All Chapters of REBIRTH OF THE SUBSTITUTE BRIDE : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

CHAPTER 31The lingering shock of the morning had barely settled in my chest when a soft, heavy knock echoed off my bedroom door later that evening.I stood near the window, my arms wrapped tightly around myself. "Who is it?"The heavy latch clicked, and the door swung open.It was Kade. He stood in the doorway, his suit jacket discarded, his crisp white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. In his hands, he carried a massive, sleek dusty-rose box wrapped in a wide satin ribbon.He paused on the threshold, his dark eyes locking onto mine. "Can I come in?"I stared at him, my brain instantly replaying the image of his thumb brushing my cheek, his raw, sleepy voice whispering Such beautiful trouble... I can't get you out of my head. Looking at him now, holding a grand pastel box like a late-night delivery boy, felt surreal."Sure," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper.Kade stepped inside, crossing the hardwood floor with long, measured st

CHAPTER 33I felt it again in the middle of the night.A soft, calloused hand brushing against my cheek, tracing the line of my cheekbone with feather-light precision.The faint, unmistakable scent of cedarwood, bitter espresso, and rain filled my senses, pulling me out of the deep fog of sleep. I stirred against the silk sheets, my breath catching in my throat as I felt the weight of a body hovering closely beside mine in the quiet darkness of the night.The man who barely looked at me during the day. The husband who spoke to me only when necessary and even then in clipped, distant sentences. The man whose family treated me like furniture that had been delivered by mistake.He was here.His thumb stroked once beneath my eye, slow, almost reverent. My breath caught. I didn’t move. I wasn’t sure I could. Part of me still believed I was imagining it—the heat of his palm.“Kade…?” My voice was barely a whisper.He didn’t answer with words at first. His hand simply continued its path, sli

CHAPTER 35The limousine was dead quiet, save for the soft, hum of the engine as we glided through the city streets.Victoria and Bella were in the car ahead of us—a small blessing that spared me my sister’s sharp tongue and my mother-in-law's suffocating presence. Here, in the back of Kade’s vehicle, there was only the vast, darkened distance between the two of us.I sat stiffly against the butter-soft leather, my head turned toward the tinted window as the blurred lights of the skyline washed over my face. My hand rested quietly over my lap, hiding the subtle tremor in my fingers.Beneath the pearl-encrusted bodice of my dusty pink gown, right against the warm skin above my ribcage, I could feel the thin, sharp edges of my small safety net. The tightly folded slip of paper containing Dr. Evans’ emergency contact was tucked securely inside my bra, alongside the small stash of cash I had managed to borrow from Mia under the guise of buying a strong drink for nerves later.Thirty to s

CHAPTER 37The gala dragged on, a dizzying blur of champagne flutes, fake laughs, and rich people smelling like vintage perfume and arrogance.Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Bella and Victoria standing near the towering, gold-trimmed columns. Bella looked like she was actively chewing on glass, throwing razor-sharp daggers at me with her eyes every single time someone came over to congratulate Kade on his "radiant bride." Victoria, on the other hand, wore a tight, rigid mask of total control, sipping her wine like she was silently watching my every move, daring me to embarrass her.Look all you want, Bella, I thought, letting a tiny, smug curve touch my lips. You wanted him? You can have him back the second I get out of this building.A sudden chime echoed through the ballroom speakers, cutting through the hum of chatter. The heavy, formal orchestra fell silent, and a man stepped up to the central platform with a gold-plated microphone, calling for the room's attention

CHAPTER 39I didn't stop. I couldn't fucking stop.The icy, rough asphalt scraped violently against the bare soles of my feet, but I welcomed the bite of the cold. Pain meant I was moving. Pain meant I was still alive.The Grand Astoria Palace was nothing more than a faint, glittering smudge of gold on the distant horizon behind me. The deafening roar of the press, the suffocating scent of Kade’s expensive cologne, Victoria’s cold, judgy eyes, and Bella’s fake laughter—all of it was fading into the dark.For the first time in months, there was no hand pinned to the small of my back. No heavy golden ring marking me as a prize. No Victoria hovering in the corner, ready to slap the smile right off my face for daring to step out of line.I had actually done it.I slowed my pace down to a heavy, breathless jog, hugging my arms tightly around my chest. The outer layer of my dusty pink dress hung in jagged, ruined shreds around my knees where I had ripped it, exposing my bare legs to the bi