All Chapters of Forbidden: Claimed by My Ex's Father and Brother: Chapter 71 - Chapter 80

Lia's POVBut even as I flew away from the island, even as physical distance grew between me and what had happened there, I knew something fundamental had shifted.I wasn't the same woman who'd boarded this plane days ago.I wasn't the same woman who'd accepted Rob's neglect and disrespect as normal, as what I deserved.I knew better now.I had tasted what it felt like to be cherished, and I could never unknow that. Could never go back to accepting less.The plane continued its journey through the night sky, carrying me away from the island and everything that had happened there.But it couldn't carry me away from the truth I'd discovered.I deserved more than Rob would ever give me.And I was finally—finally—ready to do something about it.When the plane finally touched down at the private airfield outside New York, the jolt of wheels hitting tarmac felt like waking from a dream. Or maybe returning to a nightmare I'd temporarily escaped.I'd spent the remaining hours of the flight in

Lia's POVThere was no going back from that. No pretending in the morning that it had been a fight we could recover from. It was done. Final.And I felt... good about it.Scared, yes. Uncertain about the future, absolutely. But also lighter. Freer. Like I'd been carrying a heavy weight I hadn't fully realized was there until I set it down.When the Uber pulled up in front of my building—a modest walk-up in a decent but not trendy neighborhood—I felt a complicated mix of emotions.This apartment had been mine before Rob. My space. My sanctuary. But over the past year, he'd gradually infiltrated it. Left his things. Stayed over more and more frequently until it felt like half his closet had migrated to my bedroom.Little invasions that I'd allowed, thinking it meant we were getting serious. That he was committing.Now those items just felt like contamination.I thanked the driver, retrieved my suitcase, and climbed the three flights to my apartment. The building was quiet at this hour,

Lia's POVThe security guard who usually greeted me with a friendly nod looked uncomfortable when he saw me. Almost... pitying."Morning, Marcus," I said, swiping my badge."Morning, Lia," he said quietly, not quite meeting my eyes. "You, uh... you might want to go straight to HR."My stomach dropped."HR? Why?"Marcus shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know the details. They just said to send you straight up when you arrived."This couldn't be good.I rode the elevator up to the fifth floor where HR was located, my mind racing through possibilities.Had I done something wrong? Missed an important deadline while I was away? But I'd cleared my vacation time in advance, made sure all my projects were covered...I walked into the HR department and immediately saw my desk items—my coffee mug, my small succulent plant, my framed photo of my parents, my favorite pens—all packed into a cardboard box sitting on the reception desk.My heart sank like a stone.No.Linda from HR emerged from her of

Lia's POVI stood on the sidewalk outside my former office building, holding my cardboard box of belongings.The morning rush was in full swing around me—people hurrying to work, taxis honking, the familiar cacophony of New York City going about its business completely indifferent to the fact that my life had just imploded.I needed to get home. Needed to process everything. Needed to clean up my face and figure out my next steps.I raised my hand and hailed a taxi—a yellow cab pulled over immediately, the driver giving me a curious look through his rearview mirror as I climbed in with my box."Brooklyn," I said, giving him my address. "Thanks."The driver nodded and pulled into traffic.I settled back against the worn seat, cradling my box on my lap, and let my head fall back against the headrest.What a morning.Fired. Confronted Rob. Told him the truth about his father and brother. Got slapped. Watched him get dragged away by security screaming threats.It felt surreal. Like someth

Lia's POVThat night, I stood in front of my full-length mirror in my bedroom, barely recognizing the woman staring back at me.Joella had worked absolute magic.My best friend since college had shown up at my apartment around 7 PM armed with what looked like an entire makeup store worth of products, taken one look at my bruised face, and declared, "Challenge accepted."For the past hour and a half, she'd worked methodically—applying color corrector to neutralize the purple bruising on my cheek, layering foundation and concealer with the precision of a surgeon, setting everything with powder and setting spray to make sure it would last through a night of dancing and drinking.The result was remarkable. The bruise was completely invisible. My skin looked flawless—glowing, even. Joella had given me a dramatic smoky eye with wings of black eyeliner that made my eyes look huge and mysterious. My lips were painted a deep wine red that matched my dress perfectly.I looked sophisticated. Sexy