All Chapters of His to Ruin, Hers to Reclaim.: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

- Shattered TrustHe flinched, just barely, but it was enough to see the cracks in his protection. “I’m not the monster, Sonia. Adrian is.” “You don’t get to hide behind that excuse,” I snapped. “You lied to me, you hid this from me, and now Lucas is in more danger than ever. And you expect me to believe you’re the savior?” He stepped closer until there was almost no room left between us, his breath ragged, his eyes burning into mine. “I don’t expect you to believe anything. But I’ll fight for you. For him. For us. Even if you never forgive me, even if you hate me for the rest of your lifeI’ll fight.” The words dug under my skin, unwanted, unbearable. God help me, part of me wanted to believe him. To believe he could fix this. But the other partthe broken, rejected partwanted to claw him to pieces. “You can’t fight your way out of this,” I whispered. “Not this time. Adrian has you cornered.” “I’ve been cornered before,” he growled, his voice laced with rage. “And I always find a

– Hunt for LucasI shoved him harder, anger raging through me. “I should kill you right here.” His smirk widened, eyes sparkling like a devil’s. “Do it. Put your hands around my throat and squeeze. Sonia will love that her knight in bright armor proves to be nothing more than a murderer.” I froze, chest heaving, the weight of his words cutting deeper than my rage. He wanted me to snap. He wanted me to destroy myself with my own hands. “Why?” My voice was hoarse, breaking. “Why go this far? Is it just the power, or is it her too?” Adrian leaned close, whispering a knife. “She was never yours. Sonia deserves someone who doesn’t bleed crime. Someone like Lucas. You think she’ll choose you, Ethan? You’re poisonous. And deep down, she knows it.” My vision blurred red. I slammed him again, this time hard enough for the desk to crack. “If you ever touch you even breathe her nameI’ll end you.” “Then do it,” Adrian hissed, goading me, daring me. “Show me who you really are.” The office

– The Last BetrayalHey, Celine! Ethan roared and rushed forward. She put more force on the blade. "One more step, and he'll be gone for good." My world shook, and everything spun. She wasn't lying. It was clear in her eyes. Her sharp, mean laughter was the first thing I heard. It echoed off the warehouse walls like a blade scraping glass. "You really thought you could keep him from seeing me?" There was poison in every word Celine spoke. Her voice cut through the air. My pulse roared in my ears. Lucas stood bound to a chair in the corner, his face pale, a bruise spreading across his cheek. His wide, scared eyes locked onto mine. “Let him go, Celine,” I spat, stepping forward, each word heavy with rage I could barely control. “This ends now.” She smiled, tilting her head as if I’d just told her a joke. “Oh, darling Sonia… you always think you’re the winner. But heroes don’t live in my world.” “Neither do traitors,” I shot back. My fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my p

– The Fall of AdrianA gun. The world froze. Lucas’s cry rang in the distance, muted by the chaos below. Ethan tensed in front of me, every muscle screaming against his wounds as he prepared to shield me with the last of his strength. Adrian’s smirk returned, cruel and victorious, as he pointed the gun straight at Ethan’s chest. “You’ve made your choice, Sonia,” he said quietly, almost lovingly. “Now watching it costs you everything.” My scream tore through the night. “Move, Sonia,” Adrian hissed, the barrel of his gun glinting under the bright rooftop lights. His eyes locked onto Ethan, his finger sitting with frightening ease on the trigger. “This doesn’t concern you.” My body moved before my mind could catch up. I stepped straight in front of Ethan, my arms spread wide, protecting him with everything I had left. “Then make it concern me,” I snapped, my voice shaking, but firm enough to slice through the night. “Because if you want to kill him, you’ll have to go through me fi

– Courtroom ShowdownNaomi knelt beside us, her face pale but determined. “We need to move. The cops, the pressthis place will be crowded soon. We have to get Ethan out.” I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat, but my mind kept repeating Adrian’s last words. His voice repeated in my head, deadly and unsettling. Ethan will destroy you in the end. I looked down at Ethan, at the man bleeding into my hands, the man I had risked everything for. My kingdom, my safety, my futurenone of it mattered compared to him. And yet… What if Adrian was right? “I don’t trust you,” Lucas said simply, his small hands balled at his sides, chin lifted like a fighter refusing to bow. “Not yet.” The words sliced me deeper than any blade Adrian ever pressed against my throat. I crouched to his level, pushing my breath steady. The ruins of the last forty-eight hours still hung over us the gunshots, the deception, Adrian’s death warning echoing in Sonia’s haunted quiet. The boy in front of me, Sonia’s