I Chose Me Over My Marriage novel Chapter 48

Her words left Miles frozen in place.

"I miss Mom and Dad, too. I know I messed up."

Once the confession left her lips, her tears spilled over, cascading down her cheeks in a relentless stream.

Even completely intoxicated, she was drowning in a suffocating wave of despair.

Miles parted his lips to speak, but ultimately let out a helpless sigh, his voice incredibly soft.

"If you knew it would hurt this much, why did you do it?"

Yet, it didn't sound like he was asking Lyra.

It sounded more like a whispered confession to himself.

"Miles, hug me."

Her sweet, needy tone instantly transported Miles back to when they were younger.

She had clung to him ever since they were kids.

He was three years older than her.

Back when he was in kindergarten, Lyra was barely a toddler, yet she would wait for him from the moment he left until he got home, just so he could pick her up.

By the time he reached elementary school, the highlight of Lyra's day was having their mother bring her along to pick him up after class.

When he started middle school, he topped his classes, becoming the ultimate role model for his sister and her absolute favorite person to brag about.

But when Miles reached high school, Lyra discovered he wasn't her biological brother, and soon after, she crossed paths with Maxwell.

From that point on, they barely spoke, and that unbreakable bond they once shared shattered.

The years had flown by so fast that Miles had almost forgotten what their dynamic used to feel like.

He had buried all those complicated emotions deep inside, convinced that time would eventually wash them away.

But looking at her now, he realized those feelings were permanent.

"It hurts so much, Miles."

Pulling him from his memories, Lyra began frantically tugging at her collar again.

She was wearing a button-down dress, having tossed her black blazer aside much earlier.

Several buttons had popped open during her struggles, leaving her stunning curves entirely exposed to his gaze.

Her open dress forced him to avert his eyes, which meant he completely missed her leaning in until her lips crashed against his.

"So uncomfortable."

"Help me."

"Miles."

Her seductive, breathy voice hammered against Miles's heart with every single syllable.

He knew she was utterly out of her mind and purely acting on primal instinct to find relief.

But he couldn't stop his own heart from pounding like a drum in his chest.

Her kisses were intoxicatingly persistent, her hands roaming freely over him.

For a split second, Miles didn't even want to fight it.

But his rationality screamed at him to stop.

If he lost control now, the fragile boundaries he had so carefully maintained would be destroyed forever.