Lahat ng Kabanata ng Ruined By My Brother-In-Law : Kabanata 31 - Kabanata 40

Warmth. That was the first thing Anna felt as she stirred, then softness. She burrowed deeper into it, moaning lowly. Wait. It was supposed to be cold marble, hard and the chilling night air. She'd been on the balcony. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up quickly, glancing around. She was on a king size bed with white sheets, a soft white duvet draped over her body. The room was too spacious with marble floors that reflected the morning sun. Pushed to a corner of the room was a vanity that had nothing on top of it. Two single sofas and a table were placed close to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the forest edge. It didn't look lived in, and the scenery outside told her she was in one of the rooms in Jason’s villa. Her brows furrowed as she glanced down at the shirt she was in—his shirt. It drowned her in the scent of him, a woody, warm and smoky fragrance. She'd fallen asleep on the balcony, right? Did he carry her here once she was out? That was the only way to expl

Anna lasted exactly thirty minutes in her apartment before the silence became unbearable. The walls felt too close, the air too still, and every blink dragged another memory of last night across her mind like a fresh bruise being brushed. She couldn’t go to the hospital, couldn’t trust her hands not to shake or her voice not to crack. She wasn't fit to be at work. She wasn't sure she was fit to be anywhere. So she grabbed her phone and walked out. Helen’s apartment was the only place she could think of where her chest wouldn’t feel like it was caving in.She knocked, then keyed in the door code when there was no reply. “Helen?” She called out when she walked in, and saw no one in the living room. There was no answer, only silence. Her brows furrowed. “Is she not around?” She muttered, unlocking her phone and scrolling for Olivia's number. She was about to tap it, when a phone began ringing somewhere in the apartment. Her phone still in her hand, she crept slowly toward the r

The next day was a blur… until that sharp ding of the doorbell. It was a Sunday, and Anna was supposed to be on shift. But she'd stayed up late watching movies—or rather, pretending to, only to wake up with a headache. So, she'd forced herself to eat, took an aspirin, and actually called in sick. The nurse at the desk had turned out to be Abigail, and she'd sounded suspicious at first. Then she'd tried to clarify a couple times as though Anna would change her mind any second. When Anna confirmed she really wasn't coming in, she'd actually sounded delighted. In her words, “That's great! I'll make sure to let the entire hospital know that Hovering Vegas is AWOL once again. The delight!” And the call had ended before she could say anything more. She'd stared at her phone for a solid minute, wondering if she really worked that much. Hovering Vegas? Was that a nickname they gave her behind her back? Despite herself, she smiled. The next minute, as she stood in her kitchen wondering

“Mom…” the woman, whom Anna had called Olivia, choked out, looking like she might collapse right there. Jason blinked, dazed, as Anna moved in a blur. One minute, she was standing by her door, brows furrowed at the woman, and the next…Her eyes widened in horror and she dashed out to the open door opposite hers. She didn't spare him a glance, or care that she was leaving him alone in her apartment. Olivia rushed after her, leaving the door wide open. Jason stood frozen, staring at the open doorway long after they disappeared. Without realizing it, his feet moved, taking him toward the door and into the other apartment.The scent hit him first: old books and soil from too many potted plants crammed into too little space.The space was more cluttered than Anna's, despite the identical layout. Anna's also let in more natural light, like a solarium. And then he saw them—Anna braced and shoved a couch aside with a grunt. Her towel was on the floor, her damp hair spilling over her shoul

Anna tried to keep her eyes on the road, but they kept sneaking peeks at the silent man beside her. Her fingers tightened around his jacket and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She wasn't used to this… silence between them. Even at Elena's wedding, when they were still in their ‘I can't stand you’ era, it was never this quiet. Never this strained. Jason kept his eyes on the road, hands tight on the wheel, eyes narrowed, like even looking at her might make him do something he’d regret. Maybe it was better this way; she wasn't sure she was ready to address those feelings. Yet, all she could think about was him.The car pulled into her apartment lot and he killed the engine. Just as he finally turned to her, her stomach grumbled, loudly. She placed her hands over it, flashed him a quick, embarrassed half-smile, eyes darting away as if that would hide the traitorous sound.She'd had nothing to eat since breakfast, and even that had been just a few scoops, so she could take an a