All Chapters of After Divorce, I Married His Half-Brother: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

After a mind-blowing orgasm, Ryker eventually let me off the hook. My cheeks were flushed, lips were swollen slightly. I reapplied my makeup to conceal every trace of lovemaking. Together, we exited the room. This time, nobody was in the hallway, as if they had left to finally join the party. I walked beside Ryker, trying to keep my legs steady.Then, out of nowhere, a man came into view, stopping us."Ryker, we need to talk. Now," Mr Holland said, his tone sharp, commanding.Ryker's jaw tightened as if he knew what this was all about but couldn't care less. "I'll come, Father. Just... give me a few minutes."Before I could even say anything, a hand grabbed mine. Catherine. Her grip was firm, almost playful, but there was no mistaking the authority in it. "Vanessa, darling, come with me. I have something to show you."I froze. My pulse sped up. "Uh... I—"What was going on?"No arguing," she said smoothly, giving me a small tug that I couldn't resist. "It'll only take a moment."I gl

> _ _ I heard Vanessa would be staying over at the hotel. Time to apologize for whatever I had done, because the last thing I wanted was Ryker getting the better of me. I had carefully avoided him all evening, staying with crowds, moving cautiously so I wouldn't fall into his trap like Mr Thomas had. Right. My brother had been cruel enough to abduct him, even make men pull out his fingernails. The memory of it was ugly, seared into my mind. Annie was the last to find out, and she hadn't stopped crying once she did. It was my rehearsal dinner, a day meant to be filled with laughter and love. But my brother made it a gloomy day filled with unresolved anger and trauma. That was so Ryker. Wherever he went, he created chaos behind. But the whole incident made one thing painfully clear: Ryker didn't care about faces, status, or family ties. Anyone who crossed Vanessa wasn't going to escape his wrath. Still... maybe there was time. I just needed to reach Vanessa. Be

>__It was chaotic. Everywhere was filled with chaos. Yelling, crying and sirens from ambulance filled the air as Derek was carried into a Van.A night that was supposed to be filled with humor and songs. Now, filled with gloominess.The cold outside was biting too. The kind that bit through the skin but didn't do much to cool what was burning inside me.Miles walked beside me, quiet for the whole time. He didn't try to talk, just followed my lead as we left the hotel entrance. The guards kept their heads down, pretending they didn't see the blood on my hands.I didn't look back.Cole had already gone to take Vanessa to the other suite. She'd be safe there. Away from all this. Away from me.I kept seeing her face though—shocked, pale, scared of me.That look.It was worse than the blood.We reached the car. Miles slid into the driver's seat, started the engine, and we drove off into the dark. The city lights blurred past us as the car sped through the night. I leane

The wedding didn’t happen.Derek ended up in the hospital, and everything just... crumbled. A few guests had already left, some probably glad the whole thing was over, while others stayed, not knowing what to do with themselves. As for me? I felt like I was floating through the whole thing, disconnected from everything around me.Ryker didn’t come back like I’d hoped, like I’d needed. Instead, I had to board a plane back to Brooklyn by myself, the hours of travel stretching on like some endless reminder of the mess I had gotten myself into.The flight felt longer than it should’ve. Time seemed to drag, my mind spinning in circles, thoughts of Ryker and Derek fighting for space. I kept asking myself what the hell was happening between me and Ryker. Was this just a game? Or was it more than that? I couldn’t figure it out, and I hated that I couldn’t.By the time I landed, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon. My phone buzzed just as I stepped out of the car, the screen lighti

I froze for a second, caught off guard by the question. I hadn't expected that. I glanced down at my hands for a second, trying to calm my breath, before looking up at her again. "I... I never loved Derek," I said slowly, my voice was steady but careful as I crafted the lies. "I wasn't ever really his choice. He needed a replacement, actually. His fiancée—my step-sister, Annie—she left him on their wedding day. She eloped with someone else, and that's when I was pulled into the picture." A few murmurs rippled through the room, reporters scribbling notes, cameras clicking away. I could feel their gazes on me, every eye sharp and questioning, waiting for more. I exhaled, feeling my pulse race in my chest. "I was never meant to be with him. I was just... filling a space. A position that wasn't meant for me." I paused, swallowed hard, and then looked right at the reporter who had asked. "But the truth is, I had always been in love with someone else." I let the words hang in the air