Lahat ng Kabanata ng DIVORCED MORNING AND REMARRIED TO HIS BROTHER BY NIGHT: Kabanata 191 - Kabanata 200

MONIQUEWe move again to the music room, then the space I had once planned to turn into a gaming room for the kids.“Such a big house for such big dreams,” Mrs Bennett muses. “You thought of everything...fun, laughter, a life together. You built this place for your family.”We finally reach the glass doors leading outside. Mrs. Bennett slides them open, and a rush of evening air hits my face. The scent of chlorine and night blooms fills the air. We step out onto the patio. Two pools glisten under the outdoor lights, one large, elegant pool for adults, and beside it, the smaller one I had designed especially for the children I thought I would have with Ryan.Mrs. Bennett stops at the edge, her voice quiet now. “You picked this house because you said it felt like home. Because you wanted your future here. You said it was where you’d raise your children, where you’d grow old with Ryan.”She turns to me, her expression soft but sharp, every word carefully placed.“Tell me, Monique… are yo

MONIQUEI don’t know how long I sat there, holding that phone, clutching it like it was the only lifeline I had left. Then I thought I heard footsteps outside the door. Panic jolted through me. I quickly shoved the phone beneath my pillow, hiding it just in time.No one came in.I lay there, still, heart pounding, the phone pressed under me, and I kept wondering....was he really out there? Was Marcus truly at the gate? Would he really have come in if I had said yes?The questions swirled around in my head until they started to fade into a haze of exhaustion. I thought of my aunt, of Friday, of the papers Ryan wanted me to sign. We’d just have to wait and see if he kept his word.Somewhere in the middle of those thoughts, I must have drifted sleep.Because....... suddenly I felt hands slide around my waist. Strong, heavy, possessive hands that made every part of me tense. A slow pressure. A shift of weight behind me. Before I could even open my eyes, I felt a cold body pressed against

MONIQUEI wake up slowly, my body aching from sleeping on the cold bathroom floor, still trembling from the tension and humiliation of last night. The robe is still warm around me, but it feels like a thin, fragile shield against everything I know is coming. My hands and legs shake as I force myself to stand, moving toward the mirror. I look at my reflection and then, like a knife twisting, I remember Ryan’s hands, his mouth, the way he seemed to riddle me with himself..... I can’t take it.I strip down immediately, stepping into the shower. The water is hot, scalding even, and I let it run over me again and again, washing, scrubbing, over and over until I can convince myself every trace of him is gone. I shampoo, rinse, shampoo again, rinse again. I can no longer hear his sounds, but the feeling of being dirty lingers, crawling under my skin, impossible to shake.I quietly open the bathroom door. The last thing I want is to see him....his stupid face, that triumphant smirk. But the

MONIQUESuddenly, Knock. Knock.We both freeze. Our eyes dart toward the door.“Ryan? Monique?”It’s Mrs. Bennett, Ryan's mother.I wait for Ryan to respond, but he doesn’t. Mrs. Bennett goes on, her voice worried. “Ryan? Monique? Are you okay in there?”Ryan sighs, takes a deep breath, and then starts walking toward the door while I’m still crouched there on the floor. He opens it, and the two of them exchange a few words in low tones I can’t make out. The next minute, Mrs. Bennett steps into the room.I raise my head to look at her. She looks back at me, first at my face, then at the shattered phone on the floor, and something in her eyes shifts. She turns toward Ryan and says firmly, “Leave us.”Just like that. Ryan gives me one last warning look before walking out and closing the door behind him.For a few moments, Mrs. Bennett just stands there, silent, her gaze moving from the broken pieces on the floor to me. Finally, she sighs. “What happened here, Monique?”But I can’t fin

MONIQUEThis was news to me. I had absolutely no idea what Mr. Smith was talking about.I turned toward Ryan slowly, my eyes wide.“You… you were going to get charged?”Ryan didn’t look at me. He kept his eyes fixed on Mr. Smith instead. His jaw was clenched so tightly I could see the muscles pulsing beneath his skin.“That’s ancient history,” Ryan said. “It’s irrelevant.”“It’s very relevant,” Mr. Smith replied calmly, leaning back in his chair. “Especially when the matter at hand concerns ownership, legal autonomy, and the safety of my client.”Ryan let out a short, cold laugh.“Your client?” he repeated. “She is not any client of yours, Mr. Smith. You were her parents’ lawyer. Not hers.”He glanced at me, then back at Mr. Smith, as if I were furniture in the room.“She’s my wife. She and I are one,” Ryan continued. “And I speak on her behalf. We’re only here because she personally needs to sign, and you refused to let me bring the documents to her myself.... So just put the papers