CROOKED: In love with my cousin's boyfriend のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 101 - チャプター 110

(MAËL 4).I squinted at the beam of light that fell over us as we sat in the VIP area, watching the show. I was really enjoying Shura’s version of "Paralyzed", originally by "The Cardigans"—an excellent rendition. The champagne tasted good in my mouth, and with every sip, I could see the dark-haired guy analyzing the artists while nodding to the beat, along with several team members trying to pause their tasks to join us. The big boss, Duncan Stutterheim, was present—something that didn’t usually happen—and it felt like a true privilege. Additionally, executives from Spinning Records, Size Records, Monstercat, Revealed Recordings, the famous Skrillex with his powerful OWSLA, and other production companies and labels were also in attendance. I couldn’t have been prouder. Fireworks, performances in the crowd and on stage, a high-end lighting system, and flawless coordination between the production assistants for each act and our own team left us beyond fascinated by the success that

He caught up to me quickly, just as I opened my car door. He slammed it shut, gripping the handle, piercing me again with those steel eyes. "You're not leaving!" he snapped urgently. "Excuse me?!" I jerked free. He clenched his hands, opening and closing them several times, as if trying to calm himself. Then he spoke more softly. "Don’t go." "Why not? Didn’t you want the house? Buy it—it’s right there. I need to leave soon. You should stay and sort out the paperwork today." "No." He stepped closer, forcing me to press against the car. Maël was breathing fast—and he wasn’t the only one. He took a few steps forward, and suddenly, his intoxicating scent flooded my senses, drugging neurons I thought had long been detoxed from him. He was wearing the same cologne. He’d dared to keep that wild, youthful fragrance from all those years ago. "God, Delu…" he exhaled in a whisper. "I looked for you so much, so many times…" I wanted to cry, but I wouldn’t—not in front of him.

"Only Marcel." I nodded at his response. "My father suspected something very bad had happened when he saw that Nikko and I couldn’t even get close to each other, and that after telling him we were together, we had broken up. But we didn’t tell him anything. Neither him nor Mom." "I see." He nodded. "Please send Marcel my regards. I don’t have his number, and I didn’t know about the wedding—what a shame. It would’ve been an elixir to see that girl in a wedding dress. I think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen! Lucky Marcel, the kind of luck he has," I said, laughing. "Yes, she’s beautiful, but I don’t feel the same way you do. I don’t think she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen." My smile slowed, and I felt a bit of warmth in my cheeks. "Does your friend Sandra still live with Galev? I haven’t seen him again." "Oh, yes. They’re still together. They love each other a lot. They still live here." Maël smiled beautifully. "You, on the other hand, moved away... And

I arrived at the apartment. Dhumas lifted his face from the laptop, saw my expression, and immediately realized something bad had happened to me. But instead of saying anything, he kept staring at his computer. The thousand breaths I took to calm myself after that encounter—and after the conversation with Sandra—weren’t enough. Not even the kilo of makeup I’d caked on to hide the redness sufficed. I dropped my bag on the small table by the door and strolled to the living room, bathing in the warmth of the heater and the smell of freshly cooked food. My husband was sitting in the middle of the three-seater sofa, leaning forward, strands of his black hair falling over his forehead, serious. He didn’t look away from the screen, not even when I stood right in front of him. It was already late afternoon, almost evening. I’d wandered aimlessly before coming here. The call with Sandra had been long, and that had eaten up the hours too. I sat beside him, and when I saw what was on his

(MAËL 7)."Oh my God, so… that’s where Delu and you…?" "No. What happened with Delu was after that bastard proposed to her." I smiled now, not an ounce of amusement in it. "He never admitted it, but I’m sure that son of a bitch only asked her to marry him to screw up my chances with her." "And because of Belinda, I assume." "Yep." Turns out, between the two of us, I wasn’t the only one who hated. Nikko had his own special affection for me too. What my cousin never knew was that before he gave Delu that ring at a family Christmas dinner, she and I had already kissed. "What?!" "I really never told you that?" "No, never." You only mentioned Delu as an ex who left a mark, but fuck… she’s way more than that. I raised my eyebrows and nodded, leaning back in the chair again. "After that, everything got… everything was…" "When exactly was it?" "What?" "When you and Delu started." Melancholy carves holes in my psyche. "The same day Delu finally left Nikko." A silence