All Chapters of MY BROTHER-IN-LAW: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

CAELEN VALENTINE’S POVThe sun was warm on my skin, golden rays soaking into my jacket as I strolled down the street, a paper cup of coffee cradled in my hand. It had been two weeks—two whole weeks—since I had walked away from Thorne Manor. Two weeks of stillness. Of solitude. Of waking up without the weight of Lucian Thorne’s presence pressing against my soul.I was finally breathing again. Or so I thought.But as I turned the corner onto a quieter street, a shiver crept up my spine. A crawling sensation, like eyes... watching me. Again.It wasn’t the first time I’d felt it.At first, I brushed it off as nerves. Trauma. A phantom wound from everything I’d been through. But this time—it felt different. This wasn’t just paranoia whispering from the dark corners of my mind. No, this was real. My skin prickled. My instincts screamed. I was being watched.I tried to act normal, sipping my coffee, quickening my pace just enough to appear casual. The rhythm of my boots against the sidewalk g

LUCIAN THORNE’S POVAs Caelen stormed out of the study, I watched him from my seat—back rigid, fingers steepled beneath my chin. His eyes had been blazing with fury, pain, confusion. But most of all, betrayal.That’s what stung the most.Not his accusations. Not his defiance. But the fact that no matter what I did to protect him, he always saw me as the villain.The heavy oak door swung shut behind him, his footfalls echoing down the marbled hallway like distant gunshots.I didn't move.Ilya stood just outside, his usual stillness laced now with a palpable tension. I could feel it bleeding through the walls.Moments later, he entered, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. His expression was tight, jaw clenched with remorse and something else—something I couldn’t name yet."Lucian," he began, voice deep and hoarse. "I lost control. I'm sorry."I didn’t look at him. I stared at the swirling black in my glass of whiskey instead. “You laid a hand on him.”Ilya straightened. “He provoke

CAELEN VALENTINE’S POVI stand by my window, staring at the familiar front yard through the early evening haze. The twilight paints everything in soft gold and violet—a rare beauty made strange by the figure standing on my lawn.My pulse quickens as I recognize him.Lucian Thorne.It’s been three months since he appeared on my doorstep to apologize—a moment that shattered and shifted everything. Three months since I started rebuilding my walls, reclaiming my life—and my heart.But seeing him again, even from a distance, sets those fragile bricks tumbling.He takes a hesitant step forward. Hands buried in coat pockets. Distant, uncertain. I suddenly realize I feel the same. Part of me wants to slam the door shut, make him disappear. Another part craves his presence like a dull ache.He looks at me—hope flickering in his dark eyes.My breath catches.After another second of stillness, I make my way down the hallway, each footfall deliberate. My heart pounds so loud I’m sure he can hear

LUCIAN THORNE'S POVI gently rock my newborn niece, Ilina, in my arms, her soft whimpers echoing through the quiet room. She’s warm, so small, and yet her presence fills every corner of the house with life.My sister, Aria, is bustling around behind me, her hands full of papers and lists, her face flushed with the stress of last-minute preparations. Her engagement ceremony is just days away, and it seems every detail still needs her personal touch.As I sway back and forth, trying to calm Ilina, I feel a knot in my chest — a strange tangle of emotions I can’t quite name. Happiness for Aria. Pride in how far she’s come. Guilt that still clings to me like a shadow.Ilina’s tiny hands clutch at my shirt, and I glance down at her delicate face. Her dark lashes flutter, and she finally relaxes against me, her fussiness fading into quiet breaths.She’s beautiful — all wide brown eyes and wisps of dark hair. So innocent.Just then, Aria sweeps into the room with a harried expression."Lucian

CAELEN VALENTINE'S POVLucian’s eyes glint with something dangerous as he takes my wrist, his grip just shy of painful, and leans down to whisper against my ear, “Come with me, Caelen… before I lose my patience entirely.”There’s no room to protest. His presence swallows me whole.We weave through the crowd of Aria and Ilya’s engagement, but I barely see anyone—only feel the heat of his hand on mine, his thumb pressing into my pulse point as though reminding me he’s in control.At the far end of the hall, Lucian pauses before an unmarked door. He fishes a key from his pocket and smirks without looking at me."I always come prepared," he murmurs, voice low and full of promise.He unlocks the door and pushes it open, revealing a dimly-lit lounge. Shadows curl in the corners, the only illumination a single golden lamp that casts a soft glow over velvet couches.He closes the door with a deliberate click.We’re alone.Lucian takes two slow steps toward me, his dark eyes raking over my bod