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Home / Romance / I AM BILLIONAIRE DAMON'S REPLACEMENT BRIDE / Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

All Chapters of I AM BILLIONAIRE DAMON'S REPLACEMENT BRIDE : Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

225 Chapters

ONE LAST TIME

EVE'S POV I went back to the penthouse on Sunday afternoon. One week in the new apartment and I’d realized I’d left more behind than I thought. Important things buried in drawers and closets I’d been too upset to check properly the last time. My grandmother’s jewelry that I’d inherited after she died. Photo albums from before Damon, from college and childhood. A few pieces of clothing I actually wanted. Documents I’d need—birth certificate, passport, things I couldn’t replace. I’d texted Damon Saturday night to make sure he wouldn’t be there. Me: I’m coming by the apartment Sunday at 2 PM to get the rest of my things. Please don’t be there. No response. I took that as agreement. Jessica offered to come with me but I told her no. This was something I needed to do alone. One final trip to close that chapter completely. The doorman recognized me when I walked in. “Mrs. Sterling.” “Just Eve,” I said. “I’m not using Sterling anymore.” He nodded uncomfortably and let me pass. I

THE FALL

EVE'S POV The laughter wouldn’t stop. It echoed through the penthouse like something broken and feral, filling the silence I had hoped would swallow this place forever. Sophia stood in the doorway of the study, head thrown back, shoulders shaking with that wild, manic sound. Her hands clutched her sides as if the sheer absurdity of me... of us... was the most hilarious thing she had ever witnessed. I clutched the box tighter against my chest, my heart slamming so hard I could feel it in my throat. I was still inside. Still trapped with her. The elevator felt miles away. “Stop,” I said, my voice barely cutting through the laughter. “Just stop it, Sophia.” She finally lowered her head, eyes glistening with tears of amusement, but the smile on her face was anything but joyful. It was sharp. Triumphant. Unstable. “Oh, Eve,” she gasped, wiping at her eyes. “You really are something. Standing there like you’re the one who’s been wronged. Like you didn’t spend years making Damon believ

THE FALL

I heard the scream the second I opened the penthouse door. A woman's scream, piercing and sharp, followed by the sickening sound of something heavy tumbling down the stairs. Multiple thuds. A body hitting marble. "Sophia!" I dropped my briefcase and ran. The scene hit me all at once. Sophia crumpled at the bottom of the stairs, her body twisted at an unnatural angle, one arm bent beneath her, legs splayed. Blood. So much blood pooling beneath her head, spreading across the white marble in a dark, terrible stain. And Eve. Standing at the top of the stairs, frozen, her face white as death, staring down at what she'd done. "What the fuck did you do?" I shouted, racing down the stairs. "Eve, what the fuck did you do?" "I didn't...she just..." "Call 911! Now!" I dropped to my knees next to Sophia, my hands shaking as I reached for her neck to check for a pulse. There. Faint but there. She was alive. Barely. "Sophia, can you hear me? Sophia!" No response. Her eyes were

MARRIAGE IS OVER

Can I see her?" I asked. "She's sedated right now, but yes. Room 408." I walked to her room in a daze. My parents followed but hung back, giving me space. Sophia looked small in the hospital bed. Pale and fragile and broken. Bandages on her head, her wrist in a cast, monitors beeping steadily around her. I sat down in the chair next to her bed and took her uninjured hand. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I'm so fucking sorry." Her eyes fluttered open. "Damon?" "I'm here." "The baby..." Her voice broke. "Did they tell you?" "Yeah. They told me." Tears streamed down her face. "She killed our baby. Eve killed our baby." "I know." "I want her arrested. I want her to pay for what she did." "She will. I promise you, she will." Sophia closed her eyes, more tears leaking out. "I loved that baby so much already. I had names picked out. I had plans. And she just... she just took it all away." "I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you both

DECISION

The call from Lara Jean came yesterday morning. I was in my apartment, staring at nothing, trying to figure out how to breathe through the panic that hadn't left since yesterday. Since Sophia fell, since Damon looked at me like I was a monster, since I ran from the penthouse knowing he'd never believe me. "Eve, I have news." "What kind of news?" "Damon signed the divorce papers." I sat down slowly on my couch. "When?" "Last night. Around midnight. I sent them over and he signed them within twenty minutes. Sent them back without a single question." "So it's done." "Not quite. There's a waiting period before it's finalized. But yes, essentially. He agreed to everything. The division of assets, spousal support, all of it. He didn't fight a single term." I should have felt relieved. Should have felt vindicated that I'd made the right choice filing. Should have felt something other than the crushing weight settling on my chest. "Eve? Are you still there?" "Yeah. I'm here."

THE MAN I'M LEAVING BEHIND

As soon as the legal stuff with Sophia is settled, I'm leaving New York and I'm not coming back." "Eve..." Jessica started. "No. My mind is made up. I can't stay here. I can't raise a baby in a city where everyone thinks I'm capable of pushing a pregnant woman down the stairs. I can't run into Damon and Sophia at restaurants or events or just walking down the street. I can't do it." "Where will you go?" Marcus asked quietly. "I don't know yet. But somewhere far. Somewhere I can start fresh. Somewhere no one knows my story or judges me for it." "What about your career?" "I'm a designer. I can work from anywhere. I'll figure it out." "What about money?" "I have savings. And Damon agreed to spousal support in the divorce settlement. I'll be fine." Jessica was crying now. "I don't want you to leave." "I don't want to leave you either. But I have to. For me. For the baby. For my sanity." "Will you at least wait until after the baby is born? Until you know everything is okay?" I

THE WEIGHT

DAMON I'd been staying at the hospital for three days. Sleeping in the chair next to Sophia's bed, leaving only to shower at the penthouse and change clothes. She needed me. That's what I kept telling myself. She'd lost the baby because of Eve, she was traumatized, she was in pain, she needed someone there. But really, I just couldn't face going home. Couldn't face the penthouse with its bloodstained marble and empty rooms. Couldn't face the silence. Couldn't face the security footage that Marcus kept insisting I watch. The footage I'd transferred to my phone but still hadn't opened. Tuesday afternoon, Sophia was discharged. The doctor gave her instructions about rest, about watching for signs of infection, about grief counseling for the loss. She nodded through all of it, her face pale and drawn. My mother was there to help us get home. Fussed over Sophia like she was fragile glass, helped her into the wheelchair even though Sophia could walk, made sure she had everyt

THE SETTLEMENT

EVE The call from Lara Jean came Wednesday morning. "The police have officially closed their investigation. No charges will be filed against you." I sat down slowly on my couch. "Why not?" "The security footage shows the incident wasn't a clear assault. The detective I spoke with said while it's obvious there was a confrontation, there's no definitive evidence of you making physical contact with Ms. Sterling before she fell." "So they're saying it was an accident?" "They're saying they can't prove it was assault. Which means they're not pursuing criminal charges." I should have felt relieved. Should have felt vindicated. But all I felt was numb. "What about Sophia? Is she going to try to press charges anyway?" "She can't press criminal charges if the DA won't take the case. But Eve, her lawyer called me this morning. They're preparing a civil lawsuit. Wrongful death of the fetus, emotional distress, medical expenses. They're asking for two million dollars." Th

THE PERFORMANCE

SOPHIA I'd been staying at the penthouse for four days. Four days of Damon hovering, checking on me constantly, asking if I needed anything. Four days of playing the grieving almost-mother. Four days of pretending the loss of a baby was destroying me. It was exhausting. But necessary. Because I'd miscalculated with the stairs. Badly. I'd thought the fall would be bad enough to make Eve look guilty but not bad enough to actually hurt me seriously. I'd thought I could control it, land in a way that looked dramatic but wouldn't cause real damage. I'd been wrong. The fractured ribs hurt every time I breathed. The broken wrist made everything difficult. And the concussion had left me dizzy and nauseous for days. But worse than the physical pain was the loss of my leverage. The pregnancy had been my insurance policy. My guarantee that Damon would keep choosing me, keep protecting me, keep believing whatever I said. Without it, I was just a woman recovering from a fall in his

THE SETTLEMENT

EVE'S POV The settlement conference was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Lara Jean’s office. I had been dreading it all week. Originally the lawyers had planned for us to sign the documents separately. I would go in, sign my copies, and leave. Sophia would do the same later the same day. But two days ago, Sophia’s lawyer suddenly insisted that both of us had to attend the final meeting in person, together, with both lawyers present. They said it was non-negotiable. They wanted everything witnessed at the same time so there could be no future claims that anyone was pressured or didn’t fully understand the agreement. Lara Jean advised me to agree. She warned me that fighting them on this could drag everything out for months, and I couldn’t take any more delays. I just wanted this nightmare to end. So here I was. It wasn’t the money. One hundred thousand dollars was steep but manageable with the spousal support and my savings. What I really hated was the idea of sitting in the s

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