Lahat ng Kabanata ng A night with my ex-husband’s step brother : Kabanata 41 - Kabanata 50

Lyra's POV The first thing I noticed was the scent.Not the rough tang of damp stone from Redmoon’s cells, but warm cedar, faint smoke, and the underlying pull that told me exactly who it belonged to. I didn't want to believe it, but the more I tried to convince myself otherwise, that I could very well be wrong, the more my heart told me I knew very well the person it belonged to. No. Xavier.I hated how he was the first person that came to mind, when I was still and barely trying to get a hold on myself. A dull throb formed at the back of my head, and when I tried to turn to the other side , I didn't miss how quickly the dull ache spread to the other side. It felt like my head was on fire, and every part of my body was just waiting for the right time to collapse. Slowly ,I blinked back to the present, taking in the room. It was llarge, but not ostentatious. Dark wood walls surrounded me, with heavy curtains pulled halfway open to let in pale light. There was a wide bed with r

Lyra’s POV For the next couple of seconds, I couldn't breathe, neither could I think. I had no idea how it had happened, or if it had in fact, but I guess somehow and somewhere, the part of my brain responsible for thinking or what not, had suddenly shut down. I tried, several times, but Id never felt this way before. The moment Xavier’s footsteps faded down the hall, the silence wrapped around me like a vice. It coiled around me like a venomous snake circling its prey, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Guilt and a hint of something else thudded in my chest, and I hated how it felt like a fucking freight train was ramming into me and pressing against my rib cages. After what seemed like forever, I told myself that it was fine. That letting him go, letting him have his space, was the right thing to do.I repeated it like a mantra, as if sheer will could smother the gnawing ache in my chest.But his voice wouldn’t leave me. Every word from earlier circled back, sharp

Lyra’s POV I didn’t sleep much. No, scratch that, I didn't sleep at all. Every time I closed my eyes, I heard Xavier’s voice telling me to “trust him,” and my own stubborn voice screaming back that I couldn’t, not without knowing the truth. The kiss had done nothing to soften my questions, only tangled them up with feelings I wasn’t ready to name.Why did he kiss me? Was it because he wanted to, or because he was trying to shut me up? I pressed my eyes shut, and my mind must have taken that as a sign to replay the kiss for the millionth time tonight. I hadn't seen that coming. If someone had whispered in my ear that Xavier was going to kiss me tonight, then best believe that I would have laughed so hard and probably peed in my pants. But turns out the kiss was the best thing that had happened tonight, and I would gladly do it over and over again. Without wasting so much as another time,I pushed the memory fully out of my mind. By the time the first thin strands of light bled in

Xavier's POV The study was silent save for the faint crackle of the fire in its place. Shadows clung to the corners of the room, which was weird because the sun was bright, up and early, but thanks to the black curtains that adorned my space, it barely let in any light. The darkness stretched long and sharp against the stone walls, and in a way, I found them comforting. My fingers drummed idly on the armrest of the chair as I leaned back, staring into the flames but not seeing them. All I could see was her. Lyra. Even the mere thought of her was more than enough to send me back to that scene that plagued my mind since it happened. In a good way, of course. That kiss. That fucking damn kiss. It lingered on me like a fragrance I never wanted to shed, but that wasn't even the worst part. It was both torture and pleasure wrapped in one. Pleasure in the sense that the taste of her lips sent me to the heavens and back, and it was equally torture, because I wasn't sure when next I wa

Lyra's POV The knock of my heels against the marble floor echoed through the corridors as I made my way to Xavier’s study. My palms were damp despite how many times I wiped them against my gown, and I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me. A part of me hated that he could still do this to me, turn my pulse into a frantic thing, make my chest feel tight, just by existing, but another part, the part that I tried my hardest to subdue, roared loudly in my ears every chance it got. It had been a day since our last conversation, and despite thinking about it all night, I still couldn't find the right words to fully describe what had gone down. Right from barging into tho council room while they were having a meeting and finally getting Xavier to agree, all of that were things I never saw coming at all. I honestly thought he was going to decline the ball, and why wouldn't he? The last one had gone completely haywire, despite all of his efforts to make sure that things went smoot