All Chapters of FROM SCUMBAG EX TO SCUMBAG HUSBAND: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

By the time we finally made it out of bed, it was late morning. My body ached in the best way possible, and I couldn't stop smiling.Killian insisted on carrying me to the bathroom, saying I needed to take care of myself. He ran me a bath, which was surprisingly sweet."Join me?" I asked, feeling bold.The look he gave me was pure heat. "If I join you, we won't leave this room today.""Is that a bad thing?"He groaned. "You're going to be the death of me." But he climbed in anyway, pulling me back against his chest.We stayed in the warm water until it started cooling, talking about random events. He told me about his childhood, about his dreams, about things he'd never shared with anyone. I told him about my fears, my hopes, my grandfather.It felt like more than just physical intimacy. It felt like we were connecting on a deeper level, like we were finally letting each other in completely.When we finally got dressed, I was wearing one of his shirts because I didn't want to go back

Elara's POVMy cheek was still burning from the slap. I could taste blood in my mouth where I'd bitten my tongue from the impact. The woman standing before me looked like my aunt, but the coldness in her eyes belonged to a stranger."What was that for?" My voice came out small and broken, like a child who didn't understand why they were being punished."How dare you!" Her voice was a whip crack in the quiet room. "How dare you lock my son in jail!"I stared at her, my hand still pressed to my throbbing cheek. This was about Leandro? This entire thing was about Leandro?"Aunt, he tried to kill me," I said, my voice shaking. I pulled down the collar of my shirt, showing her the ugly bruises on my throat. Dark purple and yellow marks in the perfect shape of fingers. "He tried to strangle me."She laughed. Actually laughed. The sound was harsh and bitter, nothing like the warm laughter I remembered from my childhood."He tried to kill you?" She stepped closer, her eyes scanning me up and

Killian's POVRage.Pure, white-hot rage coursed through my veins like liquid fire. My hands were shaking with the effort it took not to chase after that woman and throw her out of my property myself.How dare she? How dare she come into my home and hurt my wife?I took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. But when I looked down and saw Elara sitting on the floor, blood trickling down her forehead, her eyes wide and shocked, all my attempts at control shattered."Come here," I said, my voice rougher than I intended. I bent down and scooped her up in my arms, holding her against my chest.She was so light. So fragile. And people kept hurting her. People who were supposed to love her, supposed to protect her, kept tearing her apart piece by piece.I carried her to the couch and set her down gently. "Don't move," I ordered, then called out loudly, "Someone get me a first aid kit! Now!"A maid appeared within seconds, handing me the white box with trembling hands. She

Elara's POVI couldn't stop staring at him.Throughout the entire drive to Grandfather's mansion, my eyes kept drifting to Killian's profile. The strong line of his jaw. The way his hands gripped the steering wheel with casual confidence. The slight furrow between his brows that appeared whenever he was deep in thought.When had he become so... different?I guess that's how a man in love changes, I thought to myself, a small smile tugging at my lips despite the anxiety churning in my stomach.In the past, he would have blamed me for Bella's fall. Would have accused me of pushing her or causing the accident somehow. He would have taken her side without even listening to my explanation.But now? Now he defended me. Protected me. Believed me without question.But why the sudden change?The question nagged at me, creating doubt where there should have been joy. Was it really love? Or was he just pitying me because he'd finally seen how my own family treated me? Had he realized I wasn't th

Elara's POVAunt Isadora stared down at her son, still on his knees, still clutching at her legs desperately."I have offended my late brother," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I maltreated his daughter. The daughter he trusted me to protect.""Mom, it's not like that…" Leandro tried to interrupt."I had so much faith in you," she continued, ignoring him completely. Her eyes were fixed on him, and I could see the disappointment written all over her face. "And you lied to me. You looked me in the eyes and lied.""Mom, please, I can explain…""Face your consequences, Leandro," she said firmly.The words hit him like a slap. His face crumpled, and he grabbed at her legs tighter."No! Mom, you have to beg Grandfather for me! Please! I can't survive without the family money! Mom!"She reached down and gently but firmly removed his hands from her legs. "No, Leandro. Not this time."Then she turned and walked toward me.My heart started pounding. What was she going to do? What w