All Chapters of One Heart, Which Brother?: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

The gold-trimmed envelope sat on the kitchen counter like it had been waiting for her all morning. Lia’s first instinct was to ignore it. After all, she’d barely touched her tea, Julian was already fussing about breakfast, and the laundry machine beeped like it had more important things to say. But the moment she picked it up, she knew exactly who it was from.Daphne never did anything small. Even an invitation to a coffee date looked like a royal decree in her handwriting.You are hereby summoned to my wedding.Lia smiled despite herself, sliding the embossed card free from the envelope. The words danced in looping gold calligraphy across cream paper. The date was barely three weeks away, a rush that screamed Daph.Julian tugged at her sleeve. “Mum, can I have two pancakes? Please? With the chocolate bits?”“Yes, but only if you promise not to tell Ruben,” Lia teased without thinking.Julian wrinkled his nose. “Why would I tell him? He doesn’t get pancakes.”The casual way her son sa

The glow from Daph’s wedding lingered like the aftertaste of a sweet warm drinkBut the morning after, reality had a way of creeping back in.Lia woke early, padding into the living room with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Julian was still asleep in his room, probably exhausted from the dancing and the excitement of seeing his “Auntie Daph” in a princess-like dress.Her phone buzzed on the coffee table.Ruben: Are you awake?She hesitated before typing back. Yes.Less than ten minutes later, there was a knock at her door. She opened it to find him standing there with two takeaway coffee cups and a paper bag that smelled suspiciously like the bakery on Seventh Street.“Peace offering,” he said, holding them up. “And maybe an excuse to talk before the day starts.”Lia narrowed her eyes. “Talk about what?”“Yesterday,” he said simply, stepping inside when she moved aside. “And… other things.”They sat at the small table near her kitchen. Ruben pushed a cinnamon roll toward her,

The days that followed were quieter, though not entirely calm.Ruben had taken Lia’s unspoken permission as a green light to be… around.It started subtly dropping by with fresh bread from a bakery “he just happened to pass,” offering to walk Julian to school if Lia’s morning looked rushed, appearing at the park on Saturday afternoons like it was a coincidence.At first, Lia bristled at it. She had always guarded her space, fiercely so. But it was harder to push him away when Julian’s entire face lit up every time Ruben appeared.The air was crisp, the sun sinking behind a line of trees as Julian ran ahead, his small sneakers kicking up bits of gravel. Ruben walked beside Lia, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.“You’re quiet,” he said.“I’m thinking,” she replied, eyes on Julian.“About?”She hesitated. “Whether this is good for him.”Ruben glanced at her. “You mean me?”“I mean… getting attached,” she clarified, her tone careful. “If you’re going to disappear again”“I’m not.” H

Ruben still had work the kind of work Lia never asked too many questions about but somehow, he kept finding his way into her evenings. A quick drop-off of something Julian forgot. A check-in to see how his school project was going. Sometimes, he didn’t even pretend there was a reason. He’d just knock on the door, lean against the frame, and say, “I was in the neighborhood.”It was the kind of excuse both of them knew was a lie. But neither called the other out on it.Julian loved it. He had decided Ruben was the “cool parent” without even realizing it, dragging him into board games, pestering him to teach him how to make paper airplanes that actually flew straight, and constantly asking if he could ride in “the big car” again.Lia pretended not to watch Ruben during these visits, but her eyes betrayed her. She saw how his hands the same hands she’d once seen gripping a gun without hesitation now carefully tied Julian’s shoelaces. She noticed how his voice softened when he explained ho

Ruben’s phone buzzed at 2:13 a.m.He’d barely gotten home, still in the same clothes, his mind replaying the feel of Lia’s lips against his, when the vibration cut through the silence. He didn’t even need to check the caller ID only a handful of people had this number, and every single one of them meant trouble.“Talk,” he said into the phone.‘We’ve got movement,’ Viktor’s voice came low and steady. ‘Same guy, same spot, but he’s not alone anymore. Two others just joined him. Black SUV down the street. No plates.’Ruben’s jaw clenched. “Armed?”‘Too far to see for sure, but they’re not standing around for a smoke.’Ruben didn’t hesitate. “Keep your eyes on them. Do not approach. I’m coming.”He was already pulling on his jacket when a thought cut through the haze of adrenaline Lia. Julian.He grabbed his keys, but halfway to the door, he stopped. If he showed up there in the middle of the night with that look in his eyes, she’d know something was wrong. And if she knew… she’d start a