All Chapters of My Husband's Father Wants Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

2 For a moment, I wanted to know what was so urgent that the usually aloof Damian Sterling needed to see me at this hour. Then reality crashed back over me. 'Screw the Sterling family.' I turned on my heel, ignoring the sleek black sedan waiting down the street. I flagged down a passing cab instead. I needed to think. I needed to drown the ache in my chest. I needed to get completely numb. *** The club sat on the outer edge of the city—well outside Sterling territory. It was a dim, loud, neutral sanctuary. A place where broken men came to forget and hurting women came to disappear. Perfect. The moment I stepped inside, the bass washed over me. The air smelled of expensive whiskey, heat, and reckless decisions. I slid off my coat, instantly feeling the weight of the room's attention shift toward me. They weren't looking at me as Mrs. Sterling. They were looking at a solitary woman in a mid-thigh red lace dress—an outfit meant for a surprise rendezvous with my husband,

4The ride to Premier Care Hospital passed in a blur. All I could think of was my mother.'Why had she relapsed so suddenly? Was she going to make it? Should I call my father? Would he even care?’My thoughts were in such complete disarray that I didn't even realize we had pulled up to the hospital entrance.I was so consumed by panic that I didn't notice Damian getting out until my side of the door swung open.He leaned into the vehicle, his broad frame blocking out the streetlights as he reached across me to unbuckle my seatbelt."Mr. Sterling—""Damian," he corrected softly, his dark eyes locking onto mine as he unlatched the belt. "Call me Damian."I didn't answer. The moment the buckle released, I stepped out of the car, deliberately avoiding his outstretched hand."Thank you for the ride, Mr. Sterling, but I'll take it from here," I said, stepping back when I realized he intended to walk me inside. "You don't need to come with me.""Arabella—""Thank you. But I'm fine... really.

The morning heat beat down on the pavement as I walked out of my fifth jewelry house of the day, my feet aching and my arms heavy from clutching my leather portfolio.Every single door had closed in my face.Without a recognized brand or a prominent backer, the luxury brand managers barely glanced at my sketches. One boutique owner in the fashion district, one of Ethan's associates, had offered me a meager two thousand dollars for the entire collection—an insulting sum that wouldn't cover even a fraction of a single ICU dose for my mother.She hadn't even bothered to hide her contempt. Somehow, I felt that offer came from Ethan.By two in the afternoon, exhaustion settled deep into my bones. I slumped into a chair at a small corner cafe near the commercial district, ordering a cheap black coffee just to earn a few minutes of air conditioning.I set the black portfolio on the table and pulled out my phone, staring at the growing list of missed calls from the hospital billing department

"Please, continue," Ethan said, taking a step back from the threshold, though he paused almost immediately. "Um, Dad, why did you suddenly decide to work out of this office today? I thought you didn't want to draw attention to the fact that this venture is under the Sterlings.""Do you have a problem with where I choose to work?" Damian asked, his deep voice rumbling directly above my head."Of course not, Dad," Ethan replied quickly, though a slight smirk lingered in his tone. "I just didn't expect you to be hiding a ‘beauty’ in your office. She must be a wild one—unlike that boring Arabella. She doesn't evoke a single feeling in me anymore."A cold thrill shot down my spine.Damian lowered his head until his lips were near my ear… "He says you're boring," he whispered, his voice low so that only I could hear as his lips brushed the shell of my ear, his breath hot against my skin. "Do you think we should give him a live demonstration?"I stiffened in his arms, my heart hammering viol

Damian’s gaze darkened, a storm brewing in his gray eyes. He opened his mouth to reply, but I held up a hand, refusing to let him speak."I caught my husband cheating on me less than twenty-four hours ago," I said, my voice trembling as the weight of the past day crashed over me."The man I was married to for three years was planning to divorce me months ago, and I completely had no idea. I haven't even begun to process that betrayal, and you're asking me to throw myself into another relationship?"I took a sharp, steadying breath, trying to anchor the wild fluttering in my chest."I can't do it, Mr. Sterling. Putting aside the fact that my soon-to-be ex-husband is your son, moving from him to you wouldn't be right—to either of us.""Arabella," Damian whispered, keeping his gaze locked on mine, his tone dropping into a soothing, unhurried cadence. "I am not asking you to accept me this very second. You asked what I wanted from you, and I gave you an honest answer."He took half a step