All Chapters of One Heart, Which Brother?: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

The morning after felt… different.I woke up alone. The sun filtered through the white curtains, warming the room gently. I had expected Ruben to still be asleep in the guest room, but when I peeked down the hallway, it was already empty.Downstairs, the smell of coffee lingered faintly, but the kitchen was spotless, like he’d already left or was avoiding me altogether. I didn’t blame him.I grabbed my phone and opened a few emails college-related things mostly. But I couldn’t focus. My head was still swimming with everything from last night. His words echoed louder than any lecture could:"Even if you never love me back… I’ll keep loving you anyway."It wasn’t just what he said it was how he said it. Soft. Defeated. Real.I was still trying to make sense of it all when I heard the front door open.I turned and found Ruben stepping inside, still dressed in black slacks and a fitted button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He looked calm. Too calm.“You’re up,” he said as he set dow

Ruben stood with them, posture tense but respectful. One of them, tall with a graying beard and eyes that looked like they’d seen too much, had a presence even Ruben seemed to yield to slightly.I leaned against the wall silently, watching. Listening.“…not here,” Ruben said sharply. “We’ll talk upstairs.”The bearded man turned slightly, his eyes sweeping the upper landing. He saw me.I froze.But he didn’t react.He merely offered the faintest nod, then turned back to Ruben, and the three of them headed into the study. Ruben didn’t even glance my way.I stood there, heart thudding.They weren’t normal visitors. And definitely not from the Delwunco company. They didn’t carry tablets or briefcases. They didn’t talk numbers or strategies.They had the same stillness Ken carried sometimes. The kind of stillness that made your skin crawl not from fear, but instinct.Something was off.I went back to the couch, unable to focus on the catalog. I stared at the laptop screen but the words bl

The following morning felt unusually still.Ruben had already left the house by the time I came downstairs, but I wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t like we were strangers… but we weren’t exactly a normal couple either.I moved through the house slowly, the silence swallowing me. The cleaning staff stayed out of my way probably sensing the weight of whatever hung in the air between us. The visit from Ruben’s “business associates” yesterday wouldn’t leave my mind. Their eyes. Their calm. That briefcase. Something was off. Deeply off.Before I could spiral further into my thoughts, my phone buzzed. It was Daph.Daph: Come over. Emergency college planning. Don’t argue.I smiled faintly. Of course. With school starting soon, Daph would be in full planner mode, and I was more than ready to shift my mind to something normal. Later at Daph’s,“So… you’re really not going to live on campus?” Daph asked, raising an eyebrow as she spread out glossy college brochures across her bed. Her room still l

I didn’t mean to end up at Ken’s place. I swear, I didn’t.But after days of silence from Ruben, after the way he looked at me that night, with a strange mixture of guilt and warning, after overhearing names whispered behind closed doors and catching glimpses of men, too sharply dressed to be mere businessmen, I needed answers.Real ones.And Ken… Ken had always been the loophole. The unexpected truth in a world that always felt carefully constructed.His penthouse was quiet, too quiet. He opened the door before I knocked twice, almost as if he knew I’d come."You shouldn't be here," he said, voice low, but his eyes… his eyes were the same haunted pools I remembered. Except now, there was something broken behind them. Something dark. Something hurting."Then tell me why I am here," I said softly, stepping in.He didn’t try to stop me.The silence between us felt like static thick, electric, full of unsaid things. I turned to face him, arms folded over my chest to shield myself from th

It was supposed to be a normal day.Ruben had promised. Just me, Daph, and the college we’d been dreaming about since we were fifteen.And he kept his word.At first, I felt free. Walking down the campus walkway, backpack in hand, head high. Just like any other student. For once, I wasn’t Mrs. Delwunco, I was just Lia. A freshman. A girl with dreams.But I should’ve known.Freedom in my world always came at a price.I never saw them coming.One second I was laughing with Daph about how dramatic our lecturer looked, the next tires screeched, masked men jumped out of a van, and before I could scream, everything went dark.I woke up gagged, my hands tied. Blood dripping from my temple. A stinging cut above my brow. My legs ached. My mind was hazy.They had taken me to a warehouse, cold, damp, and silent except for the crunch of boots and murmured threats in a language I didn’t understand. But I knew fear when I felt it.And I felt it in every inch of my body.“She’s worth more alive,” on