All Chapters of MY STEP BROTHER, MY RUIN: Chapter 131 - Chapter 139

139 Chapters

CHAPTER 131: MATTHEW’S CONDITION

JUNE;“No way!” Matthew snapped. He looked me dead in the eye, arms crossed, the red mark from my slap still visible on his cheek. “I’m not locking myself up in a ladies’ toilet because of that guy.”“Please, Matthew.” I pressed both hands together in front of him like I was saying a prayer. My voice shook. “Ronan can’t see us together here.”He rolled his eyes, glanced once at the bolted door, then back at me. “On one condition.” He said.“What?” I snapped. I couldn’t believe Matthew thought he was in any position to set conditions after everything he had done, after all the damage he had caused.“June?” Ronan’s voice drifted through the door again, closer this time. “We should be leaving now.” He sang.My heart slammed against my ribs. His footsteps grew louder on the hallway tiles, each one made my heart jump.“What condition?” I asked, turning fully toward Matthew. My hands trembled at my sides.“That you meet me at any location I send you,” he said.“Are you… Are you out of your

CHAPTER 132: NOTHING NEW

JUNE;Morning came. I stretched forth my hand and grabbed my phone from the nightstand. Aside from the congratulatory messages from Romy, nothing else was on the phone. The mean comments about the fire outbreak had died down after last night's award ceremony. I exhaled, sitting up, my legs pulling up against my chest. I rubbed my hand over my forehead, the events of the bathroom still sitting heavy in my chest. Matthew’s words kept circling. Every time I closed my eyes I saw Natalie’s face, then Ronan’s, then the way he had looked at me and said nothing was going on between him and Natalie. A part of me wanted to believe him, wanted to wait till I saw the evidence Matthew said he had, but I couldn't look past it. I couldn't look past the fact that he had kept that accident part hidden all this while. That was enough to keep Natalie behind bars if he truly wanted her gone. I pulled my robe tighter against me.I stayed in bed longer than I needed to, staring at the ceiling, until I

CHAPTER 133: FADED COLORS

JUNE;My stomach rumbled quietly. Hunger had been sitting low in my belly all day, but I hadn’t been able to face anything heavy. I had tried having some cereals, but I lost my appetite on the spot.I stood in front of the open closet, the golden award plaque resting on one of the shelves. The metal shone, a quiet evidence of my effort and the only thing that made sense at the moment. Everything around the mansion still felt colorless. Matthew’s words from the bathroom kept looping in my head. All I had done since morning was check my phone… first for any new ugly comments about the fire, then for a message from Matthew. The comments had finally quieted. A few people still said everyone present that day should be questioned, but none of them pointed directly at me anymore. Matthew’s text, though, never came.When he first set that condition, the audacity of it had made me furious. But now that thought about it, I needed to see the evidence he claimed to have andI couldn't wait. The

CHAPTER 134: AUTHOR’S POV

Ronan walked back to where his friend Alfred was waiting. But for obvious reasons, he couldn't contain himself anymore, he handed the young man a bowl of food and ran upstairs. He shut his bedroom door harder than he meant to and locked it. He stood there for a second with his forehead against the wood, then pushed away and started pacing. The room felt too small for him as he took long strides, one hand dragging through his hair. Every time he closed his eyes he saw June’s face in the hallway, her eyes went red, mouth tight, the way she had looked at his hand on her wrist like it burned her. She had pulled away from him like he was something dangerous or a different person entirely and that did hurt him. He didn’t understand any of it. Only yesterday she had stood on that podium and thanked him in front of everyone. Their eyes had met across the arena and she had given him that soft, private smile that was only for him. Everything had felt beautiful then. Now she wouldn’t e

CHAPTER 135: A PLAN

JUNE;I stood by the window, hands clasped loosely against my chest, watching the cars move past on the street below, and the trees move in the cold evening air. Ronan’s face kept rising in my mind no matter how hard I tried to push it away. I swallowed once, hard, and forced the image down. That was the best I could manage even when I wanted to do more.Then I heard it… the rough rumble of an engine. A moment later his car came into view, silver and familiar, pulling out of the driveway faster than usual. My blood boiled. Where was he going at this hour? It wasn’t fully late yet, only a few minutes past seven according to the clock on the nightstand, but the way he drove out, almost recklessly, made my chest tighten. Did he want another accident? I told myself I no longer cared what he did with his life. The words felt so unsure even inside my own head. But at least, I didn’t want him back on a hospital bed asking for me again, that wouldn't work this time.My phone rang on the sh

CHAPTER 136: AUTHOR’S POV

June was just about to unfold the small piece of paper when her phone rang again. Romy’s name lit the screen. “I’m downstairs,” Romy said the moment June answered. June stared at the folded note in her hand for half a second longer, then slipped it into the side pocket of her shoulder bag without opening it. She girded the belt of the trench coat, wrapping it firmly around her, and left the room. The hallway was empty. She took the main stairs this time, there was no one to hide from at the moment. Romy’s car was already waiting at the curb, engine humming slowly. June climbed into the passenger seat. Romy pulled her into a quick hug as they exchanged air kisses. Romy pulled away from the mansion and headed toward the quieter side of town. “So, what have you been up to? Any news from the police yet?” Romy asked, eyes fixed on the road. June exhaled almost too loudly, her elbow resting on the window frame while she rubbed her forehead. “Nothing new, except Ronan givin

CHAPTER 137: THE MESSAGE

JUNE;Romy pulled into the driveway and shifted the car into park. I leaned further into the passenger seat and let out a long breath that had been trapped in my chest since the bar. The air left my lungs, but the knot in my throat stayed. The air conditioner was humming but I still felt hot. I slipped out of my trench coat, heaping it on my thighs.Neither of us spoke at first, we just looked ahead and I could tell Romy’s thoughts were spiraling just like mine.I kept seeing Ronan’s face in the fight, the way his fist had moved like he was trained for it or maybe just been into too many fights that he had become quite good at it. I could still see the blood on the other man’s mouth, the swollen skin under Ronan’s eye when he finally froze. What would Mr. Grayson say if he found out his son had been brawling in a bar before midnight? Right now, I do not quite blame the man for the nights he had arguments with his son.The thought made my stomach turn. Matthew’s words from the librar

CHAPTER 138: THE NOTE

JUNE;I walked faster. My eyes caught on my wrist and I saw the bracelet he had given me while we walked in the garden. I slipped it free at once and tugged it into the side of my bag.“You will need to hear me out and stop acting like I’m stupid.” He blurted.The words hit the quiet foyer harder than I expected. I stopped near the foot of the staircase, one hand already on the railing. I hadn’t thought he would follow me inside so fast, and I definitely hadn’t expected that tone.“One minute everything was fine,” he continued, still standing in the middle of the foyer, “and the next you treat me like I’m some kind of monster. No explanation. Nothing.”I kept my back to him. My chest rose and fell too quickly. The ugly picture of Natalie at the eatery sprang up in my face, followed by Matthew’s words about Ronan still sleeping with the same woman. My fingers tightened harder around the railing until the edges pressed into my skin.“Just tell me what I did, June,” he said. His voice ha

CHAPTER 139: THE INVITE

JUNE;I slid the bag onto my shoulder and looked at the message one more time. Matthew had set the meeting for eleven at the park. The idea of actually going to Matthew still felt like something I should rethink, but he had chosen an open, mostly crowded place; the time worked too, and that made the thought a little easier to carry. I already knew the shape of the day by heart, and every part of it sat heavy in my chest. The first stop was the police station with Mr. Grayson, Mom and Ronan. Then straight to Matthew.Today we were supposed to find out who Gossipmonger really was, and how far the investigation had come. Romy had texted me some of the things Mrs. Brown had said about the whole investigation to people who cared to listen to her, ugly things that made me wonder if I had met this woman in her previous life, and was the air that choked her to her death. The girl looking back from the mirror wore a neat blouse and fitted denim jeans, hair falling loose over her shoulders.

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