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Chapter 1 1

Author: Eric Nicole
last update publish date: 2026-03-13 19:31:55

Brianna didn't sleep.

She lay in Dawson's mother's bed, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, listening to an unfamiliar house settle around her. The key on its silver chain rested against her chest. Cold metal. Warm skin.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw roses. Hundreds of them. Blood red. Lining the hallway outside her old door.

Her phone stayed off. She didn't want to see any more messages from unknown numbers.

But sleep never came.

By dawn, she gave up.

She showered, dressed, and stood a
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  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 79: The Space Between

    The fire crackled low in the hearth.Brianna lay on the bed, her breathing slow and even, her face peaceful in the warm glow. The exhaustion had finally claimed her. She had not stirred since Dawson laid her down.He stood over her.His hand reached out. His fingers hovered inches from her face. He could feel the warmth of her skin without touching it. He could see the faint pulse at her throat.He wanted to touch her. Wanted to feel her skin beneath his fingers. Wanted to reassure himself that she was real, that she was here, that he had not lost her.But he stopped.His hand hung in the air, suspended between wanting and fear.What if he woke her? What if she looked at him with those eyes, the ones that had seen his scars, his lies, his weakness? What if she saw the monster he was still trying not to become?He pulled his hand back.He sat on the edge of the bed, his back to her, his head in his hands.She stirred."Dawson?"He turned. Her eyes were open, sleepy, soft."Go back to s

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 78: The Watcher in the Dark

    The study was cold.Brianna had been sitting in the chair by the window for hours. The sun had climbed and fallen. The shadows had lengthened. No one had come for her. No one had brought food or water or news.Declan had left her here to rot.She pressed her forehead against the glass. The garden was empty. The trees were still. There was no sign of Dawson. No sign of anyone.Her eyes burned. Her body ached. The exhaustion she had been holding off for days finally caught up with her.She curled up on the small couch near the fireplace. The cushions were dusty. The fabric was rough against her cheek. She closed her eyes.Just for a moment.The window was open when she woke.She sat up fast. Her heart was pounding. The room was dark. The fire had gone out. The only light came from the moon.She looked at the window. It was open. She had not opened it.A shadow moved near the door.She opened her mouth to scream.A hand covered her mouth. Warm. Calloused. Familiar."Shh."Dawson.Her bod

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 77: The Breaking Point

    The garden was quiet.Brianna stood beside Dawson, their hands still linked, the morning light spreading across the grass. The folder was tucked under his arm. The truth was finally in their hands.Then the door behind them slammed open.Declan stood in the doorway. His face was red. His hands were shaking. He looked at them, at their linked hands, at the folder under Dawson's arm."You think you can just walk away? With everything?"Dawson turned. "We're not walking away. We're fighting."Declan laughed. It was a sharp, bitter sound."Fighting? You don't know what fighting is. You've never had to fight for anything. Everything was given to you. The house. The money. The company. And now you want to destroy it all for a girl.""She's not a girl. She's the woman I love."Declan stepped forward. His face was inches from Dawson's."You don't love her. You're obsessed with her. There's a difference."Dawson did not step back."I know the difference."Declan looked at Brianna. His eyes wer

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 76: The Walls Have Ears

    The car rolled through the estate gates as the first light of dawn touched the horizon.Brianna sat in the passenger seat, her eyes fixed on the house ahead. The windows were dark. The gardens were still. Everything looked the same as it had the night she arrived.Everything was different.Dawson parked the car. He sat for a moment, his hands on the wheel, his jaw tight."The staff will have heard," he said."About what?""About last night. About the fight. About the Grey Office." He turned to look at her. "People talk. They always talk."She reached for his hand."Then we deal with it."He squeezed her hand. Then he let go.The kitchen was empty when they walked in.The coffee pot was full. The bread was out. Someone had been here recently, but they had left in a hurry.Dawson walked to the window. Looked out at the garden."We need to talk to my father.""About what?""About Eric. About the deal. About what happens next."The door opened. A maid walked in. She saw them and stopped.

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 75: Not For Sale

    They made it to the stairs before the lights came on.Dawson froze. Brianna pressed against his back. The hallway blazed with light, every fixture burning, every shadow gone.Eric stood at the bottom of the stairs. His hands were in his pockets. His smile was wide."Going somewhere?"Dawson moved in front of Brianna. His body blocked hers."Move, Eric.""I don't think I will." Eric climbed the first step. Then the second. "You see, I've made a deal. A very expensive deal. And you're trying to take what's mine.""She's not yours.""She will be. By morning." Eric stopped three steps below them. "Your father agreed. Ten million euros. A seat on the board. And the girl." He tilted his head. "You can't fight your father's decisions. You never could."Dawson's hands curled into fists."I'm not fighting my father. I'm fighting you."Eric laughed. "Same thing."He took another step.Dawson moved.It happened fast. One second Eric was on the stairs, smiling. The next, Dawson had him by the col

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 74: The Beast Inside

    The hallway was dark.Dawson had not left the house. After walking out of the study, he had stood in the shadows near the stairs, his hands shaking, his chest heaving. He had heard his father on the phone. Prepare the guest room. We're having a visitor.He knew who the visitor was. He knew what his father had done.And then he heard Eric's voice.Dawson moved closer to the study door. It was cracked open, just enough to see the firelight flickering inside. He could hear them talking. Laughing. Making deals.His father's voice: Ten million. A seat on the board. And the girl.Eric's voice: The girl will be at your villa by morning.Dawson's blood turned to ice.They were selling her. His father and Eric. Selling Brianna like she was cargo, like she was a shipment, like she was nothing.He heard his father laugh. You're making a mistake. The girl is not just a leash. She's a weapon.Eric: Once I have her, I won't need you anymore.Dawson's hands curled into fists. His whole body was shak

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 31: Armor of Silk

    The dress hung on the back of her door like a ghost.Brianna had found it in the back of her closet that morning, buried under clothes she never wore. Simple. Navy blue. Long sleeves. A neckline that didn't invite attention. It belonged to Dawson's mother, left behind in a room that had been untouc

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   12

    The car sped through the countryside, leaving the estate behind.Brianna sat in the passenger seat, watching fields and small villages blur past. Dawson drove in silence, eyes on the road, jaw tight. He hadn't spoken since they left.Her phone sat in her lap like a bomb.Eric's last message glowed

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 10

    The estate felt different when Brianna got back that night.Quieter. Darker. Like the walls themselves were waiting for something.She walked through the massive foyer, her footsteps echoing on the marble. No sign of Dawson. No sign of anyone. Just the soft hum of the house settling around her.Her

  • My Stepbrother My Ruin   Chapter 4

    The photos slid off Brianna's lap and scattered across the floor mats of the Bugatti. Pictures of her walking to class. Pictures of her mother crying on a park bench. Pictures of Brianna sleeping in her old bedroom, taken through the window."You're sick," Brianna whispered. The air in the car sudd

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