All Chapters of THE WRONG BROTHER : Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Charlotte "Yes, I do." I shift carefully against the pillows, trying to find a position that doesn't hurt. "Rhys, I know this isn't easy. Taking care of me, dealing with my nightmares and my stubbornness and all of it. You could have just visited me at my mom's house. You didn't have to offer to let me stay here.""I wanted you here. I want to take care of you." His voice is quiet in the dim light. "Charlotte, after what happened after almost losing you, I need to be close. To know you're safe."The words hang between us."I'm not going to break, you know," I say softly. "I'm hurt, but I'm not fragile.""I know that. I've seen how strong you are." He adjusts the blanket around himself. "But strength doesn't mean you have to do everything alone. It's okay to need help sometimes.""Says the man who never asks for help with anything.""Which is exactly why I know how exhausting it is to always be the strong one. To never let anyone see you struggle." He's quiet for a moment. "I'm trying

Charlotte "Rhys, I'm not saying we have to do anything. I'm just saying... I want to feel close to you. I want to remember what it's like to be touched without fear."He cups my face in his hands, so carefully, his thumbs tracing my cheekbones. "I don't want to hurt you.""You won't.""I could. Accidentally. If I..."I silence him with a kiss. Soft, tentative, our first kiss since everything happened.He freezes for half a second, then responds, his lips gentle against mine, careful of my split lip.It's nothing like our previous kisses, no desperation, no heat. Just tenderness and connection and trust.When we pull apart, we're both breathing harder.We stand like that for a long moment, the water cascading over us, his hands in my hair, mine on his chest feeling his heartbeat."We should probably get out before we use all the hot water," he says eventually."Probably."But neither of us moves.Finally, reluctantly, Rhys reaches around me to turn off the water. He grabs a towel and

Charlotte Detective Sarah glances at Rhys, then back to me. "What happened when Mr. Van Allen returned home?""He confronted me. Asked me point-blank if I was betraying him, if everything between us had been a lie, if I was working with Kevin." The memory makes my chest tight. "I tried to explain. Tried to tell him that Kevin was manipulating him, that it was obviously a setup. But he wouldn't listen.""What did he say to you?"I force myself to look at Rhys as I answer. He needs to hear this. Needs to understand what his words did."He said I was exactly what Kevin described, a manipulative gold-digger who would do anything for money. That I'd been playing both sides from the beginning. That I was probably laughing at how easy it was to fool him." My voice drops. "He said I should go back to my real husband since that's clearly where my loyalty was."Rhys flinches like I've struck him."I was furious. Devastated. After everything we'd been through, he just... believed Kevin without

Charlotte "What was your reaction to hearing this plan?""I laughed." The memory is sharp. "I actually laughed in his face. Told him Rhys would see through Larry in a heartbeat. That he wasn't stupid."Detective Chen leans forward. "How did Kevin respond to that?""He backhanded me across the face. Hard enough that I tasted blood." I touch my cheek, feeling the ghost of the impact. "He crouched down, grabbed my hair, yanked my head back. Said, 'You're right. Rhys isn't stupid. But he is heartbroken. And heartbroken men make stupid decisions.'""Did he elaborate?""Michael did. He said they'd already planted the seeds, made Rhys think I was the leak, made him doubt me. Now with me missing, they'd spin it perfectly." My voice shakes with anger. "They'd suggest I'd run off with money. That maybe I had another man. That the whole thing with Rhys was a con from the start.""That must have been difficult to hear.""It was worse than difficult. Because Kevin looked so pleased with himself w

Charlotte "This place?" I raise an eyebrow."Don't judge. They have the best burgers in the city. Trust me." He comes around to open my door, offering his hand to help me out.Inside, the diner smells like grease and coffee and something baking, maybe pie. A waitress with gray hair and a name tag that reads "Dolores" waves us toward a corner booth."Sit anywhere, hon. Menus are on the table."We slide into the booth, and I immediately feel some of the tension leave my shoulders. There's something comforting about this place, unpretentious, warm, normal."You come here often?" I ask, scanning the menu even though Rhys said burgers."Used to. When I was first starting Vertico, I'd come here late at night when I couldn't sleep. Dolores would let me sit for hours with just coffee and fries, working on my laptop." He smiles at the memory. "She never once told me to leave or order more food. Just kept the coffee coming.""She sounds like an amazing person""She is. And she makes a mean app