《Two Can Play: I Became My Ex's Mother-in-law 》全部章節：第 71 章 - 第 80 章

ValentineClarissa stood at the top of the stairs, her fingers locked around the silver edges of the photo frame. Her knuckles were white. Her whole body shook, small micro-tremors running through her arms down to her stomach.Victoria leaned against the banister three steps below her, red silk robe slipping off one shoulder, a faint smirk lingering at the corner of her lips.Clarissa's thumbs dug into the glass, right over my face in the picture. Her jaw worked back and forth, teeth grinding together until the muscle in her cheek twitched. A single tear tracked down the side of her nose, landing right on the glass frame."Clarissa."The sound of my voice made her flinch, her shoulders hiking up to her ears. She did not look up. She kept her eyes glued to that picture on the beach, her chest heaving in short, shallow gasps."Put that down," I said, taking two steps down the hallway toward the staircase.Victoria turned her head, her smile stretching wider. "Good morning, Valentine. I

ValentineVictoria stayed on the rug, her fingers digging into the fabric of my trousers near my ankle. High-pitched sobs tore out of her throat, echoing up toward the ceiling. Tears streamed down her cheeks, smearing her makeup into messy dark streaks around her eyes."Valentine, help me!" Victoria wailed, her hand sliding up my leg to grab my wrist, squeezing hard. "Look at what she did! She shoved me right onto the floor! My wrist is broken!"Clarissa didn't back up. Her feet stayed planted near the edge of the glass table, her knuckles pale where her hand hung at her side. Her chest rose and fell in fast, tight breaths, her bump rising under her sweater.Beatrice hovered over the sofa, her hands fluttering near her chest. "She's out of control, Mr Gaston! To attack your beloved wife in her own home!"I yanked my wrist out of Victoria's grip, stepping back two paces. “What the heck is this nonsense display?”Drake stood three feet away, his jaw working back and forth, his face stil

ValentineMy arms locked around her, pulling her small frame tight against my ribs. Her forehead dug into the crook of my neck, her warm breath hitting my collarbone in short, jagged bursts. The steady tremor running through her shoulders pulsed straight into my hands.My chest caved in at the raw weight of her shaking against me. She smelled like faint vanilla and salt."Listen to me," I muttered, my lips pressing into the top of her hair, my fingers digging into the wool of her sweater. "Listen to me, Clarissa. I am fixing this right now. I swear on my life."Her body stayed stiff, her palm pressing flat against my chest to push away, but I held her ground. My heart hammered against her hand.I let go of her wrists and pulled my phone from my suit pocket, my thumb hitting the top speed-dial contact."Marcus," I said the second the line connected. "Get three security guards upstairs to the main floor living room right now. Move Victoria's belongings out of her room.""Sir?" Marcus as

ClarissaThe paper envelope slid between my fingers, the rough edge slicing against my skin. Inside, five glossy sheets of printed tabloid pages stared back at me.UNWED MISTRESS HIDES IN GASTON ESTATE WHILE LEGAL WIFE FIGHTS FOR HER HOME.My name was printed in big, bold black letters right under a grainy photo of me walking through the garage doors, carrying my canvas bag with my bump showing through my sweater. Beside it was a picture of Victoria looking fragile on the front steps, her face twisted in tears as security guards loaded her luggage into the back of a cart.The words on the page blurred together. Fake pregnant leech. Corporate fraud. The woman who broke up a high-society marriage for cash.My mouth went bone dry. The air in the hallway felt icy cold, slipping into my lungs like sharp needles.Beatrice stood there in her beige coat, her arms folded across her chest, watching my jaw go tight. She didn't say another word. She just smiled, her lips curving up into a cruel l

ClarissaThe streetlights blurred into long streaks of gold across the rain-slicked glass. Tears burned the backs of my eyelids, sharp and hot, but I squeezed my eyes shut and forced them down. No way was I letting a single drop fall. My chest felt hollow, like something vital had been carved out and tossed onto the floor of the SUV. I had fallen in love with a man who I will be nothing but a second choice…again. I sat back against the leather, wrapping my arms around my middle while the engine hummed beneath us.The tires crunched onto the loose gravel of the driveway, the sound grinding straight through my nerves. The SUV rolled to a smooth stop right in front of the guest house. Floodlights cut through the dark, washing the front porch in a harsh, cold white.Valentine didn't even wait for the driver to round the hood. The door clicked open, and the freezing night air hit my face in a sharp rush. He scrambled out into the rain, his heavy boots slamming onto the wet stone as he spr