All Chapters of S** Tape: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Vivienne woke slowly, her body nestled in a bed that didn’t smell like hers. The light was soft, filtered through sheer curtains that weren’t familiar. For a second, she panicked.Then she felt an arm, heavy and warm, draped around her waist.She knew that arm.She knew the way it curled around her possessively. The heat of the skin pressed to her back. The steady breath brushing her shoulder.It all came crashing back. The escape. The blood. The hospital.She'd told Knox about the baby.She’d been half out of her mind with exhaustion. The waiting room. The odd looks from the nurse as two strangers escorted her pretending to be her family. God.Her shoulder throbbed faintly, the bandage tight and warm against the skin. A dull ache, not sharp, but enough to remind her of what she'd escaped. Of what she'd survived.Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. The sheer whiplash of the last twenty-four hours left her trembling beneath the surface. She was safe now, but her body still held ech

The town car rolled slowly toward the Carter Industries high-rise, the city glittering like glass in the tinted windows. Vivienne sat between Reid and Felix, her hands folded tightly in her lap, knuckles pale, her slate-gray slacks sharp and precise. Her shoulder throbbed under the clean line of her tailored blazer but nothing could distract her today.She watched the building grow larger through the window, and breathed. Her chest tightened as old memories stirred.She'd been brought here for photo ops. To play the poised wife. To the private summons. The scheduled, clinical attempts to get pregnant. Always cold, always impersonal. Her consent barely acknowledged. There had been no tenderness. No care. Just obligation.This building had always represented his power.But today, she wasn’t here to smile. Today, she came to bury him.The morning had unfolded in fragments."I need to go in person," she'd told Knox quietly, still in his oversized t-shirt, hair tangled from sleep, voice lo

Knox paced the length of the penthouse like a caged predator, tension wound tight beneath his skin. Not the safehouse—his penthouse. He’d come here this morning because it was closer to Carter Industries. Closer to where the board meeting would happen. Closer to her.He'd made this place into a fortress for privacy, the one spot in the city that still felt like it belonged entirely to him. And now, it felt too big. Too quiet.Too far from her.Knox’s jaw tightened as he crossed the living room again, barefoot on the cool marble. The moment she left with Reid and Felix, something in him had gone sharp. Primal.Vivienne. His Angel. The woman carrying his child.Their child.He still hadn’t wrapped his head around it. Every time the thought surfaced, it hit him like a wave. He pressed a hand to his chest now, fingers curling briefly into the fabric of his shirt.It was selfish, maybe. He hadn’t asked her about birth control. Hadn’t paused to think about the consequences. But deep down?H

The car doors shut with a muffled thud, sealing them inside the cocoon of silence and luxury. The sounds of screaming headlines and flashing cameras faded, replaced only by the low hum of the engine and the blood rushing through Vivienne’s ears.She sat back, finally able to breathe.And then she laughed.A real, full-bodied, incredulous laugh.Knox glanced sideways at her, one brow lifting.“You,” she said, poking him in the chest, “are unbelievable. That whole monologue? In front of the entire press? While I’m still technically married?”He didn’t flinch. Just reached for her hand and kissed her knuckles like she hadn’t just roasted him.“I stand by every word,” he murmured.She narrowed her eyes. “You realize you basically confirmed an affair on record, right?”“Public perception was already halfway there,” he said, sliding closer until his thigh pressed against hers. “I just made it look romantic. And made sure they saw you as the victim.”She rolled her eyes, still grinning. “You

The tires crunched softly over the gravel drive as Knox eased the SUV to a stop in front of Vivienne’s childhood home. The estate looked just as polished as she remembered. Wide white pillars, manicured gardens, and a warmth that hadn’t felt like hers in years.She barely had time to unclip her seatbelt before the front door swung open and her mother rushed outside.“Vivienne!” her mother cried, hand fluttering at her chest. “Oh, thank goodness. You’re alright.”She crossed the front path with surprising speed, her heels tapping the stone steps, arms already open.“You didn’t really stay with Weston through all that nonsense, did you? I mean—God, Vivienne. We never would’ve wanted that. Your father, Vince—none of us would’ve expected you to pretend everything was fine while that man was carrying on like that.”Vivienne stepped into the hug, letting her mother wrap her in Chanel No. 5 and worry.“I’m fine,” she murmured against her shoulder. “I just needed some time.”Her mother pulled