All Chapters of Sleeping with the Alpha Who Despised Me: Chapter 151 - Chapter 160

River’s POVMy car pulled up in front of Zinny’s Café. It was early afternoon, and the place looked quiet—just a handful of customers scattered around inside. I killed the engine, smoothed my palms over my jeans, and stepped out.The little door chime jingled as I pushed it open. The familiar smell of fresh coffee and baked pastries wrapped around me, and for a second, it almost calmed my nerves. Almost.Behind the counter stood Sarah’s youngest daughter. She glanced up from the register, and the second her eyes landed on me, and recognition flashed across her face.“River?” she said, her lips curling into a surprised smile.“Hi.” I smiled back. “It’s been a while.”“Yeah, wow… it really has. You look great,” she said, leaning a little over the counter.“Thanks. You too.” I shifted, glancing around the café before asking, “Is your mom here?”“She’s out back at the moment.” She nodded toward the kitchen. “If you don’t mind waiting, you can grab a seat. Once this line slows down, I’ll g

River POV She shook her head, eyes red and watery. “I tried to get him to tell me. I even begged him to let his wife go if that’s what she wanted.” Her lips quivered as she spoke. “But he wouldn’t say a word. He just kept repeating that he loved her too much to let her go.”I frowned, a knot forming in my stomach. “Well, he said he was going straight home… but then we heard his body was found in the forest.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she choked back a sob.I squeezed her hand, grounding her, while my mind tried to stitch the broken pieces of the puzzle together. If Zach really left the café intending to go home, then the poisoning must have happened here.I took a careful breath. “Did you know Zach was poisoned, Sarah?” I asked, keeping my tone calm. “And if your story is right, then it means he got poisoned here, at the café.”Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Poisoned? No! There’s no way he was poisoned here. Zach only had a cup of soda that day—I poured it myself!” Her

River POV But I didn’t give him the chance. I slammed the door in his face, and turned back toward the living room.The knocking resumed almost immediately, louder and more urgent this time. His voice carried through the wood, pleading.“River, please. Just open the door. Let me explain.”I stopped halfway across the room, my jaw tightening.“Go away, Jay!” I shouted back, refusing to look at the door.The knocking persisted.“River, listen to me—”“I said go away!” I yelled, cutting him off, before walking back toward the living room where Steven stirred slightly on the couch.Steven was awake again, rubbing his little eyes tiredly. “Who is that, Mum?” he asked, his voice still heavy with sleep.“Nobody, honey,” I cooed softly, brushing his hair back. “Come on, let’s get you back to bed.”“River, please… Can we just talk? Please?” Jay’s voice came again, low and desperate through the door.Steven froze, blinking. “Uncle Jay?” he whispered, and in an instant, the sleepiness vanished

River’s POVI rose from my seat, smoothed the front of my jacket, and walked toward the center of the courtroom. My heart beat steadily, but my voice came out firm.“Your Honor,” I began, facing the judge, “I know I am supposed to stand on the side of conviction today… to argue that Gladys Sandler murdered her husband.” I paused, glancing briefly at Gladys where she sat. “But I am not here to do that. Instead, I am here to prove to this honorable court that Gladys was no murderer. She was an accomplice—yes—but one blinded by her love for a man. The true murderer is someone else entirely.”A ripple of murmurs ran through the room.“Objection, Your Honor!” my opponent shot up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. “Counsel is straying from the case at hand.”The judge lifted a brow, tapping his pen against the desk. “Overruled. I will allow it. Continue, Counselor.”I gave a small nod of thanks before turning toward the witness stand. “Your Honor, I would like to call Elder Sarah

Jay’s POV“So, Steven,” River asked with that soft motherly tone, “what did you and Uncle Jay do today?”“We went to the aquarium!” he answered, his little voice filled with excitement. “It was awesome! Such a bummer you couldn’t come, Mum!”She glanced at me briefly and her lips into a small smile before turning back to him. “Well, I’m glad you had fun, honey. Maybe we can all go together when we’re all free again.”Steven leaned forward between the seats. “That would be so cool, right Uncle Jay?”I chuckled, my eyes on the road. “Right.”“Oooh! Uncle Jay, show her the pictures we took!”I smirked. “I’m driving, buddy. When we get home, okay?”“Aww, bummer.”“It’s fine, honey,” River said, glancing back at him with a reassuring smile. “I’m sure Uncle Jay just wants to concentrate on the road. When we get home, he’ll show me all the pictures and videos of the fun things you saw.”Steven relaxed against his seat with a small sigh. “Okay.”Once the conversation died down, River’s gaze r