All Chapters of She Marries The Wrong Brother : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

She woke before dawn, not because of a sound, but because the house felt too aware of her presence.The silence was different at that hour, heavier, as if it had settled deliberately. She lay still for a moment, listening, then sat up slowly. The clock glowed faintly beside the bed. Too early to be restless, too late to call it a dream.She dressed without turning on the lights.By the time she reached the kitchen, the sky outside had begun to pale. She poured herself water, leaned against the counter, and let the coolness of the glass steady her thoughts. The events of the previous day replayed themselves with uncomfortable clarity. The meeting. The looks. His quiet approval, offered as if it were a reward she had not known she was competing for.“You’re awake early.”She turned. He stood at the entrance, already dressed, jacket slung over one shoulder. He looked like someone who had been awake for hours, waiting.“I could say the same,” she replied.He moved farther into the room, s

She woke with the lingering sense of having been watched.The thought came before reason, before memory. It sat heavy in her chest as she lay still, listening to the quiet hum of the house settling into morning. When she finally pushed herself upright, daylight had already crept through the curtains, pale and uninviting.The events of the previous day returned in pieces. The visit. The tension between the brothers. The way her husband had positioned himself without asking, without explanation, as though it were instinct rather than intention.She dressed slowly, choosing her clothes with more care than usual. It annoyed her that she noticed such things now, that she wondered how he would look at her, what conclusions he might draw from small choices. She told herself it was about control, about not giving him unnecessary leverage.Downstairs, the house was quieter than she expected. No voices. No movement beyond the distant sound of staff somewhere out of sight. She poured herself cof

She did not sleep well.The night passed in uneven stretches, drifting in and out of shallow rest, her thoughts circling the same points until they blurred together. When morning finally came, it felt less like relief and more like an interruption. She lay still for a moment, listening to the house wake around her, then sat up slowly.The lock on her door stared back at her, a quiet reminder of the night before.She dressed with more care than usual, smoothing her clothes as if order might steady her thoughts. By the time she left her room, her expression was composed, but the tension beneath it had not faded.At breakfast, he was already there.He stood near the window, phone in hand, speaking in a low voice. She caught fragments of the conversation as she entered. Business. Deadlines. Someone asking for assurances he did not seem inclined to give. When he ended the call, he turned toward her, his gaze pausing just long enough to take her in.“You slept,” he said.“A little,” she rep

Lines That Do Not Stay DrawnShe realized something was wrong the moment she stepped inside the house. Not because it was loud. Not because anything looked disturbed. But because it was too still, as though the walls themselves were holding their breath.Her heels clicked softly against the floor as she moved further in, setting her bag down with care. Adrian’s jacket was draped over the arm of the couch, exactly where he always left it. His phone lay on the side table, screen dark. He was home.“Adrian?” she called.No answer.She moved toward the kitchen, already rehearsing the conversation she knew was coming. Something measured. Something calm. Something that would avoid another argument spiraling into silence.She stopped short when she heard a voice that was not his.“Careful,” his brother said lightly. “You look like you’re about to bolt.”Her hand tightened around the edge of the counter. Slowly, she turned.He was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed, posture relaxed in

The Shape of a ThreatShe did not sleep. Even after Adrian turned off the light and settled beside her, even after his breathing evened out, her mind refused to follow. His last words replayed themselves over and over, not as a warning, but as a promise she could not yet understand.By then, it won’t be just him you’ll need protection from.She lay still, staring at the faint outline of the ceiling, listening to the quiet sounds of the apartment. Adrian shifted once in his sleep, an unconscious movement that brought his arm closer to her side. She did not move away, but she did not lean into him either.The space between them felt deliberate now.In the morning, Adrian was already awake.He stood by the window, shirt half-buttoned, phone pressed to his ear. His voice was low, controlled, the tone he used when conversations mattered. She caught fragments as she moved around the room. Names she did not recognize. A pause. A firm refusal.“No,” he said. “That won’t be necessary.”He ende