Início / Romance / THE BILLIONAIRE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE / Capítulo 221 - Capítulo 230

Todos os capítulos de THE BILLIONAIRE'S RELUCTANT BRIDE : Capítulo 221 - Capítulo 230

230 Capítulos

CH.221

EVANGELINEThe top of Morris's head was wrapped in a white bandage, making him look as if he were wearing a strange hat, and exhaustion was clear on his face."Morris!" I approached quickly, my gaze fixed on the bandage. "Are you okay?"Before Morris could answer, Gael stepped beside him and tapped his forehead with one finger.Morris groaned loudly."Did my sister do this to you?" Gael started laughing.Morris looked at him with pursed lips, deeply offended. "Don't you have a heart, man? My head nearly split in two. Aren't you worried about me?"I pinched Gael's arm to make him stop laughing, then took the vacant seat beside Morris.Everyone was gathered around the dining table now, and the atmosphere had shifted from anniversary warmth into suspicious silence.Cordelia sat stiffly, arms folded, face turned away from Morris with obvious stubbornness.I looked between them and sighed. "Will someone tell me what happened?"Morris rubbed his hands together slowly, then gave Cordelia one

CH.222

EVANGELINEWe were the last to leave my parents' house.Before leaving, I secretly called the driver and told him to come take the car so Gael wouldn't know I had driven earlier. Thankfully, he didn't suspect anything. He was too occupied complaining about Morris and Cordelia.On the way home, he didn't stop."How could they be so careless?" he muttered while driving. "Cordelia still forgets to eat lunch unless someone reminds her. And Morris once burned instant noodles. Instant noodles, Evangeline."I leaned my head on the seat, exhausted. "They love each other.""That doesn't make them competent.""You and I weren't exactly perfect when we started."His mouth tightened. "We were different.""Yes. We were much worse."He glanced at me, then sighed."I know." His hand reached for mine. "But she's my sister. In my eyes, she's still reckless. Still too emotional. Still the girl who cried because I refused to let her keep a stray cat in my bedroom.""You were cruel.""The cat hated me."

CH.223

EVANGELINEMy face carried a seriousness that contradicted the chaos churning inside me. He stood when I reached the table, but I didn't acknowledge the courtesy. I simply pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down."Hello," he greeted softly.I nodded once.His gaze moved briefly to my stomach before returning to my face.He looked away quickly, as if even looking too long felt like a violation. "Would you like to order something? Juice? Tea?""No."His faint smile disappeared. Good. I hadn't come here to make him comfortable.He rubbed his palms on his knees, then scratched the bridge of his nose, then his neck.The old Thaddeus had never been this visibly nervous. He had been confident, charming, easy to speak to. That had been one of the reasons I had trusted him so quickly. This man looked like someone trying not to collapse beneath the weight of his own presence."Okay," he said at last.His gaze finally rested on mine. "I want to apologize."The sentence landed between us w

CH.224

EVANGELINEWhen I returned home, the first thing I saw made the air leave my lungs.Gael's car. Standing near the entrance, familiar and unmistakable.My heartbeat turned wild.I leaned one arm on the still-open car door and tried to steady myself."What should I do now?" I whispered. "What will I tell him?"I had not expected him to come before me. I had not taken that possibility into account. The bad feeling that had followed me since yesterday tightened its grip."Calm down, Evangeline," I whispered to myself. "Everything will be fine."My gaze settled on the front door. Then I continued in a failed attempt to encourage myself. "You started this lie, and now you have to continue it."The sentence felt ugly the moment it left my mouth. Still, I shut the car door and walked toward the house.The housekeeper appeared and greeted me affectionately."When did Gael come back?" I asked in a low voice."He came right after you left."My features tightened. Right after I left. So, he had b

CH.225

EVANGELINESilence returned.Gael was waiting for an answer I didn't have. Because I didn't know. I didn't know whether forgiveness would free me or wound me again. I didn't know whether letting go meant peace or betrayal.I didn't know whether I could forgive Thaddeus without betraying the terrified woman I had been. And I didn't know how to explain any of that while Gael's pain stood between us like a wall.My silence answered him in the worst way.A brief, sarcastic smile appeared on his mouth and disappeared almost instantly. "Your silence suggests only one answer.""Gael, you...""By forgiving him," he said, eyes fixed on me with a harshness that felt painfully unlike him, "you'll lose me forever."My throat tightened. He had misunderstood everything. "Gael, no. That isn't..."He turned and started walking away.Panic shot through me. I tried to catch up with him, but he increased his pace. "Gael, you have to listen to me. Please don't leave like this. You misunderstood."Gael en

CH.226

EVANGELINE"I was wrong."Those were the first words I managed to say.They came out small, but they carried the weight of everything I had been holding since yesterday: the road, Evan's terror, Thaddeus's voice, the secret I had asked my children to keep, and the lie I had told Gael that morning while looking straight into the eyes of the man who trusted me most.Gael didn't interrupt. He only nodded, telling me I could continue.His hand remained over mine, warm and steady, his thumb moving over my knuckles in a soft, patient stroke, as if reminding me that he was listening now, that he had returned, that he was not going to walk away again."I was afraid and nervous at the time," I continued. "I didn't know how to react properly. Everything happened so quickly. Evan in the road. Thaddeus saving him. Seeing his face after all these years." My throat tightened. "The shock made me afraid of your reaction, so I stayed silent. I didn't want to worry you, and at the same time, I was afra

CH.227

EVANGELINEThe car ride felt unreal.I sat beside him with the envelope clutched tightly between my fingers, watching the city blur past the window.Gael drove faster than usual, though not recklessly.His jaw was firm, his eyes fixed on the road, one hand occasionally reaching for mine as if to steady me without needing words."Are you scared?" he asked."Yes.""Of him?"I thought about it. "No." I looked down at the envelope. "Of what this means."His hand covered mine. "It means you're choosing your own ending."My eyes stung. I looked out the window again, breathing carefully, as the airport signs appeared ahead.As soon as Gael parked near the entrance, I opened the door and got out quickly."Evangeline, don't rush," he warned behind me.I heard him. I truly did. But this was my last chance, one final opportunity to give away the letter I should have surrendered years ago, one final chance for a new beginning that did not include running from a memory.I clutched the envelope tig

CH.228

EVANGELINESome endings arrived quietly. Others wore white dresses, caused family arguments over flower arrangements, made grown men cry before the ceremony even began, and threatened to go into labor in the middle of someone else's wedding.That morning, I woke with the strange certainty that life had a sense of humor. Not a cruel one this time. A warm one, the kind that sat back and watched a family that had survived grief, illness, betrayal, danger, misunderstandings, and near-disasters now panic over whether the wedding cake should be placed closer to the windows or farther from the children.Cordelia and Morris's wedding was taking place at the new Dettling family estate.A lot happened within the last six years, including Sebastian and His Father’s DownfallAfter the truth came out and Gael recovered, Sebastian and his father were completely ruined.Gael didn’t press charges against Sebastian for stabbing him, but that mercy wasn’t forgiveness. Over the next six years, Gael quie

CH.229

EVANGELINEThe ceremony began beneath a sky so clear it seemed specially chosen.Music drifted through the garden.Guests rose from their seats.The aisle stretched between rows of flowers, and Morris stood at the end of it beside the officiant, looking as if his knees were only surviving through divine intervention.My father sat beside my mother, holding her hand. Mr. and Mrs. Dettling sat on the other side, both composed at first glance, though Mrs. Dettling had already used three tissues and Mr. Dettling's jaw was tight in the way that meant emotion was threatening his dignity.Gail and Evan had been trusted as ring bearers. This was a decision everyone immediately regretted.They began well, walking down the aisle in matching suits, each carrying a small pillow with exaggerated seriousness.Gail's brows were drawn together as if escorting royal treasure. Evan smiled at every guest like a celebrity greeting loyal admirers.Then Evan waved too enthusiastically, causing one ring to

CH.230

EVANGELINEFor one second, Gael froze completely. His eyes widened. His lips parted. No sound came out.Then chaos exploded."What?" he shouted. Every head turned.My mother stood so quickly her chair nearly fell backward.Mrs. Dettling gasped.My father dropped his glass.Mr. Dettling rose with military seriousness.Cordelia lifted her wedding dress and ran toward me despite Morris nearly fainting from stress."Don't run!" Morris cried. "You're pregnant too!""I know!" she shouted back. "I'm not stupid!"Gael knelt in front of me, both hands hovering uselessly, terrified to touch me and terrified not to. "Are you in pain? How often are the contractions? Did you feel this before? Why didn't you tell me? No, don't answer. Save your strength. Wait, answer one thing. Are you okay?"Despite the tightening in my abdomen, laughter bubbled up. "My love, breathe.""I am breathing.""You are not."He inhaled dramatically. Then forgot to exhale.I squeezed his hand. "Gael."He exhaled all at onc

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