All Chapters of Marked By My Best Friend's Brother: Chapter 41 - Chapter 48

~AriaThe smoke from the cigarette curled up toward the living room ceiling, mixing with the stale air and the lingering headache from staring at my phone screen for hours. Every time a car drove past outside or a floorboard creaked, my chest tightened. I kept expecting Maya. Even though I knew she was gone, sent back to her district, blocked on everything, out of reach, my brain refused to accept it.When a sharp knock rattled the front door, I didn't even bother checking through the peephole. A surge of desperate hope flared in my chest.It’s her.I dropped the cigarette into a ceramic tray, bolted across the room, and yanked the door open with a breathless, "Maya…"The words died instantly in my throat.It wasn't Maya standing on the porch. It was Sienna.She looked entirely different from the arrogant girl who used to stalk the high school hallways. Her hair was pulled back into a messy, unbrushed knot, she was wearing an oversized hoodie that swallowed her frame, and the fadin

~RyanMy father sat behind his desk, swirling alcohol in a crystal glass.To his left sat Jason’s father, Marcus, looking entirely too smug, leaning back in his chair with his fingers steepled together like a vulture waiting for a carcass to stop twitching. And right beside Marcus sat Elara’s father, his jaw tight, his eyes darting between the three of us with thinly veiled exhaustion.On the polished wood right in front of them lay the open parchment of the betrothal contract, a piece of paper that was supposed to tie Elara to Jason just to spite my family name and drag our status through the dirt.We’d already killed half a decanter of whiskey, but the burn in my throat wasn't enough to put out the fire under my skin. I stood near the window, my hands shoved deep into my pockets, my fingers curled so tight my nails bit into my palms.Marcus cleared his throat, the sound grating and overly casual, breaking the suffocating silence."Well," Marcus drawled, a sharp, patronizing smirk

~ElaraThe hiss of garlic hitting the hot pan filled the quiet kitchen. Outside the window, the sun was beginning to dip below the tree line, casting long, bruised shadows across the yard.My mother stood by the counter, chopping vegetables, though her mind was clearly miles away. She paused, the knife hovering over a carrot, and let out a long, shaky breath before turning her anxious eyes toward me."Elara," she started softly, her voice tight with worry. "Your father hasn't said a word since he came back from the Alpha's estate. Do you... do you really think they're going to go through with canceling the marriage with Jason?"I kept my eyes fixed on the wooden spoon in my hand, slowly stirring the sauce bubbling on the stove, trying to keep my hands from trembling."They have to," I murmured, though even to my own ears, it sounded like a desperate prayer rather than a certainty. "Ryan isn't going to back down, Mom. And neither is my dad."My mother set the knife down entirely, wal

~RyanA dark, cynical shadow crossed my features, and I let out a low, humorless huff as my hands rested securely on her hips."I don't think your husband to be has any real intentions of marrying you anyway," I said, my tone dripping with cold dismissal.She instantly stiffened, a sharp frown pulling down the corners of her mouth as she shoved lightly against my chest. "Don't call him my husband. Not in any form, ever."I let out a low chuckle, unable to help the dark amusement at her immediate disgust."It's not funny, Ryan," she snapped, her eyes narrowing as she glared up at me, crossing her arms over her chest."I know, I know," I murmured, holding my hands up in mock surrender before pulling her back against me. "I'm just saying... you shouldn't worry about Jason actually wanting you at the altar. I saw him just yesterday down near the east district, walking arm and arm with the very girl he cheated on you with. And from what I hear, he still moves around with her constantly. He