All Chapters of Married To My Ex’s Step-Father: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

POV: RoxanaI paced my room until the sun went down, trying to think of a way to free Hestia without anyone noticing. Every plan I made fell apart the moment I thought about the guards watching that door day and night.A soft knock came at my door. I opened it to find Celeste standing there, her sweet smile fixed perfectly in place."Luna Roxana," Celeste said, bowing her head just enough to seem respectful. "I heard the Elders visited today. I hope they did not frighten you too badly.""I am fine, Celeste," I said, keeping my voice flat. "Is there something you need?"Celeste stepped closer, lowering her voice like we were suddenly friends. "I only wanted to offer some advice, Luna," she said. "The dungeon guards change shifts at midnight. The new ones are young, and they do not yet know your face well. It might be useful information, for whatever reason you keep visiting down there."My whole body went still. She knew. Somehow, she knew I had been sneaking to see Hestia. "I do not u

POV: MagnusI left Roxana sleeping and made my way down to the dungeon before the sun had fully risen. I did not tell her where I was going. If she knew, she would find some new way to distract me, and I had already given her one night she did not deserve.The four guards at the door straightened the moment they saw me. "Alpha," the tallest one said, bowing quickly. "Is there a problem?""Open the cell," I said. "I want to speak to the witch alone."The guard hesitated for half a second before nodding and unlocking the heavy chains. I stepped into the dungeon corridor, the cold air biting through my shirt as I walked toward the last cell.Hestia sat against the far wall, her chains rattling as she lifted her head. Her eyes narrowed the moment she saw it was me and not Roxana standing at the bars."The Alpha himself," she said, her voice dry and mocking. "I am honored. Did your little Luna send you to do her dirty work?""Roxana does not know I am here," I said, crossing my arms as I s

POV: RoxanaI waited in my room until the moon climbed high enough to spill silver light across my floor, my hands clenched tight around the stolen key the entire time. Every creak of the mansion settling made my heart lurch, certain it was Magnus returning early, certain it was Victoria finally deciding to search my room herself.A soft knock finally came, three quiet taps against my door. I opened it to find Celeste standing there, dressed in a plain dark cloak instead of her usual silks."Come," she said simply, already turning down the hallway. "We do not have long before the distraction wears off.""What distraction?" I asked, hurrying to keep pace with her quick, silent steps."Iris and Lyra are currently arguing loudly in the east wing over a stolen necklace that never actually existed," Celeste said, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I may have planted the idea in both their heads earlier tonight. Sisters fight loudest when they believe they have been wronged.""You used you

POV: RoxanaI barely slept before the sun rose, my mind replaying every moment of the night over and over, searching for any crack in my story Magnus might have noticed. When the maids came to dress me, their hands trembled slightly, the entire household clearly still shaken from the chaos of the missing witch.By the time I reached the dining hall, the tension in the room was thick enough to choke on. Victoria and Celeste sat stiffly at the table, Jaxon lounged with a smug expression that made my skin crawl, and Magnus stood near the window, his back to the room, radiating quiet fury."The prisoner escaped under everyone's nose," Victoria said the moment I sat down, her voice dripping with false concern. "How strange, that it happens so soon after our new Luna developed such a deep interest in fertility herbs.""Careful, Victoria," I said, keeping my voice steady despite the exhaustion pulling at my bones. "Unless you are suggesting I somehow slipped past six armed guards myself, I w

POV: MagnusI spent the morning in the guard barracks, questioning the six men who had failed to keep a single chained witch inside her cell. Their stories were consistent enough, all claiming a disturbance in the east wing had pulled two of them away, leaving the remaining four distracted by shouting they could hear echoing from the main corridor.A disturbance. I had already heard whispers of Iris and Lyra arguing loudly over a missing necklace that night, a detail so trivial it barely seemed worth mentioning, and yet the timing bothered me more than I wanted to admit.I found Iris in the garden that afternoon, sitting with her embroidery, her expression bored and unbothered by the chaos still gripping the household. "Tell me about the necklace," I said, stopping in front of her.She looked up, startled. "What necklace, Alpha?""The one you and your sister argued over the night the witch escaped," I said, watching her face carefully. "The argument loud enough to pull two guards away