While My Husband Cheated, I Married His Powerful Brother

Chapter 180: Chapter 180 Escape.

​The large bedroom was completely quiet.

​Dorian’s strong arms were still wrapped tightly around her shoulders, holding her safe against his chest. His chest felt warm against her damp cheek, and his steady heartbeat sounded slow, calm, and reassuring in the stillness.

​Slowly, Veyra’s rapid breathing began to settle down into a normal rhythm. Her tears finally dried up, and the intense trembling in her body faded away.

​She had no idea how long they had remained sitting together on the edge of the mattress like that. It could have been ten minutes or two hours, but time didn’t seem to matter at all in that moment.

​For the first time in years, she felt genuinely protected and secure.

​Then, reality suddenly rushed back into her mind.

​She suddenly realized where she was. She was wrapped in Dorian’s arms, her face buried against his chest, holding onto his shirt like he was the only lifeline keeping her from drowning in her memories.

​A wave of self-consciousness washed over her, and she quickly pulled back from his embrace.

​Her face was flushed bright red, her eyes were still swollen from crying, and her small hands were trembling slightly.

​She looked up at him, her eyes tracing his dark dress shirt and the noticeable wet patch her tears had left on the front of his clothes. She looked up at his face, trying to read his reaction.

​His facial expression remained completely unreadable, but his eyes were unusually soft and gentle as he looked back at her.

​"Thank you," she managed to say, her voice sounding small and raspy from sobbing.

​Dorian gave her a simple, silent nod. "Are you alright?"

​"I’m fine," she answered right away.

​She wasn’t fine at all, but she didn’t want to talk about the nightmare. She didn’t want to explain the terrifying details of her past, nor did she want to expose her deepest vulnerabilities to him any longer.

​She turned her body away from him, pulled the thick blanket all the way up to her chin, and closed her eyes tight.

​"I am really tired," she said, keeping her tone flat. "I just need to get some sleep."

​Just like that, she quickly re-erected her internal wall, rebuilding the familiar barrier and keeping her distance from him once again.

​She didn’t want to get too close to him. She didn’t want to feel these confusing emotions, and she certainly didn’t want to rely on anyone else for comfort.

​She burrowed deeper under the heavy duvet, firmly shutting down any chance of continuing the conversation.

​Dorian stood silently beside the bed for a long moment, watching her motionless form under the covers.

​He understood her reaction completely. She didn’t want to be disturbed, she had zero desire to discuss her dark nightmare, and she wasn’t ready to explain why she had called out for her deceased mother in such deep agony.

​He decided not to press her for answers tonight.

​He turned on his heel, walked quietly across the soft carpet toward the walk-in closet, and closed the heavy door behind him to ensure total privacy.

​He pulled his phone out from his pocket, unlocked the screen, and dialed Leon’s number.

​Leon answered the call on the second ring. "Sir."

​"Leon," Dorian spoke into the receiver, keeping his tone low and even. "What exactly happened while I was away on my trip?"

​There was a brief pause on the line before Leon responded.

​"Mrs. Thorne is currently preparing to open a new bubble tea shop," Leon reported concisely.

​Dorian raised his eyebrows in slight surprise. "A bubble tea shop?"

​"Yes, sir. She has officially rented a commercial storefront in the Riverside District. She is partnering with three other girls on the project, named Mia, Megan Clark, and Jade."

​Dorian remained silent for a second, processing the news. She hadn’t mentioned a single word about this project to him. She had been quietly building something entirely on her own strength.

​"What else happened?" he asked calmly.

​Leon hesitated for a brief second on the line before continuing.

​"There was a personal conflict," Leon said carefully. "It involved Xander Hale."

​Dorian’s jaw tightened instantly at the mention of that name. "Xander Hale?"

​"He happens to be the property landlord who leased her the shop space."

​"What kind of conflict occurred?" Dorian demanded, his tone dropping an octave.

​Leon took a deep breath and proceeded to detail the entire situation. He explained the formal meeting, the awkward lunch setup, and the harsh negotiations that took place.

​"Xander Hale explicitly threatened me during the interaction," Leon explained. "He tried to pressure me into convincing Mrs. Thorne to divorce you. He spoke about you with utter disrespect."

​Dorian’s grip on the phone tightened so hard his knuckles turned completely white.

​"He disrespected me?"

​"Yes, sir," Leon replied honestly. "He referred to you as a lowly, worthless bodyguard. He claimed Mrs. Thorne was wasting her life staying with you, and he actively tried to persuade her to leave you for him."

​A dangerous heat surged through Dorian’s veins as his blood ran hot with anger.

​He had spent years building his formidable reputation, his immense corporate power, and his global dominance. No ordinary person ever dared to insult his name or issue threats against his circle.

​Yet Xander Hale had done both. He had threatened Leon, blatantly disrespected Dorian’s standing, and attempted to take his wife away right under his nose.

​An intense urge to create complete destruction surged inside Dorian’s mind.

​He wanted to drive straight down to the Riverside District this very second, track Xander Hale down, and make the man pay severely for his arrogance.

​However, he forced himself to hold back.

​If he acted recklessly right now, Veyra would inevitably uncover the truth about his real identity. She would discover that he was the powerful leader of the Ravenwood Society, learn about his vast influence, and uncover the secret world he operated in.

​He simply couldn’t risk exposing everything to her just yet.

​He forced his rising anger down, suppressing the raw hostility in his chest.

​"Is there anything else I should know?" he asked, his voice returning to a deadly calm state.

​Leon resumed his report.

​"Mrs. Thorne successfully signed the lease agreement, paid the initial rent deposit, and is currently organizing the interior renovation plans."

​Dorian nodded slowly in the dark closet. "And what about her nightmare tonight?"

​"I don’t have any information on that, sir," Leon admitted quietly. "She hasn’t mentioned her personal past or her family history to me at all."

​Dorian went silent as he held the phone.

​He genuinely wanted to know what was happening in her mind. He wanted to understand her hidden trauma, and he needed to figure out why she had screamed out for her mother with such raw heartbreak tonight.

​Yet she had completely retreated behind her walls. She had closed herself off from him and rebuilt the emotional distance between them.

​He knew he wouldn’t get a single answer out of her tonight.

​He truly wanted to get to the very bottom of the source behind Veyra’s recurring nightmares, but he failed to find the answers he was looking for just yet.

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