All Chapters of My Stepbrother's Lust : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

NINA'S POV Forty minutes. Forty minutes to stop him before everything—my life, my secrets, my sanity—goes up in flames.And my mother picked this day to have a huge meltdown.She's sitting in my bedroom, fingers clasped tight around a steaming mug, chest heaving like an apocalypse is underway.“This is serious, Nina. I need you to sit down.”“I'm listening to you, I promise.” I'm not. Sweat trickles down my nose as I rummage through my wardrobe. I swear I had that card on me this morning. It was in my fucking purse. I didn't even spend the night at home. What the hell am I doing? “Nina!” “God, mom! I'm right here. Just give me five minutes.”“But it can't wait…”“Did someone die?” I ask.She blinks, clutching real pearls at her neck.“Absolutely not! But—”“Then it can wait.” My fingers fist in my hair, and I survey the absolute mess I've made of my room, every second confirming the nagging fear in my head—it’s not here.I feel my mother's stare burning into my back, so I don

NINA'S POV It’s strange how weddings still go on, even after someone might have died.I don't want to be here. Every nerve in my body screams to run, but I stand still.The sweet smell of flowers makes me sick to my stomach, but I'm too empty to throw up.It's Cassian's wedding day. I can't make this about myself. But oh…I really want to.My dreams were haunted by the smell of blood and the sound of bones crunching. When I woke up, Jason's bloody ring lay on my bedside table, daring me to wash away the crimson evidence.I need time to process, but that can't be today. Mom was on my ass like a bee, and my dress came at the last minute.Thanks a lot, Nyla.I need to focus.I have to talk to Cassian. I have to know…but how? I'm stuck on door duty, welcoming cold faced guests in fitted suits and shimmering gowns, forcing a smile until my cheeks hurt.The cathedral looms behind me like a shadow, double doors wide open as the guests shuffle in. I smooth my palms over the deep plum fabric

SLOANE'S POVDo you have any idea how humiliating it is to be abandoned on your own wedding night?Of course not. You're not married to Cassian Cross. Lucky you, at least you don't have to sit in a decorated room, waiting for a man you know won't come home.I planned tonight down to the last second — including when I would tell him about the baby — and he has the audacity to disappear?The smell of cake churns my stomach, and I am five minutes away from burning his world down.I did all this —hired a decorator and cleaners—to make sure that his…no…OUR home looks like a baby haven when he walks in, and this is the thanks I get for trying to be good.My wedding band sits heavy on my finger, and I graze my fingers against the princess cut diamond.It's my wedding night. I should be in bed with the partner of my dreams, soaking up the sweet scent of rain meeting dust. Instead, I'm sitting here, staring at the huge black door and waiting for my ghost of a husband. He’s robbing me of the

NINA'S POV It’s funny how quickly pleasure turns into humiliation. How moments of stolen passion quickly fade into shards of pain slicing through my heart.The shrill ring of his phone has broken the illusion, but he stays unmoving inside me, hands gripping my waist tight. “Cassian,” my throat feels raw.“I know, I'm sorry…” he mutters, leaning down to claim my lips one last time before he pulls out of me, leaving my thighs slick with our arousal.I watch his back ripple in the moonlight as he presses his phone to his ear.My pulse roars in my ears, blocking out his clipped whispers, and I reach for my robe lying in the sheets, wrapping it around myself like a shield. “How did you—okay. Until then. No, not now. Okay, bye.” He turns, phone in hand. One look at his face, and I know he's about to leave. I knew this would happen. I just didn’t think it would hurt this much.“You have to go.” I nod, lips pursed. “Not right now. It's my father. He…wants to see me.” His jaw is tense, a

NINA'S POV Who delivers a basket of pastries to my doorstep and goes ghost twenty four hours later?Nobody but Cassian Cross. It's six in the morning, and I'm sitting on my balcony, stalking my stepbrother's instagram. No updates. I sigh and close the app. He's not much of a poster anyway. This was kind of a last resort.I shouldn't be thinking about this, about him. I should be at work, but even that part is tied to him, too.All night, I told myself that I could live without the memory of his fingers ghosting over my skin, that his words meant nothing, but he said he loved me…Jason is dead. The thought hits me like a whiplash, and I feel my gut clench.The bloody ring, the laptop…A gust of wind sends goosebumps crawling over my skin, and I shudder, clutching my phone tighter.Cassian killed him…for me.I don't know what to do with that, and it fucking scares me to know that I'm in love with a murderer…that I might never stop.I shut my eyes and suck in a breath, filling my lun