Alle Kapitel von Ruined: My best friend's father is my new obsession : Kapitel 11 – Kapitel 20

I barely slept after the car arrived.In the morning, the house felt different. More quiet than the usual. The air felt different. Chloe found me in the kitchen early, her face already tense.“Victoria is here,” she said. “She showed up late last night. She said she needed to talk about the wedding and custody stuff. Dad’s been in the study with her since seven.”My stomach turned. “Did she say how long she’s staying?”“No. She never does.” Chloe poured coffee with more force than necessary. “I hate when she comes here. Everything gets colder.”I didn’t answer. I just followed her into the living room when she asked me to help sort through more vendor emails.We had only been sitting for a few minutes when the study door opened.Victoria Ashford walked out first.She was exactly as I remembered from the few times I had seen her years ago. She had sharp features, icy blue eyes, perfect posture, expensive clothes that looked effortless. She carried herself like the house still belonged

I couldn’t stay away from him.After Julian’s message, the fear sat so heavy in my chest that I needed to see Dominic. Just for a minute. Just to feel something other than panic.It was past midnight when I left the guest house. The main house was dark except for the soft light under his study door. I knocked once, quietly.He opened it like he had been waiting.The second the door closed behind me, his hands were on my face. He kissed me hard, deep, like he had been starving for it. I kissed him back the same way. All the tension, all the fear, all the wanting poured out at once.“We shouldn’t,” I whispered against his mouth.“I know.” His voice was rough. “But I need you.”He locked the door. Then he backed me against it, kissing me again while his hands slid under my shirt. I pulled at his clothes with the same urgency. He broke the kiss only long enough to yank my shirt over my head and unclasp my bra. His mouth closed over one breast, sucking hard enough to make me gasp. My finge

I left the estate before anyone could stop me.The left a short note for Chloe. I had a job interview in the city and would be back later. That was all. I took one of the spare cars and drove out through the gates with the windows down.For the first time in days, no one was watching me. No Julian with his quiet threats. No Chloe searching my face for answers. No Dominic looking at me like he wanted to pull me into another room. Just the road and the noise of the city ahead.The office sat on the tenth floor of a glass building downtown. The receptionist pointed me to a small meeting room. A woman in her forties, Mrs. Hale shook my hand and opened a folder with my name on it.“Tell me about your degree,” she said.I did. I talked about my internship, the projects I had worked on, and why the position interested me. My voice stayed steady. For a short while I almost felt like the version of myself that existed before everything at the Ashford estate.Mrs. Hale asked a few more question

Julian found out before breakfast. I was in the kitchen pouring coffee when he walked in and stopped just inside the doorway. The look on his face told me everything. He knew. “Interesting night,” he said. I set the pot down carefully. “What are you talking about?” “Don’t.” He stepped closer, voice low. “I saw you leave his room this morning. Early. Wearing his shirt.” My stomach dropped. Julian smiled, but there was nothing friendly in it. “You two spent the night together. And not in the careful way you’ve been pretending.” “You’re guessing.” “I’m not guessing.” He pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward me for a second. It was dark but clear enough, a figure slipping out of Dominic’s door just before sunrise. “I have this. And I still have the other photo from the pool house. Two is better than one, don’t you think?” I gripped the edge of the counter. “What do you want now?” “More.” He put the phone away. “The three days I gave you are over. You didn’t

The rehearsal started at ten. Chloe had decided everyone needed to walk through the ceremony at least once before the actual day. That meant me, Dominic, Julian, two of Chloe’s friends, and the planner all standing on the back lawn under a white tent that wasn’t fully decorated yet. I kept my distance from Dominic as much as possible. Julian stood a few feet away the entire time, watching both of us like he was waiting for one of us to slip. “Okay,” Rebecca called out. “Bride and father of the bride first. Let’s practice the walk.” Chloe linked her arm through Dominic’s. They moved slowly down the makeshift aisle while Rebecca gave instructions about pacing and where to stop. I stood to the side with the other bridesmaids and tried not to stare. Dominic looked controlled, the way he always did in public. But when his eyes briefly met mine over Chloe’s head, I saw the tension still sitting there from the night before. Julian stepped closer to me. “You look nervous,” he sai