Claimed By My Ex’s Stepbrother의 모든 챕터: 챕터 181 - 챕터 190

The room was too quiet.Tessa sat on the edge of the bed, her back straight, her hands folded in her lap. She wasn't crying anymore. She wasn't doing much of anything really.Her eyes were fixed on the window.Outside, Atlanta blurred past—cars she couldn't hear, people she couldn't see, a city that had stopped making sense hours ago. She watched it all like it belonged to someone else's life.His life.Roman's city. Roman's world. Roman's rules.The memory played behind her eyes without permission. His hand closing around her arm. The way he lifted her off her feet like she weighed nothing. The slam of her body back into the chair. The pen shoved into her trembling fingers.‘Sign it.’ Romam’s voice echoed in her ears. Her throat tightened.‘Sign the fucking papers, Tessa.’A single tear slipped down her cheek. Then another.She wiped them away—slow and mechanical. No sound. No sob. Just the motion.Then she went back to staring.The window didn't change. The city didn't stop.Neithe

The world stopped and for a moment, Salima didn’t breathe. Her hand remained on the handle, fingers tightening around the metal as if it were the only thing holding her upright.Standing on the other side of the door was Bernard Thorne.Bernard!The man she had mourned. The man she had buried. The man she had lost five years ago. Now standing on her porch like his presence meant nothing.His eyes rested on her face with a strange softness, like five years had not passed at all.“Hello, Salima.”His voice was exactly the same.She couldn’t speak. Her lips parted, but no sound came out. She took one slow step back, staring at Bernard like she was looking at something impossible.Roman frowned from the living room. “Mom, is everything okay?”No response. Something in her silence made him straighten.Bernard’s face softened at the sound of Roman’s voice. “Is that him?” He asked. “Is that our son?”Salima still didn't speak. Her eyes were glistening with tears now.Victor moved toward the

“Salima. Salima.” Bernard called after her but she didn’t stop. “Salima would you listen to me?” Bernard yelled.“Five years,” Salima said, turning around. “Five fucking years Bernard and you just show up at my door like it’s supposed to mean nothing.”“I know what it means Salima, and I'm sorry it had to be this way. I'm sorry.”“I can’t believe this.” Salima sniffed. “I just don't know what to make up of all this.”Bernard moved closer to her now. “Don’t, don’t take another step please.” She cried. “Salima, I just want to see you.” “No.”“I want you to know I never wanted to leave,” Bernard said softly. “I promise you, Salima. I thought of you every single day.”“Bernard, stop it,” Salima said. Her voice trembled harder now.Bernard went quiet immediately.For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The tension between them felt fragile, dangerous almost, like one wrong word would shatter whatever control Salima still had left.She looked away first, wrapping her arms around herse

The night air was cold against Tessa's skin, but she barely felt it.Roman stood a few feet away from her on the bridge, his hands in his coat pockets. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.Neither had she.Neither of them spoke for a long moment. The silence between them was heavy — not angry, not bitter. Just... sad.Tessa swallowed hard and walked toward him slowly.“You came,” Roman said quietly.“Of course I came. I’ve been wanting to see you.” She smiled.A strange silence settled between them after that.Roman looked away first, staring out over the water again.Tessa studied him carefully. He looked tired. Not physically — something deeper than that. Like the weight of the past few weeks had finally settled into his bones.“You said you wanted to talk,” she said softly.Roman nodded once. "I owe you an apology," he said quietly.Tessa blinked. "What?"He turned to face her fully. "The way I handled the divorce. The way I manhandled you in that boardroom." His jaw tightened.

The town car pulled into the driveway, but Eleanor didn't wait for the driver to open her door.She was out before the wheels had fully stopped, her heels slamming against the pavement as she stormed toward the front entrance. The door slammed behind her so hard the chandelier above the foyer rattled.Grayson and Liam were in the living room, sitting across from each other, low voices filling the space between them. They had been talking about Bernard — what else was there to talk about these days?The moment Eleanor stormed in, both of them looked up."Shit, Mom." Grayson straightened in his chair. “Are you okay?”Eleanor waved a hand dismissively, already moving toward the stairs. "Not now, Grayson. Please.""Hey — wait up." Grayson stood, following her with his eyes. "What's going on? Why are you storming into the house like this? What happened?"Eleanor stopped at the bottom of the staircase. Her back was to them, her hand gripping the bannister."I don't really want to talk right