Lahat ng Kabanata ng A night with my ex-husband’s step brother : Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

Lyra’s POV The halls were quieter than I’d expected. In fact, it was too quiet, like the whole place was holding its breath and waiting to see which way the wind would blow. My ribs still ached when I moved; the bandage at my side tightened every time I drew breath.I waited, waited to see if Xavier would disappoint me and burst through his doors, but he didn't, and once again, I told myself it was over. Without wasting any more time, I allowed my feet lead me. I'd barely rounded the corner near the servants’ wing before I stopped short.She was there in the shadow of an arched doorway as if she belonged to it: Emily, dressed in silks that had always been too bright for my taste, the exact sort of woman whose laugh caught at the edges of a room like a blade. She had that expression, soft on the surface, knives underneath, and when she saw me she smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.“Lady Lyra,” she cooed, stepping forward as if she’d practiced this move a dozen times. “I was

Lyra’s POV The note burned against my skin long after I left Cassian in the east wing. I tried to keep my mind clear, so only the important thoughts would float if, but it was useless. My mind was a total mess, with a million and one thoughts jumbled all at once in there. I'd sought out Cassian so I would get some clarity, but if there was anything I'd come out with, best believe it was confusion. I was confused, and more than torn apart on the next step to take. I pushed the thoughts aside, before pulling myself back to the present. Even folded tight in my sleeve, I could still feel its weight, its threat, and its truth, pressing down at me all at once. He isn’t the only one who knows what burns beneath the throne.I didn’t know what it meant exactly, but the words looped through my head with the steady persistence of a heartbeat. Every step I took back through the dim corridors carried that same pulse, sharp, heavy, and relentless like something bad was lurking in the shadows

Xavier’s POV The room was cold. Too cold for midnight, too cold for a woman who had once smiled as if the sun itself bent for her. I wasn't Emily's biggest fan, hell, I probably hated her guts more than anyone else, but I just couldn't shake off the eerie feeling that clung to her. It resurfaced Everytime I shot her a glance, whether she was aware of it or not. There was just something off about her, and I wasn't just saying that because I'd caught her in the crime scene, or because this was literally the second time I was locking her up in my custody. The guards had left minutes ago, and yet the air still carried the faint clink of chains. Emily sat in the middle of the room, here wrists bound, hair matted with soot, and the blood on her lip dried to a sharp line.Cassian leaned against the far wall, silent and watchful. I wanted to know what he was thinking , but I didn't want to speak, and I knew he didn't want to, at least not in front of her. We needed to know what we were

Lyra’s POV The noise woke me before the sun did. At first, I thought I was dreaming. The sound of boots pounding down the hall, the sharp bark of orders thrown into the air and the metallic clash of something heavy striking stone, they were all too real, but that was what dreams felt like right? They were like an alternate universe that disappeared the moment you woke up, but when I opened my eyes, the echoes didn’t fade. They grew louder instead, and that was my first sign that something was wrong, horribly wrong somewhere. Without so much as a second thought, I threw off the blanket. My heart raced as I struggled to put on some clothes, to at least look presentable. I might not know what was waiting outside, but one thing I wasn't ready to do was underestimate how quickly things could go from a zero to a hundred. Outside my door, the chaos moved like a storm. Xavier’s men were everywhere, running, shouting, and dragging weapons that gleamed under the torchlight. I caught one

Lyra's POV When I'd woken up earlier today, best believe this wasn't how I thought the day would pan out. Yes, the dream that pulled me back to reality was a harsh wake up call, but somehow, and for some strange reason, I actually expected that things would go well, eventually. But I was nothing short of a fool to think like that. I lost track of time after the little outburst in the council chambers. Hell , it had been hours since it happened, but I just couldn't get it out of my mind. The sun was high up in the sky, dragging light across my window panes like it wanted to set the entire palace on fire. Now that I thought about it, it didn't sound that bad. My chambers were quiet, but the quiet didn’t feel like peace, it felt like the kind that follows disaster. I hadn’t eaten, and I wasn't hungry . Every time I closed my eyes, or try to distract myself , I saw Xavier’s hand around his brother’s throat, the look in his eyes when he met mine before walking away.By the time the