Chapter S
Dante looked momentarily surprised, then laughed softly. “That’s it? Easy enoug
He recited a string of numbers that made Rosalie freeze.
It was her birthday.
“Why would you use my birthday as your password?” she asked, her voice slightly unsteady.
Dante kissed her forehead tenderly, his tone warm and intimate. “Because I love you, beautiful
What better reminder could I have?”
Rosalie stared at him, expressionless.
Three months ago, those words would have made her heart soar. Now they rang hollow–just another line from a skilled actor’s script. Whether he meant them or not no longer mattered. The trust was irreparably shattered.
Dante handed her his phone with casual confidence. “Were you hoping to catch me in something? I’m an open book with you, baby. Look through whatever you want.”
Rosalie accepted the device, finally allowing a carefully calculated smile to cross her face.
Dante visibly relaxed, pulling her against his chest. “God, I’ve missed that smile.”
His voice carried that possessive tenderness she’d once found so comforting. “Your birthdays in two days. I’m planning something spectacular for you. I’ll need to be out handling the arrangements, though. Will you be okay here by yourself?”
Rosalie nodded, then after a perfectly timed pause asked, “Are you inviting my brother?”
Dante remained silent for so long that Rosalie thought he wouldn’t answer. Finally, he said quietly,
“Yes, I’ll invite him.”
Rosalie smiled, though tears gathered in her eyes. “Thank you.”
How ironic, she thought. He had no idea why she was really asking–no concept that she was ensuring Alistair would be safely in New York while she escaped to Los Angeles.
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The Ultimate Payback: When I Married Your Enemy, My Stepbrother
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temporary.
Instead, he satisfied himself by leaving a trail of possessive marks along her neck, murmuring, “Now everyone will know you belong to me
Rosalle remained still, letting him brand her skin one last time. How telling, the thought bitterly. Not “I belong to you, too” or “we belong together,” but “you belong to me“-like a possession, a trophy, a pawn in his game against her brother.
Later that night, when Dante’s breathing had deepened into sleep, she carefully extracted his phone from the nightstand.
The first thing she saw was a group chat with his friends.
In it, they were discussing tomorrow’s plans:
“Wolf, it’s D–Day tomorrow. When are you dropping those bedroom vids? We’ve been waiting three fucking years for this!” Tyler had written.
“Yeah, man, is the big reveal still happening? Can’t wait to see Lima’s face when he sees his precious baby sister in action,” Marcus added with a laughing emoji.
“Wolf, you there? We’ve been messaging since morning. Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet about this,” Jason chimned in.
Rosalie navigated to the private folder containing the videos. One by one, she deleted them all, watching as the visual record of their intimacy–moments she’d thought were private expressions of love–disappeared forever.
When the last one was gone and the trash emptied, she felt nothing but hollow relief. Along with those videos, she deleted the last lingering feelings she had for the man sleeping beside her.
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The Ultimate Payback When I Married Your Enemy. My Stepbrother
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Chapter 8
Early the next morning, she stood by the door with her luggage, ready to leave forever.
Dante woke just in time to see her, momentarily confused as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. “Where you headed so early, babe?”
“To pick up Alistair from the airport,” Rosalie replied with perfect composure.
Dante glanced at her luggage with puzzlement. “You need two suitcases just to meet him?”
“Just some dance costumes and old performance videos I want him to take back to L.A.,” she lied
without missing a beat.
After three years of being deceived by a master manipulator, spinning this simple lie felt almost laughably easy.
Remarkably, Dante accepted her explanation without question. He climbed out of bed and embraced her. “Wait up. I’ll go with you.”
Rosalie shook her head. “Let’s save the big reunion for the party. I think my brother might need some… private time to process seeing you. You should head to the venue and make sure everything’s
perfect.”
Dante considered this, seemingly finding the reasoning sound. He ruffled her hair affectionately. “Smart thinking. Don’t be too long, though–I can’t wait to see you in that dress I bought you.”
After he showered and left for the party venue, Rosalie waited until his car disappeared from view
before hailing a taxi straight to JFK.
Check–in, baggage drop, boarding–everything happened with mechanical efficiency.
Once seated on the plane, she opened her conversation with Dante one last time.
She’d drafted so many different messages in her mind.
One version told him she knew everything–that she’d overheard his conversation at the restaurant,
that she knew the assault had been part of his plan, that she knew the videos were meant to
humiliate her brother.
Another version was pure rage–three years of betrayal condensed into blistering paragraphs.
But now, as the flight attendants prepared for takeoff, all those words seemed superfluous. What
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was the polert Bedder deserve her anger, her pain, or even her explanation.
the deed the paragraphs and sped only
If over. I dont bobe you eyesore ]
Merseding it she watched the plane slowly lift off, gazing at the clouds outside her window as she More is pumber and poneered off her plac
Adiós, Desar Wolf
