All Chapters of The Tyrant's captive bride : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Harper My voice is getting louder, words tumbling out in that messy way they do when I’m freaking out, and I hate how my hands are shaking while I keep dabbing at the wine like it matters anymore. Yuto stands there watching me, chest still rising and falling from the fight, that split lip making him look more real than the polished version I glimpsed before. He steps closer, voice soft but steady. “Harper, I’m not like him. I’m not your husband. I didn’t do it to start some war. I did it to protect you. That guy was about to run straight to Elias and twist whatever he saw into something ugly. You don’t deserve that. Not tonight. Not with everything else you’re carrying.”I laugh, but it comes out bitter, the kind that tastes like something cheap on the back of my tongue. “Protect me? Oh, that’s rich. Coming from the guy who disappeared to Japan and left me here to get swept up in Elias’s whole ‘you’re mine now’ routine. You think a quick knockout punch makes you the hero? I’m married

Harper I reach down and start working on his pants, fingers fumbling with the belt because my hands won’t stop shaking from nerves and excitement and that leftover panic from Elias being here two minutes ago. “Move faster,” I tell him, voice coming out bossy and breathless. “I don’t have all night. Clean up quickly, he said. Like I’m some kid who spilled juice.”Yuto helps me, shoving his pants and boxers down just enough, and when I wrap my hand around him he lets out this sharp breath that makes me feel stupidly proud. I sink to my knees as carefully as I can with the bump and the bad ankle, ignoring the throb because right now nothing hurts as much as the ache between my legs that has been building since that first kiss in the closet.“Harper, you don’t have to… ” he starts, but I cut him off by taking him into my mouth, sucking hard right from the start because I want to feel him lose it. No teasing. No slow build. Just me pouring all the messy emotions into this one thing I can

Harper The rest of the night continues in this weird blur of fake smiles and gossip. Elias comes back to the table eventually, sits beside me, and rests his hand on my thigh under the table. The grip is a little too tight. “You okay?” he asks low, right next to my ear. His breath is warm but the tone isn’t.“Yeah,” I lie, forcing a laugh that sounds fake even to me. “Just tired. Baby’s been kicking like it wants to join the party. And now this whole unconscious guard thing. Crazy night, right?”He doesn’t laugh. He just squeezes my thigh once, eyes scanning the room. “Stay close.”I nod, but my eyes keep drifting to Yuto. He’s across the ballroom now, standing with his father. They keep glancing at Elias’s side of the room like they’re measuring something. The auction part of the night starts, and that’s when the real fun begins.Bidding wars break out over some stupid art pieces and exclusive experiences. Elias and Yuto’s dad go head to head on a few items, throwing out numbers like

Harper The baby kicks again, harder this time, and I gasp, hand flying to my belly on top of his. Tears prick my eyes for real now, not from the steam but from the mess swirling in my chest. Guilt and fear and this stupid, traitorous warmth that will not die no matter how hard I scrub. “No one touched me,” I whisper, but it sounds weak even to me. “I swear. It was just a long night. Bad wine, worse company, and me being clumsy as usual. You really think I would risk this? Risk the baby? Risk us?”He pulls back just enough to look at me, water dripping from his lashes. His hand stays on my belly, protective and possessive all at once. “I think you are carrying my child, and that makes you the most important thing in my world. Which also makes you the biggest target. So if Yuto or anyone from his side even looked at you wrong tonight, you tell me. Now.”I laugh then, a real bitter one that bubbles up before I can stop it. “Yuto? Oh please. The guy called me kid like I am some annoying

Harper Yuto is already in the room when I get there. He does not look at me. Not once. He sits in his usual spot, focused on his notebook, acting like I am just another face in the crowd. Part of me feels relieved because at least he is not making it obvious. Another part feels pissed because after last night, after his text, the ignoring stings more than it should. I drop into my seat and try to pay attention to the lecture but my mind keeps drifting back to the staff room, his hands, the way he looked at my belly like it was not a problem.Class goes on and on. When the bell rings I grab my stuff fast, ready to get out of there before anyone else starts talking. But Yuto stands up at the same time and suddenly he is right next to me. His hand closes around my wrist, not hard but firm enough that I cannot pull away easily.“Come with me,” he says under his breath, voice low so only I hear. No kid this time, just that steady tone that makes my knees feel weird.I yank my arm but he d