บททั้งหมดของ Falling for the Disgraced Heir: บทที่ 61 - บทที่ 70

Julia hadn’t slept in nearly twenty-four hours, yet exhaustion didn’t hit her—fear did. Fear of what Arthur’s words meant. Fear of what her mother believed. Fear of what Brandon must be thinking. The hospital corridor felt too bright, too still, as if holding its breath along with her.She sat beside her mother’s bed, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest beneath the thin blanket. Mrs. Bailey had finally drifted into sleep after hours of tension and grief. Julia brushed a damp strand of hair from her own cheek, her hands still cold from the night before.A quiet knock interrupted her thoughts.Arthur stood in the doorway, arm in a sling, face pale but awake. “Can I come in?” he asked softly.She nodded, though confusion

The storm hadn’t even passed before the next one arrived. Julia barely had time to put water on the stove when a sharp knock slammed through the house—three precise raps, cold enough to slice through bone. She froze. Brandon went still beside her.Her mother peeked around the corner. “Who—”But Julia already knew. Only one man knocked like he owned every door he touched.Brandon opened it.Mr. Hughes stepped inside without waiting for permission, his polished shoes tapping across the worn floorboards as if offended by their existence. “We’re past pleasantries,” he said. His gaze swept the room, unimpressed. “He’s giving up a legacy for a girl with nothing.”Jul

By morning, the world was burning with his name. Brandon Hughes. Trending in every corner of the internet, wrapped in headlines he never wrote, crimes he never committed, scandals he never chose. Julia stared at the screen until her pulse roared in her ears—every notification another match thrown onto a growing blaze.Her phone rang just as she grabbed her coat. HR’s clipped voice cut through the static. “Julia… given the situation, we need to suspend you until the investigation settles.”She gripped the counter. “Investigation? Into what?”“Allegations tied to your partner’s legal troubles. It’s best if you take… distance.”

Flashbulbs exploded the moment Brandon stepped out of the courthouse. Rain misted the air, but the crowd pressed closer, microphones thrust forward like weapons. The news had already leaked—Mr. Hughes himself was inside, demanding a private meeting. Julia stood just behind Brandon, her hand hovering near his back, steadying him without touching.A reporter shouted, “Mr. Hughes! Will you take the deal?”Brandon didn’t blink. “No.”The single word sliced through the chaos. Cameras froze. Even the wind seemed to stop.Then the uproar erupted.

Rain began as a whisper—soft drizzles rolling down the lake’s edge—just as Julia stared at the velvet box in Brandon’s trembling hands. Her heartbeat surged, loud enough she wondered if he could hear it. His knees pressed into the damp grass, but he looked up at her like she was the only steady thing left in his unraveling world.“Julia…” His voice cracked. “Will you still choose me? After everything?”The question wasn’t simple. It carried smoke from the past months—the headlines, the lies, the threats—and yet something in her steadied as she reached for his shaking fingers.“Yes,” she breathed. “But only if we do this our way.”His eyes widened, hope flaring like the first