All Chapters of My Best Friend's Brother : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

~Adrian~I returned home, and it was empty. So empty I felt it in my fucking soul and down to my bones.I’ve lived alone almost my whole life, but I haven’t felt this kind of loneliness in a while — and the two times it happened, it was because of the same woman.And now it hit harder, because her life and her mum’s were in danger — all because I have a mentally deranged father.I climbed the staircase toward my study, ready to stay up working all night. I wouldn’t be able to sleep even if I wanted to.But instead of going to the study, I found myself walking toward her room.I turned the knob slowly, pushed the door open, and stepped in. Her scent hit me first, and I shut the door behind me, leaning back against it.My eyes scanned the room. Her bed wasn’t made — that told me this probably happened right after I left.Stupid of me, really. If I’d stayed a minute longer, I might have stopped her.Not fully, maybe — but we’d have come up with something. Guilt tugged at my heart, slidin

~Adrian~ They were everywhere. While my men infiltrated their hideout with gunshots and others patrolled the outside so no one escaped, I looked for my wife. I had given strict orders to capture Gary. Shoot him in the arm, leg—wherever—but I want him alive. The man could be stubborn, so it’s no big deal handicapping him for a while. Oh, and even if he tries to escape, his dirty laundry was out in the open. The killer of his wife, money laundering, attempted murder on Astrid Blythe, and a couple of others that would definitely give him a long term in prison. And once he was out, he’d still face me. I barged the doors open one after the other, and the more empty they looked, the more dread curled in my stomach. I opened the—was it the tenth? Ninth? I had no idea—but a woman whimpered. I paused for a second and walked farther into the room cautiously, and then recognition dawned. Tied to a chair with her hair all over her face and blood trickling down her arm was Astrid’s mum. Po

AdrianShe had been unconscious for days. The doctor battled to save both her life and the baby’s.It was one of the hardest periods of my life. It turned out that my men had caught Gary trying to swim away. That made me realize—maybe they didn’t try to drown her.Maybe she was escaping—and she made it just far enough to collapse on land. If she’d given up in the water… well, this would’ve been a different story.I took her pale hand in mine, watching the monitors beep steadily. Her eyes stayed closed—I hadn’t seen them open in two days, and it was driving me crazy. But I kept holding onto hope. Holding onto the belief that one day soon, she would open them.I reached out and gently brushed her hair.“When are you coming back to me, wife?” I whispered, then gave a soft chuckle at how absurd it all looked.She was going to leave me—that was the plan, so she could protect her sister. And now? She was the one lying in a hospital bed.“Do you know?” I asked quietly, swallowing hard. “Do y

AstridIt felt like the world was wrapped in a haze. I couldn’t hear anything, but I could see and think. It didn’t help matters that my ears were ringing, either.A picture was etched in my mind. My dad’s.I finally saw him again after ten? Eleven years? He definitely looked younger, and I was willing to sacrifice it all to go with him. I didn’t think about anyone else but me at the time.How it’d hurt my family. Freya? She’d lose her big sister—and God, that made me feel like a bad person. Seeing my situation made Adrian call the doctor, because a man in a white coat was suddenly in the room.I was made to lie back on the bed, and my eyes and everything else were checked. I stopped crying and just stared blankly at nothing. It was then the haze slowly shattered, and I could make out some words that were being said.“Is everything okay with her?” Adrian asked, his tone concerned and worried. The doctor pursed his lips.“She looks fine. But we’d have to run some tests on her to confir

AstridThree weeks later“Ms. Blythe, how are you feeling today?” Dr. Kate asked as she walked into the office. I flashed her a smile, nodded, and intertwined my fingers.She sat in the chair opposite mine, the desk between us. Kate was my therapist. I’d been seeing her since I left Adrian’s house three weeks ago because I needed to. There was a lot I had to move on from, a lot to heal, and I needed to talk about it without feeling horrified or ashamed.There was progress—small, but it mattered.“I’m good,” I muttered. She grabbed her little book and placed it on the desk, then stared at me. She smiled warmly, her eyes brightening.“You look good. Really,” she said, and I felt a blush creeping up my cheeks. Oh, to be complimented by a woman—it always hits differently.“So, anything you want to talk about today?” she asked, and I nodded, dropping my gaze to my hands. There was something I needed to talk about. And for the first time since meeting her, it had nothing to do with my tra