HE RUINED ME AND I BECAME HIS STEPMOTHER のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

Mia's POVThe walk down that aisle felt like it took forever.Each step slower than the last, my heart pounding so hard I thought everyone could hear it. But then Isabel was there, reaching Chris, and the music stopped and everything went quiet except for the officiant's voice starting the ceremony.I stood with the other bridesmaids, the spotlight still warm on my face, and let my eyes drift to the side, scanning the rows of guests.That's when I saw Tom.He was sitting near the back, his face completely frozen, staring at me with an expression I couldn't read.Was he surprised I looked different all dressed up? Or was it something else? Like he was starting to piece together things I hadn't told him?Either way, he'd find out soon enough.I looked back at Chris standing just meters away, and our eyes met for the first time since that day in his apartment when everything fell apart.We didn't say anything — Couldn't say anything with everyone watching, but we kept stealing glances at

Mia's POVTom handed me a helmet without saying anything and I put it on with shaking hands.The ring on my finger caught the light from the venue behind us, where I could still hear voices raised and chaotic.He swung his leg over the motorcycle and I climbed on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist.The leather of his jacket was warm under my hands and I held on tight as the engine roared to life.We pulled out of the parking lot fast as the gravel was sprayed behind us.The wedding venue disappeared in the side mirror and suddenly we were on the highway, wind whipping past us, the city lights blurring into streaks of color.I pressed my face against Tom's back and closed my eyes.Chris's voice was still echoing in my head. "She's a white wolf. She manipulated you."He said it as if I was an abomination…My chest felt tight and I couldn't tell if I wanted to laugh or cry or scream.We rode for maybe twenty minutes before Tom started slowing down.I opened my eyes and looked

Mia's POVTom's assistant arranged for someone to help me get my things, but I insisted on going myself.I needed to see my apartment one more time, needed to grab my stuff with my own hands instead of having strangers do it for me.Tom didn't like it but he didn't stop me…He just assigned a security guy named Joel to come with me, a huge man who didn't say much but looked like he could break someone in half if he needed to.We took the service elevator down and left through the back exit where there weren't any photographers waiting. Joel drove me to my apartment in a black SUV with tinted windows that made me feel like I was in a spy movie.When we pulled up to my building, I could see reporters still camped out front. Not as many as Tom had shown me earlier, but enough that I was glad we were going in through the back entrance.Joel walked with me up to my floor and stood in the hallway while I unlocked my door.The apartment looked exactly the same as when I'd left it yesterday m

Mia's POVWhen I woke up, sunlight was streaming through the windows at an angle that told me it was late.I grabbed my phone to check the time and saw it was almost eleven. I slept for over ten hours.I got out of bed and walked to the kitchen, expecting to find Tom working or making coffee or something. But the penthouse was silent. He'd already left for work.The kitchen was spotless…Every dish from last night had been washed and put away.The counters were clean and even the floor looked like it had been mopped.Either Tom had done all this before he left or his housekeeper had come by early.I made myself coffee and drank it standing at the counter, looking out at the city below.The view never got old but it also made me feel disconnected, like I was floating above real life instead of living in it.After I finished my coffee, I went back to my room to shower.I had forgotten about the broken shower, and damn me, I haven't had my bath for something that felt like weeks and that

Mia's POVI started noticing Tom's patterns after about a week of living in the penthouse. Or maybe I'd always noticed but now I was paying attention in a different way.He had left for work every morning around eight…That was normal…But some days he'd come home at seven like clockwork, and other days he wouldn't show up until ten or eleven at night.And when he finally did come home on those late nights, he looked tired in a way that didn't match someone who'd just been sitting in an office.On Tuesday he left at eight like usual but came back at two in the afternoon, went straight to his office, and didn't come out for hours.I heard him on the phone speaking in that language I couldn't identify and when he finally emerged around dinnertime, he acted like everything was normal.On Thursday he disappeared entirely and he didn't come home at all.I woke up Friday morning and his bedroom door was still open, his bed still made from the day before. He showed up around noon carrying a