All Chapters of The Bride He Never Wanted : Chapter 81 - Chapter 89

OLIVIAHe leaned in slow and confident in that quiet, dangerous way he always had.His breath brushed my lips, his nose grazed mine. His eyes flicked down again to my mouth and that was it. My mind went blank.I should’ve stepped back. I should’ve pushed him away. I should’ve done anything except what I did…I didn’t move. I didn’t stop him.I let him come closer, so close I could feel the warmth of his lips almost touching mine.My heart thudded painfully, my pulse racing so loud I could hear it in my ears.“Liv…” he whispered, his lips brushing mine. “Please.”And I… gave in. I tilted my head, just slightly, just enough that our mouths ghosted across each other. It was a tiny touch, but it lit a spark straight through my chest. His fingers tightened on my waist, pulling me closer, and his breath hitched like he’d been waiting for this moment for months.And God… maybe I had too.But right when our lips were about to truly meet, something snapped inside me. My eyes flew open.“No,”

OLIVIAHe didn’t answer immediately.He just stared at me, his eyes slightly widened, lips parted, his breath caught somewhere deep in his chest. The silence told me more than words ever could.“Olivia…” he finally said, his voice low and tense, “why would you even ask me something like that?”I didn’t look away. “Just answer the question.”He shook his head fast. “Never. God, Liv… never. I never felt anything for her. Not once.”But then something was off. His voice was too sharp, his eyes were avoiding mine.A cold, sinking feeling crept into my stomach.I rose from the bed slowly and stepped closer to him, studying every flicker of his expression.“Logan…” I whispered, “is there something you’re hiding from me?”“I’m not hiding anything,” he said too quickly. I stared at him, and the longer I watched, the more I saw the little panic behind his eyes. The tightness in his jaw. The way he kept wetting his lips like they’d suddenly gone dry.My chest tightened.“Logan,” I said again

RYANI shot to my feet so fast the room swayed around me. My legs felt unsteady, weak, like they didn’t believe what my ears were telling me. My heart hammered against my ribs so hard and for a second I genuinely thought I might pass out.I took one step forward… and immediately stumbled back onto the cushion.My uncle burst out laughing. “Oh, wow,” he said between breaths, shaking his head as he looked at me. “Ryan, look at you. Look at you!” He pointed at me like I was some circus show. “Who would’ve ever thought I’d see the day you’d be this terrified over a woman?”I glared at him, but my heart was beating too violently for me to form words yet.He continued anyway, enjoying himself way too much. “You, Ryan. You, of all people, begging for a woman to stay, shaking like a leaf, falling on cushions, refusing divorce papers? Ah. This is truly a miracle.”I clenched my jaw hard, forcing myself to breathe in, breathe out.I pushed myself up again, slower this time, gripping the arm of

OLIVIAI turned toward the door.My fingers were already curling around the handle when I felt a hand closing around my wrist. “Olivia…” Ryan whispered behind me, his voice breaking. “Please. Don’t go yet. Please.”I shut my eyes for three seconds, because if I looked at him while he held me like that, I knew something inside me might soften. And I couldn’t afford that now.I gently pulled my wrist out of his grip. “Ryan…” I said softly, finally turning to face him.His eyes were red, wet and shining. “I meant what I said,” I whispered. “I’m leaving.”His shoulders fell, like the words cut the last string holding him upright. “And… I’m leaving the country today.”His eyes widened instantly. His mouth parted, breath trembling. “Leaving the… Olivia, no. No, please, please…”Before he could reach for me again, I stepped closer on my own.His breath halted. Then I did something neither of us expected.I leaned in… and wrapped my arms lightly around him. His entire body froze in disbelief

RYANMy heart leaped so hard I thought it would tear out of my chest.She came back.Joy slammed into me so fast I almost got dizzy. Oh God… when I had lost hope, when I thought she meant every last word, when I thought she didn’t care about what we shared at the beach… she came back.I wiped my face immediately, aggressively, using both palms to clear the tears away. I dragged my sleeve across my cheeks, making sure not a drop was left. Then I stood from the floor so fast I nearly fell again. I smoothed my clothes, straightened my shirt, fixed the collar, pushed my hair back, inhaled deeply.My smiling uncle stared at me like I had just resurrected. “Oh,” he said, clapping slowly with the widest grin, “so he can smile now? Fantastic. This is good. This is VERY good.”I ignored him. My chest was too full, because she he came back for me.I stepped quickly toward the window with excitement pulsing through my veins. I needed to see her. Just one glimpse. Just…My eyes reached the window