All Chapters of After My Last Breath: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

[Elara]I tuck away the divorce papers and spend the rest of the day with Cora and Gwen, trying my hardest to ignore the empty feeling deep in my stomach.At the back of my mind, I can’t stop thinking about how five years of my marriage with Damon are coming to an end. It’s not the ending I ever anticipated, but I should have known it wasn’t unexpected either.He never loved me to begin with. I was the only one who held on to our marriage vows, hoping that one day he would see my dedication and devotion.There was a brief phase in our lives when I started to feel him warming toward us—days when he kept his promises and came home early for dinner… when he attended Cora’s PTA meeting without a single reminder from me… when he brought us gifts from his business trips.But it was a very small phase, gone before we ever got used to it.And ever since Hannah returned, it disappeared completely.“I should get going,” Gwen’s voice pulls me out of my stupor. “I still have an assignment to writ

[Elara]I have barely registered the presence of Dr. Wolfe standing right across from me when the little guy, who is wrapped around my legs like an overaffectionate octopus, whimpers.“Good auntie,” he tugs at my hand, “help me. Daddy is being a big meanie.”“Daddy?” Did I hear that right? Did this little guy just call the very young-looking doctor in front of me Daddy?But he looks so young…Dr. Wolfe sighs, but the irritation behind those blue eyes is unmistakable.“Are you done?” He walks toward us, already reaching for the little guy’s arm. “Let’s go now.”“No!” The little guy refuses to budge. Instead, he tightens his grip around my legs like I’m a tree and he’s trying to survive a hurricane. “Auntie, please. I don’t want to go with this man.”This man?Dr. Wolfe and I freeze for half a second. I swear I see a vein in his forehead twitch.He glares at the boy. “What did you just call me?”The little guy jumps back behind me.I can feel the tension between the two, and I feel the

The next thing I know, I’m standing in front of Hannah.For some reason, she’s still in the hospital, even though—according to her—there’s nothing wrong with her.“Damon,” she mumbles, as if about to cry. “You don’t have to do this. Even though I don’t know how I ended up upsetting Elara, she’s still my older sister. She doesn’t have to—”“It’s only right for someone to apologize when they are wrong,” Damon says, and I look at him in disbelief.Is he the same man who never owned up to his own mistakes?In the five years of our marriage, it was always me who gave in first, despite him being in the wrong most of the time. It was I who used to apologize on his behalf to his grandparents whenever he argued with them or made them angry. It was I who stood up to defend him when one of his clients hurled accusations, calling him careless with his case, even though he was clearly in the wrong and didn’t want to admit it.I could have scoffed right then—right there—if I wasn’t busy being disap

[Griffin Wolfe Magnus]The moment all eyes turn to me, a strange discomfort pools in my stomach.Before I know it, I’m turning to face my idiot brother. “Mr. Magnus? What do you have to say?”When Ken doesn’t move and stays glued to his phone, I kick him under the table with everything I have.He jumps.Everyone is staring at him, but his eyes are fixed on me.I stare right back, my gaze hard and full of threats.It doesn’t take him long to catch on.He clears his throat, smiling.“Well, that was the best presentation I’ve ever seen,” he says, flashing a grin—the same one most girls would gladly throw themselves at. “I have no doubts about our future success.”Cyrus Voss, a man around my father’s age, frowns, but thankfully he knows his place—and that it’s better to stay quiet than make noise when I’m not objecting.I look away, only to catch Elara watching me. Not so confused anymore.Looks like my cover isn’t blown yet. I can’t let her—or anyone—know who I really am. That would cert

[Elara]Damon turns, eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”I follow his gaze and look up to find Dr. Wolfe glaring.“You heard me,” he says calmly, though his eyes… they speak something else. Strangely, they look annoyed to the core.Damon drops his gaze to Dr. Wolfe’s hand, the one wrapped around my wrist, and breathes slowly. “How dare you touch my wife?”“I wouldn’t have to if you hadn’t been an asshole.” The instant response catches Damon off guard.He reels. “Did you just—”I can’t let this escalate. I can’t let Dr. Wolfe get dragged into my mess. Damon and I are already on the brink of divorce—there’s no reason to burn everything down now.I turn to Dr Wolfe. “I know you’re trying to help, but it’s alright. I can… I can deal with this.”His gaze cuts to me, and for a second, everything inside me stills. Is he really this angry just because Damon is misbehaving, or is it something else?“Of course you can,” he says slowly. “But that doesn’t mean I sit back and watch it.” His gaze shifts ba