All Chapters of Married to My Father's Killer: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The fire was out, but the smell lingered—smoke, metal, and something darker that clung to Ariella’s skin no matter how much she tried to breathe it away. Lucien stood a few feet ahead, his jacket torn, a streak of ash running down his cheek. The light from dawn broke through the trees, faint but steady, touching the side of his face like it didn’t dare get too close. They hadn’t spoken since the explosion. There was nothing left to say—bonly the echo of what had just happened, and what it meant. Finally, Ariella broke the silence. “We can’t stop now.” Lucien turned, his eyes still carrying that same fire from the night before. “I know. But if we keep moving without a plan, we’ll walk straight into Elise’s hands.” She crossed her arms, her voice sharp with exhaustion. “And doing nothing gives her more time to clean up whatever she’s hiding.” He stared at her for a long moment, then exhaled. “You’re right. She’s hiding something big. I felt it when she tried to stop you from going

The tunnel trembled above them. Dust rained down in fine streams, and the sound of footsteps echoed closer—steady, confident, merciless.Ariella’s heart pounded as she dragged Mateo along the narrow path, her hands slick with sweat. Every few steps, she looked back, hoping to see Lucien’s shadow appear behind them. But he didn’t.He had stayed behind.“Just a little further,” she whispered, her breath coming in quick, shallow gasps. “There has to be another way out.”Mateo stumbled, clutching his side. His face was pale, his lips cracked. “You shouldn’t have come back for me,” he rasped.“I wasn’t leaving you there,” she said fiercely. “Not again.”A thunderous noise shook the tunnel, followed by a sharp crack that made her flinch. It sounded like gunfire.“Lucien,” she breathed.Mateo grabbed her arm, forcing her to keep moving. “He knew what he was doing, Ari. Don’t waste it.”Her throat tightened. Every instinct screamed at her to turn around, to go back—but she couldn’t. The air w

(Elise’s POV)The silence after an explosion is the cruelest kind.It hums. It breathes. It waits.Elise stood by the cracked window of her office, eyes fixed on the faint plume of smoke rising beyond the trees. Somewhere beneath that ruin was the cellar—and everything she’d buried there, along with whoever had been foolish enough to uncover it.A slow smile tugged at her lips.She had warned them. She’d warned him.But Lucien never listened.The soft click of her heels echoed across the marble floor as she turned toward the desk, where a glass of red wine sat untouched beside a folder of old photographs. Her reflection stared back at her from the glass—calm, collected, untouchable.A survivor.“Madam,” came a hesitant voice from the doorway. One of the guards, trembling. “The tunnel collapsed. We found no sign of them.”Elise took a slow sip, tasting the bitterness before she spoke.“No sign means they’re gone,” she said. “The fire did its job.”The guard nodded, though his eyes flic

The front doors creaked open before Lucien even touched them.A faint light flickered from inside, stretching across the marble floor like a warning. Every instinct in him screamed to turn back but Ariella’s muffled sob cut through the silence.He stepped in.The air was heavy, laced with wine and smoke.Elise stood near the fireplace, calm as ever, her crimson dress gleaming under the low light. Behind her, Ariella was tied to a chair, head drooped forward, blood streaking her cheek.Lucien’s voice came out low and dangerous. “Let her go.”Elise tilted her head, her smile sharp. “You came home faster than I expected.”He raised his gun. “Last chance, Elise.”“Oh, Lucien…” she sighed, swirling the wine in her glass. “You still think this is your house? That you have control here?”Her tone was soft, but every word dripped with venom. “You lost that the day you let her in.”Ariella stirred weakly, her lashes fluttering open. When she saw him, a shaky breath escaped her. “Lucien—don’t..

The storm had softened outside, a light drizzle tapping against the roof of the safehouse. Ariella sat beside Lucien, their hands still intertwined without either of them trying to pull away.It was strange, the world had tried to break them again and again, but somehow they always ended up here. Close. Breathing the same air. Fighting everything but the way they felt.Lucien watched her quietly for a moment, his thumb brushing the back of her hand. He wasn’t the cold, unreadable man she met on their wedding night. Not anymore. There was something raw in his eyes now. Unshielded.“Let me see,” he murmured, lifting her chin gently.Ariella’s cheek was still bruised from the slap, the skin tender beneath his fingers. His jaw tightened when he saw it up close. “He shouldn’t have touched you.”“It’s not your fault,” she whispered.“That’s the problem,” he said softly. “I wish every bad thing that’s happened to you was something I could’ve stopped.”Ariella let out a trembling breath. “You