Braelyn’s POV
The way he swore made it seem like he was such a devoted husband. I almost laughed.
"Till death do us part?" I repeated our wedding vows with an arched brow. Despite the anger simring in , I was unusually calm about everything.
Too calm. Even Raphael looked uncomfortable. He had no intention of ever letting go. It felt more like an obsession than love. "You have no idea how ridiculous that sounds," I sneered at him.
He drew in a deep breath, trying to bring everything under control when it clearly was not. He walked around the desk to approach . I did not back away. I just stared at him intently.
"Please do not ntion divorce, Lynn," he pleaded, grabbing my hand. His hold was firm, but I felt the slight trembling in his grip. "I know things are ssed up, but we can fight this together."
I did not say anything at first. I just stared at him. He was not screaming or lashing out, aware of how fragile the situation was.
"How can you ntion our wedding vows when you broke them first? You vowed to protect , not destroy , but you hurt more than anyone," I said coldly. He could not et my eyes.
His fist clenched. "I am sorry. Things got fucked up," he pleaded. He was at a loss for words, yet still adamant.
I yanked my hand from his grip. "Then let go. We both know you cannot fix this. Enough damage has been done."
"No, no," he stuttered. "It is not over. This is Alia’s plan to tear us apart," he argued, but I cut him off with a laugh.
"Alia again," I snarled. "Yes, she might have destroyed us, and I cannot really explain what you saw that night, but you cannot deny this was also your fault. You knew Alia liked you, but you ignored it. Even when things started falling apart, you did not confront ." My words left him stunned.
"You said you can fix this, but can you really choose between that baby and ?" I asked.
He did not reply because he knew the answer. It was beyond him.
I still spelled it out. "You cannot do anything about that baby, even if you wanted to. Your parents have Alia under their protection, and as long as that child exists, we are forever dood."
He remained silent.
"Call selfish or whatever. It is the truth." I stepped forward, lowering my voice. "Deep down, you want that child."
He still did not say anything.
Frustrated, I stomped my foot and marched out. His gaze followed out the door.
I was fuming. I did not slow down until I got to my room. I pushed the door open and slamd it behind so hard I was sure Raphael heard it.
I flung my bag onto the bed and pulled off my jacket. My hand tangled in my hair and I tugged at it as if the pain would help think clearly.
My emotions were all over the place. Things were out of hand, and I did not want to imagine how everything would play out if I did not find a way out of here.
I started pacing around my room, my brain running at full speed. I could ask Lucien for help, but he was far from a saint. Lucien was too dangerous to trust.
"Think, Braelyn. You can figure sothing out." I tried to calm my nerves. I had expected this move to fail. I knew from the start Raphael would not let go.
My eyes stung and I sat on the bed. My chest tightened. Why did things have to turn out this way? I felt like crying, but I would not let the tears fall. Not now. Not anymore. It was not over. Not yet.
Ti to go back to the drawing board. After the stunt I pulled today, Raphael would be more cautious of . I could not make any reckless moves.
The buzzing of my phone rang out loudly, drawing my attention to my bag. I quickly grabbed it and pulled out my phone. The caller ID flashed across the screen. It was Genny.
My eyes narrowed, wondering if she had heard about what happened. After a mont of hesitation, I answered the call. Genny’s voice imdiately ca through the line.
"Hi, Brae," she said softly.
"What is up? Did sothing happen?" I asked, trying to probe.
Genny went silent for a mont before she spoke.
"I was at a store today and overheard so rumors about the Sinclair family expecting a grandchild. Mrs. Sinclair was so excited it made my stomach churn," she explained, and a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over .
Her voice grew quieter. "Is Alia pregnant? I do not know, but it kept bothering ."
I stayed silent for a while before replying. "Yes. It was confird last night."
Now Genny was the one who fell silent.
Finally, she spoke, her voice shaky. "What are you going to do, Brae? That makes Alia stand stronger. Is it only a matter of ti before the Volkov..." She did not finish her sentence, but I understood what she ant.
I might still be the legal Mrs. Volkov, but Alia had a child and my in laws’ support. Raphael was not the patriarch of the family yet. His parents still held the main power, and Alia might use this period to get rid of .
My life was on the line. Alia was not a re mistress but soone with the family’s backing. I, on the other hand, was just an orphan. The Alderheim family was not even as strong as the Sinclairs without Gregor’s support.
Even if Raphael protected now, Alia would be a constant, growing threat. I would just be another pawn in the equation.
"I know, Genny. Raphael refuses to divorce ," I said.
Genny cursed under her breath. "I expected that. He loves you to the point of obsession. He would hold on until death. But if you both die, Alia wins." Genny was not speaking like a carefree woman, but like an heiress who grew up surrounded by scheming.
She understood how things worked in high society. Mistresses and open marriages were not uncommon.
"There are only two options. Either you eliminate Alia or you leave. There will not be peace with both of you in the equation. And I have a plan."
My breathing slowed.
"No one should know, not even Lucien, if we want this to work. The Volkov family has ears everywhere."
Reviews
All reviews (0)