All Chapters of Ex-Husband(Your Step-Brother Is Hotter): Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

~THE ESCAPE~ I forced myself upright, gripping the edge of the console table until my vision steadied. Every muscle trembled. My ribs ached with each breath. Blood had dried at the corner of my mouth. This was not the time to be weak. It was now or never. If Brown came back, he would be drunker, crueler, harder to escape. He would finish what he started. And next time… Ariel might see more than bruises. Tonight was the last night he would ever touch me. I staggered up the staircase, one hand pressed to my side, the other gripping the railing. Each step felt like broken glass under my skin. I pushed through the doors of our bedroom, the room that had once looked like a dream in magazine pages. Silk curtains, unique furniture, and a bed too large for two strangers pretending to be husband and wife. I went straight to the closet. Not for clothes. I didn’t care about dresses, heels, designer bags, or the expensive life he used to chain me to him. I reached behind a

~A STRANGER IN BLACK~ I lowered my eyes and swallowed the truth. I was planning to disappear, to save my daughter, to choose life for the first time. But none of that mattered here. He reached into the pile and pulled out my phone. My screen was cracked from where Brown had thrown it weeks ago. “Unlock it.” I hesitated. The click of a gun being cocked shattered the silence. Ariel whimpered against my chest. My shaking fingers reached for the phone. I entered the passcode. “Call your husband.” Every part of me recoiled. The thought of begging Brown for help felt worse than death. But the gun, the room, the child in my arms, those things mattered more than pride. I pressed his name. The contact name mocked me. The line rang once, twice, then a third time. No answer. I called again. Voicemail. My stomach twisted because I knew exactly where he was. Probably drunk in another woman’s bed, laughing, while I sat in a freezing room with ou

~THE STRANGER’S HOME~ AMAYA’S POV He smiled, but I barely noticed it because my mind had already drifted somewhere darker. For years, Brown made me feel powerless, but sitting there in that car with Ariel asleep beside me, something inside me slowly started changing. I wanted him to hurt the way he hurt me. I wanted him to wake up one morning and realize he no longer controlled me. I wanted him to feel the emptiness, the humiliation, the rage he spent years forcing down my throat. My fingers tightened around the bag on my lap. I used to look at myself and feel beautiful, but now, I avoided mirrors. Before Brown, I was confident, loud, and full of life. I took care of myself because I loved myself, not because I was trying to please anybody. My skin used to glow. I used to laugh without thinking about how I looked while doing it. I even contested in a major pageant once. I smiled faintly at the memory. I worked so hard for it too. Long rehearsals, strict diets,

~EXPOSED SCARS~ AMAYA’S POV The words came out faster than I intended. Too desperate, protective, but I couldn’t help it. Tonight had already shown me how quickly people could disappear. One second Ariel was in my arms, the next guns were pointed at us. I wasn’t ready to let her out of my sight, not even for comfort. Ethan watched me quietly for a moment before nodding once. “I’ll have Maria bring her back.” Relief loosened something tight in my chest. “Tomorrow,” he continued, “you can order whatever you and your daughter need online. Clothes, toiletries, anything.” He paused briefly. “And before you panic again, no—I’m not keeping you hostage. I just don’t think it’s safe for you to be seen outside yet.” I cut him off gently before he could explain further. “I understand.” My voice softened a little. “I don’t plan on leaving the house anyway. Not until I heal properly.” Not until I could look in the mirror without seeing fear staring back at me. His expression s

~THE MORNING AFTER~ AMAYA’S POV By the time I finished bathing and changed into the black nightwear Maria left for me, my entire body stung badly. The warm water had relaxed me for a few minutes, but now every bruise felt sharper somehow. I stood in front of the bathroom mirror while cleaning the cuts on my arms carefully, trying not to hiss whenever the antiseptic touched broken skin. After tending to my wounds, I switched off the bathroom light and walked back into the bedroom quietly. Ariel was already asleep beneath the duvet, curled into herself with her tiny curls scattered across the pillow. My chest softened immediately at the sight of her. I climbed into bed beside her carefully and pulled the blanket over us. Then I wrapped an arm around her small body and listened to her breathing. That alone calmed me more than anything else could. I honestly didn’t think sleep would come. My mind was too crowded, my body too tense, and this house still felt unfamiliar. Bu