All Chapters of He Slept With My Sister, When I Was Giving Birth: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

EvelynSteam billowed around me, thick enough to blur the edges of the bathroom mirror. I peeled off the prosthetics that had been melded to my skin for days, the adhesive pulling uncomfortably as it released. First the piece along my jawline, then the one at my temple. With each removal, more of my true face came forth.The woman in the foggy mirror watched me with tired eyes. I scrubbed my face raw with soap, washing away the makeup that had altered my features, then dunked my head under the shower spray to rinse out the temporary dye. Coffee-brown strands appeared as the color swirled down the drain. I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my body. The steam had turned the small bathroom into a sanctuary, a place where I could exist as myself for a few precious minutes. After the disaster at dinner, I needed this momentary escape.Toweling my hair, I pushed open the bathroom door and stepped into the bedroom. The rush of cooler air raised goosebumps across my exposed

DamonThe sound hit me first. Laughter.Not just any laughter—Susan's. But wrong somehow. Too light. Too... musical. Like she used to laugh, back when things weren't complicated. Back before everything went to hell.I found myself moving toward it before I'd consciously decided to. My bare feet made no sound on the hardwood, which struck me as odd, but then again, dreams were like that. Wait. Was I dreaming?The office door stood ajar. Just enough to see through.Susan perched on the edge of my desk like she owned it, head tilted back, eyes squeezed shut with laughter. A man stood across from her—broad shoulders, familiar somehow in that nagging way that made your brain itch."—never had a clue." Susan wiped her eyes, still giggling. "God, sometimes I wonder how men survive being so dense."The stranger chuckled. Low, rumbling. Something about it made my skin crawl. "And the wife? She didn't notice anything?"Wife? What wife?"Evelyn?" Susan's expression shifted. The warmth bled out o

Damon"You did it again."The words hung between us like poison gas. I stared at Susan's broken face, at the bruises that should have been healing but weren't. Her illness made everything worse, even basic wolf regeneration."Susan, I..." My throat closed up. "I don't remember.""Of course you don't." Her voice was flat. Dead. "You never do."I tried to piece together last night. Drinking with Cole after the border incident. Whiskey. Lots of whiskey. Cole telling me I was being an idiot about something. Then... nothing. A black hole where my memory should be."How did I get here?" I asked. "To your room?"Susan laughed, but there was no humor in it. "You don't remember that either?""No.""You came to me around midnight. Drunk. Angry." She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "Said you needed to forget something.""Forget what?""I don't know. You weren't making sense." Susan's voice got smaller. "You just kept saying you needed to forget."I felt sick. Not just from the hangover

Evelyn"She's not even your child."The words hit the playground like a bomb. Conversations stopped. Parents who'd been gathering to watch the commotion suddenly had opinions. Loud ones."What happened here?""Did she really hit Tommy?""A visiting wolf struck a pack child?""Where was the supervision?"The voices overlapped, building into something that made my chest tight. This was exactly what I couldn't afford. Attention. Questions. A crowd demanding explanations I couldn't give.Tommy's father kept his eyes on me, waiting for an answer. His son still clung to his leg, milking the drama for all it was worth. The red handprint on the boy's cheek stood out like a beacon."Come on, Ava," I said quietly, taking her hand. "We should go.""Wait." Tommy's father stepped sideways, blocking our path. "You don't get to just walk away from this.""I said we were leaving.""And I said wait." His voice carried the authority of someone used to being obeyed. "You assaulted my son. That requires

Evelyn"Really, Damon. All this drama over a bastard child?"The courtyard went dead silent. Even the wind seemed to stop. Every eye turned to Margaret Hilton as she stood there, silver hair perfect, pale eyes cold as winter.I watched Damon's face, waiting for the familiar retreat. The way he always pulled back when it came to Ava. The excuses. The deflection. The careful distance he maintained whenever someone questioned his relationship to his own daughter.Instead, something shifted in his expression. His jaw tightened. His eyes went dark."What did you just call my daughter?"His voice carried an edge that made everyone in the courtyard take a step back. The authority in it was absolute, unmistakable. Not a question. A challenge.Margaret's amused expression faltered slightly, but she recovered quickly. "Oh, suddenly she's your—""Enough." Damon's command cut through her words like a blade. The Alpha power in it was unmistakable, rolling over the assembled crowd in waves. "You wi