Chapter 11

Ryan's POVAfter the wedding, I was summoned to the Elder Council to be reprimanded.The truth had come out: that I had known about Caleb's plan and deliberately let the assassination proceed.They stared at me across the table and accused me of endangering my brother for the sake of political positioning, and of using my own bride as a shield.They weren't wrong. I’d acted deliberately. I could have moved clear of that bullet, and it had been obvious to everyone that I'd made a choice not to.And Vicky had made it worse. In front of the entire room, she had asked me why I pulled her in front of the gun. That question had put the Elder Council fully on alert.I sat through the reprimand with a face like stone, barely hearing it.My hands were shaking.Not from the dressing-down, not from losing part of my authority, not even from the confinement that came after.My mind was entirely on Elena. Entirely on getting her back.When night fell, I slipped out of the holding chamber and follow

Chapter 12

Ryan's POVVicky never woke up.The doctors said the silver bullet, while not immediately fatal, had damaged her body and nervous system beyond recovery.She would lie in that bed permanently, unable to speak, unable to move, unable to respond to anyone.When Elena's stepmother came to kneel before me again, she could barely breathe through her sobbing.“Mr. Valemont, please — just go and see her.”I sat behind my desk and didn't look up.I had no desire to go. And no reason to.I had genuinely liked Vicky once.She was beautiful, spoiled, the kind of girl who drew men's eyes wherever she went.That unashamed self-assurance was the quality I had always imagined in the wife of a vampire prince.Elena, by contrast, was too hungry for love, too easy to deceive. Her only real value had been her bloodline, and outside of producing a strong hybrid heir, being with her held no particular interest.But every time I thought of what had happened at the wedding, whatever lingering affection I had

Chapter 13

Elena's POVI had expected that I would never fall in love with anyone again.On the day I married Jason, I almost believed that love itself was only a more elaborate kind of trap. First it gave you a little warmth, then it pulled you, degree by degree, into the mud.By the time you realized something was wrong, your body and your heart were both beyond repair.So after the wedding, even though I had some goodwill toward Jason, I kept it at a careful distance, cordial and correct.I was grateful that he hadn't let go of my hand in the hall. Grateful that he had let me keep my dignity in front of all those people.But gratitude and a small measure of goodwill were not love.I was too afraid to give my heart out again.Jason noticed this almost immediately.He never asked about the details of what had happened between me and Ryan. Never showed the slightest displeasure over the humiliation at the ceremony.On our wedding night, he only poured me a glass of warm water.“You've had a shock

Chapter 14

Elena's POVAfter that, I changed, slowly, in small ways.I began to be willing to go out with Jason.At breakfast, I started talking about the book I'd been reading the night before without waiting for him to ask.When I spoke, he always set down whatever was in his hands and listened, really listened. The attention in his eyes made my heart quicken in a way that I kept having to steady myself against.At first, that feeling frightened me.I was afraid of repeating old mistakes.But Jason never tried to contain me.He gave me a studio to paint in.He gave me the sunniest spot in the garden for the white roses I had always loved.He arranged for someone to come and help me sort through my mother's jewelry and keepsakes, going through everything carefully, restoring what needed restoration.The ruby necklace was cleaned and polished. It caught the light more brightly than I had ever seen it.Jason set it in a velvet box and held it out to me.“Your mother’s inheritance belongs to you.”

All Chapters of Reborn After My Vampire Husband Betrayed Me and I Let My Stepsister Take My Place: Chapter 11 - Chapter 14

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14