All Chapters of His to Ruin, Hers to Reclaim.: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

– The Mask Cracks“You’ve lied to me for the last time, Adrian.” My voice shook, not from fear but from the rage boiling in my chest. He leaned casually against the edge of Ethan’s desk, his smile practiced, polished, the very picture of calm control. “Lied?” His laugh slithered through the room. “My dear Sonia, you wound me. I’ve only ever been honest with you. More honest than Ethan ever was.” I felt Ethan tighten beside me, his hand brushing mine like he wanted to anchor me. My heart leapt, but I didn’t let myself look at him. If I did, I might fail. “Don’t twist this, Adrian. You’ve misled me from the start. Every word, every gesture was all part of your game.” Adrian’s eyes glinted dangerously as he tilted his head. “And what about Ethan’s game? Did he tell you how easily he let Celine into his bed while you were breaking for him? Did he admit the nights he left you waiting, heart in your hands, while he was with someone else?” “Stop it!” Ethan’s words thundered, breaking thr

– The Custody War POV: Sonia “You can’t just take him, Ethan.” My voice shook, though I tried to steady it. The mahogany walls of Ethan’s study closed in on me, the air too heavy with stress, too sharp with the sting of our words. His back was to me, his hands fixed on the desk, knuckles white. When he finally turned, his eyes burned like flames. “I’m not taking him. I’m protecting him. From Adrian. From this entire nightmare you’ve been pulled into.” I folded my arms, hugging myself, as if that could hold the pieces of me together. “You think dragging him into a custody battle is protecting him? Do you have any idea what that will do to him? To us?” “Do you have any idea what Adrian will do if we don’t?” His voice thundered, the sound shaking something deep inside me. “He’s already erased you legally, Sonia. What’s to stop him from coming after Lucas next? He won’t just want custodyhe’ll want ownership.” The word made me flinch. Ownership. That was Adriancold, deliberate, a man

– The Kidnapping“Ethan Blackwell’s Mistress? Scandalous Double Life of Sonia Hale Exposed.” The room tilted. My knees almost buckled, and I clutched the counter for support. “No… no, no, this can’t be” “It is,” Naomi snapped, though her eyes softened when she looked at me. “Adrian’s company leaked them. I’d bet my life on it. This is his play, Sonia. He’s pulling you through the mud to kill your reputation before the custody hearing.” My throat burned as if I’d swallowed glass. “Those pictures… Naomi, some of them some of them aren’t even real!” “They don’t care if they’re real. They care if people believe them.” She grabbed the remote and muted the screen, but the damage was already stamped in my mind. “We need to move fast. We’ll do damage control, make a statement, maybe lean into the narrative” “Lean into it?” I snapped, the words sharp and broken. “They’re calling me a whore on national television!” Her jaw clenched, her hands braced on her hips. “I’m not telling you to l

- Blood & BetrayalA soft laugh. “Don’t worry, Ethan. Lucas is safe… for now. But if Sonia doesn’t follow my directions, he won’t be for long.” The line went dead. Sonia’s hand flew to her mouth. “Who was that?” she whispered, fear in her eyes. I swallowed hard, anger and fear warring in my chest. “Celine,” I said, my voice shaking with rage. “It was Celine.” And for the first time in years, I felt true fear. The air smelled of rust and rot, the rusty tang of old iron mixed with damp concrete. My heels clicked against the warehouse floor as I stepped inside, my heart beating so furiously it threatened to break through my ribs. “Celine,” I called out, my voice shaking despite my efforts at steel. “I’m here. Where is Lucas?” A laugh, low and poisonous, echoed from the shadows. And then she emerged. Dressed in black, hair neatly coiffed, her smile as sharp as a blade. “Oh, Sonia,” she cooed, tilting her head mockingly. “Always the brave one, aren’t you? Marching into the lion’s

- The Hidden ContractThe air left my lungs. My chest hollowed out. “You can’t” “Oh, but I can. And I will. Ethan will wake up to find his reputation destroyed. His blood spilled tonight won’t even be the worst part of his downfall.” Ethan groaned, pushing himself upright despite my protests. “Adrian…” His voice was broken, weak but venomous. “You’ll regret this.” Adrian only laughed through the speaker. “Regret? No, Ethan. The only one who’ll regret anything is you when you understand you’ve lost everything, including her.” The line went dead. For a moment, the building was silent except for Ethan’s labored breaths and the beating of my heart. I stared down at him, my statement still raw in the air, Adrian’s words cutting like knives. Blood & betrayal those were the only things linking us now. Ethan’s grip tightened on my wrist. His lips opened, voice gravelly. “He’s going to burn everything. And he’s going to use you to do it.” My heart seized. “What do you mean?” His eyes