All Chapters of Under the Mistletoe with my Ex's Brother : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

" What?,” I stared at her, dumbfounded by her accusation. I was tired of her numerous conspiracies that involved me. Like she knew anything about me! “Don't be foolish, Savannah! You knew how much I wanted a child with Lucas!” “No…no, you only pretended to,” she said with disgust and then turned to mother. “Mother, don't you see it. She's trying to manipulate us and make us feel like the villains here!.. That's what she always does!” I saw the wheel spin in my mother's eyes, and just like that— the regret and sadness she felt a few minutes ago vanished. "You vindictive bitch!" my mother shrieked. "You denied your husband children out of spite!" "No!" My voice finally rose to match theirs. "I didn't deny him anything. You were the ones who denied yourselves the truth. Too blind to see what was standing in front of you!” "Gosh! I can't believe you're still this insane! You're such a liar, scarlet," Savannah spat. "You wanted to punish Lucas, so you—" "I wanted to punish him?

THE PROPOSITION "What are you suggesting?" I asked warily, my voice barely steady. Damian's dark eyes held mine with an intensity that made my breath catch. "Marry me." I froze. I won't lie and say I didn't suspect something like this. But I hadn't thought he meant something as big as marriage. The words hung in the air between us. For a moment, I just stared at him. Then I laughed. The sound was sharp and disbelieving. "You're insane." I shook my head and pulled away from him. "I might be, but I'm also being practical," Damian corrected, taking a step closer to me. It was like he couldn't stand being faraway from me. One step backwards from me, five step forwards from him. He was not ready to give me space. "You need protection from Lucas and your family. I need a wife to claim my inheritance. My father's will stipulates marriage. It's mutually beneficial." I blinked at him. "Your father's will?" "He died two years ago," Damian said flatly. "Left everything split between Lu

THE REFUSALI didn't sleep that night.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Lucas's face. The way he'd stared at Jace. The calculation in his eyes.By morning, I'd convinced myself that Damian's proposal was ridiculous and I needed to turn him down immediately.I called him.He answered on the second ring. "Scarlet.""I need to talk to you. In person.""I'll come to you.""No." I didn't want this conversation in my hotel room, where Jace might overhear. "There's a coffee shop in the lobby. Meet me there in twenty minutes."I hung up before he could respond.I got Jace dressed and fed, then brought him down to the hotel's childcare center. They had activities planned for the morning, and he was excited to play with other kids."Be good," I told him, kissing his forehead."I'm always good, Mommy," he said with the confidence only a five-year-old could have.I watched him run off to join a group building blocks, then headed to the coffee shop.Damian was already there, sitting at a corner

"She lost the baby."My anger faltered. Just for a moment. "When?""Three months after you left. Three months after we got married." Lucas's face was drawn, haunted. "She went to a party. Got drunk. Someone pushed her and she fell down a flight of stairs."Despite everything, I felt a flicker of sympathy. Losing a child was devastating, no matter the circumstances."I'm sorry," I said, and I meant it."She blamed me," Lucas continued. "Said I didn't care enough about her or the baby. That I was still thinking about you." He looked at me with something raw in his eyes. "She was right.""Lucas—""I never stopped thinking about you," he said, the words rushing out like he'd been holding them back for years. "The entire time you were gone. Every day. I kept wondering where you were, if you were okay, if you hated me as much as I hated myself.""Stop.""I treated you horribly. I know that. I was so focused on Savannah, on this fantasy I'd built in my head, that I couldn't see what was righ

Lucas The private investigator I'd hired was worth every exorbitant dollar I was paying him. Marcus had recommended the best, and within three days, I had a file on my desk thick enough to confirm what I already knew in my gut. Scarlet Hayes. Age thirty-one. Chief of Neurosurgery at Seattle Grace Medical Center. Relocated to Los Angeles five years ago, shortly after our divorce was finalized. Single mother to one Jace Alexander Hayes, aged five. Five years old. The timeline was right there in black and white, impossible to ignore. But the hospital records were sealed tight—HIPAA regulations meant I couldn't access Jace's birth certificate without a court order. And filing for a court order meant tipping my hand, letting Scarlet know I was coming for her. I wasn't ready for that yet. Not until I had proof. "There's another way," I muttered to myself, staring at the address of Jace's preschool in Los Angeles. Sunshine Academy. A private institution with a pristine reputatio