Semua Bab My Stepbrother, My Ruin: Bab 71 - Bab 73

Stay calm, Evie. Stay calm.But I was shaking with anger.Not the loud kind. Not the kind that screamed or threw things.This was the kind that lived deep in your bones. That crawled under your skin and clenched your throat and made everything feel too quiet.We were eating takeout on his couch.Ryder was talking about football now. Something about new drills and how Coach Graham was riding him hard about missing a pass last week. His voice was low, familiar.Safe.But I barely heard a word.My fingers were curled around the chopsticks, noodles untouched in the container.He glanced at me mid-sentence, brow creasing. “You okay? You’ve barely said a word.”I didn’t look at him.Not yet.if I didn't say it, I would die from within. Even though I wanted to act as if it didn't matter. It did. It fucking did. So I did it. Even if it would ruin our relationship I said it. “You said you weren’t there.”Ryder stopped mid bite.The room fell silent.He blinked. “What?”I finally turned to

I stared into his eyes for a half-second too long before I turned away.No smile. No nod. Just... silence.If Ryder was surprised by that, he didn’t show it. But his jaw ticked. Slightly and tightly. Like he was biting down on something sharp.I didn't smile at him and turned on my heels, kept walking without looking back at him. My heart clenched at the feeling of doing that but I didn't care. It's gone. He is a traitor and I don't trust him anymore. I shook my head not wanting to think about the past or him. I didn't want him to ruin my mood. I came here to discover Sienna's goal and use it to my own leverage. I pushed open the glass door and stepped into an exquisite looking ballroom. The ballroom was carved from money—glass walls, black marble floors, spotlights diffused just right to make everyone look more important than they really were. Everything about it was curated for vanity. And tonight? I wasn’t here to blend in.I was here to haunt someone.My crimson dress caught eve