All Chapters of Married to the billionaire who broke me: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Chapter Twelve: If I Lose Control ‎ ‎The lock clicked. ‎ ‎Once. ‎ ‎Twice. ‎ ‎I felt it like a warning shot down my spine. ‎ ‎Ethan didn’t release me after Valeria left. His arm remained around my waist, solid, unyielding, as if letting go might allow the world to tear me apart. ‎ ‎“Was that necessary?” I whispered. ‎ ‎“Yes.” ‎ ‎His answer was immediate. Absolute. ‎ ‎He guided me through the corridor, past security, past rooms I wasn’t allowed to enter, until we reached his bedroom. This time, there was no hesitation. ‎ ‎The door closed. ‎ ‎Locked. ‎ ‎The silence inside was different from before—tight, coiled, electric. ‎ ‎“Ethan,” I began. ‎ ‎He turned so suddenly I gasped. ‎ ‎His eyes were dark. Not cold. ‎ ‎Uncontrolled. ‎ ‎“You are not allowed to scare me like that,” he said quietly. ‎ ‎I blinked. “I didn’t do anything.” ‎ ‎“You exist,” he snapped. “That’s enough.” ‎ ‎My heart hammered. “She said I was

‎Chapter Fourteen: A Message Written in Fear ‎ ‎The house did not wake up with us. ‎ ‎It held its breath. ‎ ‎That was the first thing I noticed when morning came—the stillness. No footsteps in the halls. No murmured voices from the staff. No soft clink of dishes from the kitchen. ‎ ‎Just silence. ‎ ‎Ethan was already out of bed. ‎ ‎I felt the absence immediately, like a limb torn away. The sheets were cold on his side, untouched since he’d left. I sat up slowly, pulling the blanket around myself, my heart already racing with the sense that something had shifted while I slept. ‎ ‎The door was open. ‎ ‎That never happened. ‎ ‎I found him in his private office. ‎ ‎The room smelled like coffee and tension. He stood by the desk, jacket on, sleeves rolled, phone pressed to his ear. His posture was rigid, every line of him sharp with focus. He didn’t turn when I entered, but I knew he sensed me. ‎ ‎“…track every outgoing call,” he said coldly. “Lock down the ports. I wa

‎Chapter Sixteen: The Rule That Cuts Deepest ‎ ‎The test began without warning. ‎ ‎Ethan didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t threaten. He simply withdrew. ‎ ‎That was how I knew this was deliberate. ‎ ‎The morning after my confrontation, he became distant—polite, controlled, ruthless in his composure. No touches. No quiet glances. No unguarded moments. He treated me the way he treated the world: like a transaction that required precision, not emotion. ‎ ‎“You’re coming with me tonight,” he said over breakfast. “There’s a meeting.” ‎ ‎“A meeting,” I repeated. “Or a trap?” ‎ ‎His eyes flicked up briefly. “In my world, those are often the same thing.” ‎ ‎We arrived at a private estate outside the city, guarded and gleaming, filled with people who smiled too easily and watched too closely. I felt it immediately—the scrutiny. Every step I took was measured. Every word weighed. ‎ ‎This wasn’t about business. ‎ ‎This was about me. ‎ ‎Ethan’s hand rested at my back, not re

‎Chapter Eighteen: The Space Where Protection Ends ‎ ‎The danger did not announce itself. ‎ ‎It arrived quietly, dressed as routine. ‎ ‎Ethan left before dawn. ‎ ‎No warning. No lingering glance. Just a message on my phone, sharp and brief. ‎ ‎Do not leave the house today. ‎This is not a request. ‎ ‎I stared at the screen long after it went dark. ‎ ‎He never explained. That was his way. Orders instead of reassurance. Control instead of comfort. ‎ ‎I told myself not to feel the absence like a missing limb. ‎ ‎I failed. ‎ ‎By noon, the mansion felt too large. Too empty. Every echo of my footsteps reminded me that for the first time since entering Ethan Blackwood’s world, I was alone inside it. ‎ ‎No shadow at my back. ‎No hand at my waist. ‎No quiet certainty that if something went wrong, he would appear. ‎ ‎I hated how much that unsettled me. ‎ ‎The knock came just after two. ‎ ‎Not loud. Not urgent. ‎ ‎Polite. ‎ ‎I froze. ‎ ‎Security never knocked.

‎Chapter Twenty: When the Crown Falls ‎ ‎Celeste Laurent’s downfall did not explode. ‎ ‎It rippled. ‎ ‎At first, the world pretended nothing had happened. ‎ ‎Her name still appeared on guest lists. Her charities still bore her signature. Her penthouse lights still glowed at night. From the outside, she remained untouchable—a woman carved from old power and careful influence. ‎ ‎But beneath the surface, everything was rotting. ‎ ‎I felt it before I understood it. ‎ ‎The mansion buzzed with tension the morning after. Phones rang and went silent. Guards spoke in low, clipped voices. Ethan moved through it all like a storm contained in human form—calm, controlled, devastating. ‎ ‎He didn’t look at me when I entered the study. ‎ ‎“She’s calling everyone,” he said flatly, eyes on the screen before him. “And no one is answering.” ‎ ‎“What happens to someone like her,” I asked quietly, “when the world turns its back?” ‎ ‎Ethan’s fingers paused on the desk. ‎ ‎“They rem