Todos los capítulos de Too Late to Regret: Claimed by my Stepbrother: Capítulo 41 - Capítulo 50

The table went quiet, the kind of silence that pressed against the eardrums, as all attention focused on Hailey.She turned to Cassie and Franklin, her movements measured and deliberate, like a woman who had rehearsed this moment a hundred times in her head."Aunt Cassie, Uncle Frank, I'm grateful for your hospitality." She paused, letting the words settle. "And I think it's about time I returned home."A sigh of relief escaped Rose, quiet but unmistakable. For some reason, a nagging discomfort had settled in her chest the moment Hailey confessed to being in love with Tristan, and it hadn't left since. It clung to her like a second skin, whispering warnings she couldn't quite decipher."You know you can always come back." Cassie's voice was warm, genuine, the voice of a woman who believed in second chances. "Our doors are always open."Hailey smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. She rose from her chair with the grace of someone who had spent years learning how to make an exi

Tristan couldn't figure out why Franklin wanted to speak to him alone. Not at the dining table, not in the study, but out here in the garden, away from everyone else. It didn't sit right with him."Dad, you're acting strange." Tristan kept his voice light, but his eyes were sharp, watching his father's face for clues. "What's so important that you couldn't let the rest of the family hear it?"Franklin took a deep breath, his gaze drifting around the garden like he was checking for eavesdroppers. This garden seemed to carry a lot of secrets, and it was a wonderful thing that gardens could not speak.If they could, too many secrets would spill out into the open, and none of them would survive the fallout."It's about Rose."Tristan's posture went rigid instantly, his shoulders squaring, his jaw tightening. "What about her?"Franklin took another careful glance around before asking, "You love her, don't you?"Tristan chuckled, but the sound was hollow, defensive. "Dad, I do love Rose. Bu

 Tristan's friends, Vance Major and Xander Pierce, were already seated by the time Tristan arrived with Rose.It was a private lounge tucked in the back of a pub, all leather booths and low amber lighting, the kind of place where conversations stayed between the people who had them.Only Xander had a woman beside him, a striking brunette he introduced as Sheila, his secretary.Rose got along with Sheila right away. The two fell into easy conversation, their laughter bubbling up between sips of champagne, while Tristan caught up with Xander and Vance.But all along, Vance's gaze kept drifting back to Rose. Lingering. Watching. Too interested."Tris, your sister has grown prettier over the years." Vance swirled the whiskey in his glass, his eyes never leaving her. "She almost looks like a doll."Tristan frowned, his jaw tightening. He never liked people describing Rose like that, though she looked quite delicate than she actually

Tristan took Liam's words seriously last night.They had lodged themselves under his skin like splinters, digging deeper with every breath. Honestly, he didn't understand what he felt for Rose. That was the problem.That was the root of everything, the knot he couldn't untangle no matter how hard he tried. And that was why he kept her away from anyone who looked at her like prey. Anyone who saw her the way he did. Anyone who might take her from him.Rose was extremely chatty, thanks to all the alcohol swimming in her system. Her words came out loose and unguarded, tumbling from her lips without filter, and every single one of them landed like a stone in his chest."Liam is a nice guy, you know?"Tristan's fingers tightened around the steering wheel, his knuckles going bone-white. The leather creaked under his grip."How nice?"She giggled, the sound light and airy, completely unaware of the storm brewing beside Tristan. "Just nice.""And me?"Rose turned to her side, her eyes hazy, he

 Rose wasn't asleep in the jacuzzi.She had only pretended, her body limp and her breathing slow, just to see if Tristan would be bold enough to look at her. To touch her.To finally close the distance between them that had been stretching for years, widening with every passing day until it felt like an ocean she couldn't cross.But as expected, he draped the towel robe over her before removing her wet bra and panty, his gaze fixed somewhere far away, somewhere safe, somewhere she couldn't reach.Disappointment twisted her stomach into knots. A bitter, aching knot that tightened with every careful, respectful move he made, every gentle touch that asked for nothing, every moment of restraint that made her want to scream.When he dropped her on the bed, she knew she would lose her courage if she let herself drift off. She had succeeded in stealing his first kiss, but that only made the fire inside her burn deeper, hotter, more unbearable