All Chapters of THE BILLIONAIRE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE : Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

EVANGELINEI lifted my glass. “To poor medical decisions.”Gael’s lips twitched with reluctant amusement. “To surviving them.”The glasses touched with a soft clink.I took the sip.The sharp taste burned down my throat, and my face betrayed me instantly. Gael watched with the smug satisfaction of a man who had been waiting for proof.“It seems you didn’t like it.”I forced my features into what I hoped looked like dignity. “Who said that? I’m understanding the taste.”He took his own sip with barely any reaction.Annoying man.“Show-off.”He reached over and took my glass before I could consider whether a second sip might help me understand the taste better. “That’s enough.”“Gael.”“No.”“One more.”“Absolutely not!”“You said one sip. That was barely half a sip.”“It was exactly one sip, and your wounded body has had enough rebellion for today.”I reached for the bottle, but he lifted it away.“Evie.” The warning in his voice should’ve stopped me.It didn’t.I stood on tiptoe and t

EVANGELINEA smile spread across my mouth, carrying every feeling his question had stirred inside me. Gael’s palm rested over my hand, patting it gently, then moved to my face. His thumb stroked my cheek with slow tenderness while his eyes remained connected to mine, warm enough to make the silence feel full.He had lacked safety in childhood, yet he’d given it to me.He had lacked love, yet he’d poured it into my life with both hands.He had never found a shelter when he was a child, yet he became one for me.He didn’t need to say he loved me for me to understand it. His actions had shaped the words long before his mouth ever dared to speak them — the way he watched over the smallest things related to me, the way fear changed his face whenever I was hurt, the way his body moved before thought whenever danger came near. Love had many languages, and Gael had been speaking his in silence all along.“If life fails you,” I murmured, “remember there’s a woman beside you who won’t hesitate

EVANGELINEI knocked on Thaddeus’s door until my knuckles hurt.When it opened, his eyes widened, surprise flashing across his face before a smile spread there with slow, satisfied delight. The sight of it made disgust rise inside me.“Evangeline.”He leaned his shoulder against the wall and folded his arms, looking far too pleased. “You look angry, my beautiful. Is something wrong?”Every word from his mouth made my skin crawl, but I forced myself to stay still. I hadn’t come to react. I’d come for answers.“What did you tell Gael?”The question landed more like an order.Thaddeus sensed it. His posture straightened, and then he stepped back into the apartment.My teeth clenched, but I followed him inside. “Thaddeus, speak!”He spread himself comfortably on the couch and patted the space beside him, ignoring my demand with the confidence of someone who thought patience belonged to him.“Come here.”A sarcastic smile touched my mouth. Every time I thought I’d reached the end of his de

EVANGELINEI left the pen on the table and pressed both palms against my lap, staring at the empty space ahead as if it might explain what had just happened.I needed one moment.Only one.A moment for my heart to understand that the person it had beaten for had ended everything in front of me without giving me a reason. Not even the smallest excuse. Not even enough mercy to cool the flame burning through my chest.“Thinking about it…” My gaze returned to him, and the brokenness there slowly hardened into something darker, bitter enough to hurt on its way out. “I can’t find any excuse for you.”I looked away, blinking against the pain gathered behind my eyes. “Actually, you don’t deserve for me to create one.”One tear slipped down my cheek, but I wiped it away quickly before facing him again.“There’s no excuse for you,” I whispered. “Except that you’re a man not worth fighting for.”A sarcastic smile curved my mouth, carrying more pain than mockery. “I’d be stupid if I tried to clin

EVANGELINEI sat in one of the airport seats with my passport resting between my fingers, turning it over and over without really seeing it. The driver remained nearby, glancing around every now and then as if he’d been given instructions not only to escort me, but to make sure I didn’t dissolve into the floor before boarding.“You can go,” I told him.He shook his head, his attention still moving across the terminal. “I have instructions to stay with you until you pass the checkpoints.”Of course he did. I nodded and lowered my gaze to the passport again.A few minutes later, the announcement for my flight rang through the airport, and a heavy weight settled over my shoulders. It pressed down so suddenly that I couldn’t stand right away.Was I hesitating?“Madam, your plane,” the driver reminded me gently.I looked at him, then forced myself to rise. After giving him a small farewell smile, I walked toward the gate.At the first checkpoint, they checked my passport and ticket. Befor