All Chapters of Betrayal Between the vows : Chapter 61 - Chapter 67

Lucas woke before Elias. Not because of a nightmare. Not because of noise. Just naturally peacefully. He stayed still for a while, eyes half-open, letting the quiet breathe around him. Elias was asleep beside him, one arm sprawled across the blanket, his chest rising and falling in an even rhythm. There was something softer about the way Elias slept these days. Less restless. Less guarded. As if his body had finally learned to trust rest again. Lucas smiled faintly to himself. He didn’t move. Didn’t want to disturb him. Sometimes love meant letting the silence last. Elias finally stirred close to nine. By then, Lucas had already made toast, sliced strawberries, and poured tea. The radio played faintly in the background, soft static and a jazz tune drifting lazily across the room. Elias walked in, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “You’re up early.” “Habit,” Lucas said, setting down the butter knife. “I like mornings now.” Elias smiled. “Because they have me in them?” Lucas lo

It started with a knock at the door. Lucas was in the kitchen making coffee. Elias was on the couch, barefoot, writing something in a little notebook he hadn’t let Lucas read yet. The knock came again sharp, impatient. Lucas wiped his hands and opened the door. Dorian. In his usual expensive coat, his voice wrapped in cold. “I need five minutes.” Lucas didn’t blink. “You have two.” Elias stood behind him now, quiet but steady. Dorian glanced at his brother. “You didn’t answer my calls.” Elias crossed his arms. “I had nothing to say.” Dorian gave a fake smile. “I can see that. You’ve been busy playing house.” Lucas’s jaw tightened. Elias didn’t flinch. That mattered. They sat, barely. Dorian didn’t take off his coat. He sat stiff on the edge of the couch, like touching anything would stain him. Lucas stayed standing. “I’ll be quick,” Dorian said. “The board is meeting next week. There’s pressure to make decisions financially, publicly. Your marriage contract is still

Elias sat at the kitchen table with a photograph in front of him. The coffee he’d poured sat untouched, steam long gone, the surface cooling into silence. Lucas leaned against the counter, arms crossed, watching. He didn’t push. He didn’t need to. Whatever Elias was about to say was already pressing against the walls of the room, shifting the air between them. Elias finally spoke, voice low and measured. “Her name was Mira.” Lucas blinked. “Mira?” “She was my friend. A long time ago. Before the accident. Before you and I even knew how serious we could be.” Lucas’s jaw tensed, but he nodded, waiting. “She worked for my father,” Elias went on. “Not officially, not the way the world would see it. She handled things my family pretended didn’t exist quiet favors, ugly jobs, things you can’t put on paper. She was discreet, clever. And loyal. Or I thought she was.” Lucas frowned. “And now she’s the one taking photos of us?” Elias’s mouth tightened. “If she’s watching us, it means sh

The flash drive burned in Lucas’s pocket.It was a small thing plastic, silent but it felt like it buzzed with the weight of a hundred buried lies.After dinner, Elias was in the shower. Steam rose under the bathroom door. His voice hummed low from inside.Lucas stood in the hallway, heart thudding.This was his chance.He walked quickly to the bedroom, closed the door behind him, and grabbed his laptop.He plugged in the flash drive with shaky fingers.A folder opened instantly.“W-Case: Confidential”Inside were three files.1. “Confession.mp3”2. “WireLog 2019.txt”3. “TransferProof.pdf”Lucas hovered over the audio file first. He clicked it.A voice filled the room. Old. Male. Calm.“I told them he’d be a problem. I told Dorian that if Elias kept asking questions, someone would eventually trace it back to the trust fund. So I gave the order.”Lucas’s hand flew to his mouth.The voice paused, then said“We staged the accident. He wasn’t meant to die just disappear.”The file ended.