunderous. Lips pressed into a line so thin it might disappear altogether, jaw clenched like he’s biting down on glass. He doesn’t clap. Doesn’t smile. Doesn’t blink. His eyes stay fixed on me with a look th

The next evening, I step into the house, expecting the usual scent of dinner and the sound of Mum humming along to the radio. But instead, the air feels heavy and quietquietVoices drift from the living room, low and solemn. As I round the corner, I stop short.Mr. and Mrs. Ashford are sitting on the couch, deep in conversation with my parents. My mum looks like she’s been crying, her eyes a little red and puffy, and Dad’s hands are clasped tightly in his lap. Mr. Ashford’s face is drawn and serious, while Mrs. Ashford’s lips are trembling as if she’s holding back something she’s dying to say.When they see me, Mrs. Ashford immediately rises to her feet.“Anna,” she says, voice soft and wobbly, and the next second she’s across the room, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. Her perfume is familiar, floral, comforting, and yet the hug is filled with something I can’t name. A desperation that makes my stomach twist.I freeze. “Is… is everything okay?”My voice comes out unsure

After I’ve washed my face and curled up again beside Alaric on his stupidly comfortable couch, I shoot my mum a text with shaking fingers.Me: Hey, I’m staying at Alaric’s tonight. I just need a bit of time. I’ll come back tomorrow.The reply comes almost immediately.Mum: Okay, sweetheart. Take all the time you need. The Ashfords are staying over too—if that’s okay with you?I stare at the message for a second before typing.Me: That’s okay. Tell them goodnight for me.Mum: We love you. Sleep well.I exhale a breath I didn’t realize I was holding and tuck my phone away. Alaric shifts beside me, his arm still around my shoulders like he’s trying to hold the pieces of me together.“Will you stay with me?” I ask quietly, my voice barely more than a whisper.He looks down at me like it’s the easiest question in the world. “Always.”I don’t say anything after that, just press my face into his chest and let his heartbeat lull me into something that feels like peace. Right before I drift of

The office was quiet, the usual morning hum of keyboards and clinking mugs a strangely comforting background to the storm of thoughts in her head. She stared at her screen, a spreadsheet open but untouched, and found her eyes drifting to the photo frame next to her monitor. It was a picture of her and Brian at her last birthday, smiling in the kitchen with a cake that had sunk in the middle.They’d laughed so hard that night. That used to be her whole world—her job, Brian, the quiet comfort of routine.Brian had missed the whole thing as he was away on a business trip in Singapore, but the moment he found out, he called her. She’d barely gotten two words in before he started gushing, saying he always knew she was special, that it all somehow made sense now. His voice cracked when he told her how proud he was, how happy he was that she’d found where she belonged. “You’ve always had a big family, Anna,” he said gently. “We were just waiting for the rest of them to find you.”And then th