All Chapters of Under the Mistletoe with my Ex's Brother : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

ScarletJace hadn't spoken since we left the Family Services building.Not in the car. Not when I carried him into the penthouse. Not when I tried to give him dinner—his favorite mac and cheese that usually made him smile.He just stared at his plate, his small body curled into itself like he was trying to disappear."Baby, you need to eat something," I said gently, kneeling beside his chair.Nothing. Not even a blink of acknowledgment.I'd changed him out of his wet clothes as soon as we got home, holding back my own tears as he stood there limply, letting me dress him like a doll. The shame of what had happened was written all over his face—the way he wouldn't meet my eyes, the way his shoulders hunched.He was five years old and already learning what humiliation felt like."Jace, please." I touched his hand. "Just a few bites?"He pulled his hand away, tucking it against his chest.Damian appeared in the kitchen doorway. We'd barely spoken since our fight about the surveillance fil

Scarlet"BP is dropping. 90 over 60."I looked up sharply from the exposed brain tissue in front of me. "What?"The anesthesiologist, Dr. Morrison, frowned at his monitors. "I'm showing a significant drop in blood pressure. Patient's becoming unstable."That didn't make sense. This was a routine tumor resection. The patient was healthy, young, no underlying conditions that would cause sudden instability."Increase the fluids," I ordered, my eyes never leaving the surgical field. The tumor was almost completely removed—just a few more careful cuts and I'd be done."Fluids are maxed," Dr. Morrison said, his voice taking on an edge of concern. "BP is still dropping. 85 over 55 now."My heart rate kicked up, but I forced myself to stay calm. Panic in the OR helped no one."Check your equipment," I said. "Make sure you're getting accurate readings."I heard him tapping buttons, adjusting sensors. "Equipment checks out. All readings are—wait.""What?""Now I'm showing elevated BP. 180 over

Scarlet The investigation had consumed my entire afternoon. Three hours of going back through every surgical report, every equipment log, every incident from the past three weeks. I was determined to build a timeline, to prove that the malfunctions weren't random, that someone had deliberately tampered with the equipment. But I needed access to the hospital's maintenance records, and those were kept on a secure server that required administrator clearance I didn't have. Damian had administrator access to everything. He owned half the medical center's parent company. He was out—a meeting downtown that wouldn't end until late evening. Jace was with Dr. Kim for the afternoon, leaving me alone in the penthouse. Damian's study was at the end of the hallway, a dark room lined with bookshelves and expensive leather furniture. I'd only been in here once before, briefly, when he'd shown me the penthouse layout. I told myself I was just looking for his laptop. Just needed to check

ScarletI was shouting now. The fury was too big to contain, too hot to channel into anything controlled."You don't get to decide what's safe for me!" I continued, grabbing another file from the desk and waving it in the air. "You don't get to monitor my every move, read my deepest secrets, catalog my life like I'm some kind of science experiment—""I was protecting you!" Damian shot back, his own composure cracking. "Lucas had just destroyed you. You were alone, pregnant, working three jobs with no support system. What was I supposed to do? Just hope for the best?"Yes!" The word ripped out of me. "That's exactly what you were supposed to do! Because it wasn't your responsibility! I wasn't your responsibility!"You were married to my brother—""And now I'm married to you, and somehow that's supposed to make this okay?" I laughed again, that same bitter sound. "Lucas controlled me through guilt and manipulation. You controlled me through surveillance and string-pulling. Different met

I didn't know what I wanted. That was a lie. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted him to cross the kitchen and kiss me. I wanted him to pull me into his arms and tell me we'd figure this out. I wanted him to make me forget about surveillance files and orchestrated job offers and everything that had gone wrong between us. I wanted to forget I was angry. But I couldn't. The anger was the only thing protecting me from how much I'd started to need him. "Jace seems good," Damian said finally. Desperate to fill the silence. "Happy." "He is." "The visit with Lucas last week was better." My stomach clenched. "I know." I didn't want to talk about Lucas. I didn't want to think about how my son was slowly warming to a father who didn't deserve him. Ever since his last visit with Lucas when he has brought series of gifts and even shown him pictures of amusement he would love to take Jace to, my son has been becoming more attached to him. I didn't know if I should like it or h