All Chapters of Ex-Husband(Your Step-Brother Is Hotter): Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

~FIRST MORNING IN HIS HOUSE~ AMAYA’S POV There was something about the way Ethan looked at people that made me feel too seen, and after years of trying to disappear inside my marriage, I didn’t know how to handle that. “Good morning, Mr. Ethan,” I said quietly. Then after a small pause, I added, “You never told me your last name.” He slipped his phone into his pocket and started walking toward us. “Just Ethan,” he replied smoothly. The answer sounded intentional. Like a man used to revealing only what he wanted people to know. As he got closer, I noticed how his grey eyes were incredibly captivating, but it was the cross tattoo on the side of his neck that made him look even more dangerous. My eyes automatically trailed to his lips, making me panic. I shook my head and broke the eye contact first. Before I could think more about it, he gestured toward the dining area. “Come eat.” The dining table was already filled with different dishes—pancakes, eggs, toas

~CRAVING FOR REVENGE~ AMAYA What on earth was Maddie doing with Brown? I stared at the screen, zooming in slightly on the hope that I had somehow misread the image the first time. But there was no mistake. She was sitting too comfortably, too close to him. Maddie and I were sisters by blood, but that was where the connection ended. Growing up with her felt like constantly fighting for space in my own life. If I got something new, she wanted it too. If attention shifted toward me for even a second, she found a way to pull it back. And somehow, my mother always defended her. ‘Let your sister have it.’ ‘You’re older, be mature.’ ‘Why are you always difficult?’ That was my childhood in three sentences. Even though Maddie and I were only a year apart, she always acted differently. I was twenty-four, and she was twenty-three. Eventually, I stopped fighting for things. It was easier to lose quietly than be blamed loudly. I looked back at the picture aga

~A RECKLESS SECOND~ AMAYA Halfway down the staircase, I stopped. A cartoon played loudly on the television while Ariel stood in front of it, doing a clumsy little dance with a cookie in her hand. Every few seconds, she laughed at something on the screen and spun around carelessly. The sound of her laughter filled the house. Maria stood near the dining area watching her with the softest smile on her face, like Ariel’s happiness alone was enough to brighten her entire morning. Something inside me relaxed at that moment. I finally trusted her. There was too much warmth in the older woman’s eyes to fake it. The way she spoke to Ariel, the patience in her voice, the little things she noticed without being asked… it felt natural and maternal. It made me wonder who she truly was to Ethan and his family. Because Maria carried herself like more than ordinary staff. There was history in the way she moved around the house comfortably. My eyes returned to Ariel. And su

~FINDING MYSELF~ AMAYA The day Ethan finally travelled, the house felt strangely quiet. Not empty exactly. Maria still moved around warmly like she always did, and Ariel filled every corner with noise and questions and cartoons, but his absence was noticeable in a way I didn’t expect. I hated admitting that to myself. After breakfast, I wandered around the house restlessly, trying to figure out what to do with my time. Reading didn’t help. Watching television bored me after twenty minutes. Even scrolling through my phone became exhausting. Then it suddenly hit me. The gym. Before marriage, I loved working out. It used to be my thing. My escape. Back when I still cared about myself enough to maintain routines and goals and confidence. “Maria,” I called while entering the kitchen, “is there a gym here?” The older woman looked up from where she was cutting fruits and smiled knowingly. “With the muscles Mr. Ethan has?” she said playfully. “Of course there’s a gym.

~HIDDEN THOUGHTS~ ETHAN’S POV I couldn’t afford distractions right now. Three weeks away from this house should have cleared my head. Instead, it only made me realize how badly I had gotten used to her being here, and that was dangerous. I walked down the hallway, trying to focus on the things that actually mattered. The next move and the revenge I had planned long before Amaya unexpectedly became part of it. But the moment I entered the living room, the tension inside me eased slightly. Maria and Ariel sat on the rug together laughing over some cartoon puzzle spread across the floor. Ariel’s tiny giggles filled the room while Maria pretended to lose dramatically just to make the child laugh harder. It honestly looked like they belonged together. Like Ariel had somehow been dropped into the exact place she was always meant to be. Maria especially had grown attached to her in a way that was impossible to miss. She treated Ariel less like a guest and more like