THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: Marry To Rival's Son novel Chapter 64

Chapter 64

As the door clicked shut behind Stefan and Mia, the silence inside the living room stretched. It wasn’t the peace that came after resolution, it was the kind that lingered after a storm that no one dared name.

Samuel remained on the couch, unmoving, his fingers still clenching the armrest like he could crush it beneath his palm.

Cassandra stood beside him, shifting nervously in place. She hadn’t dared speak after Stefan words. But now…

She folded her arms. “You’re really going to let him walk in here and threaten you like that?”

Samuel said nothing.

“Baby,” she pressed, voice rising with frustration, “this is your house, your empire, how could you let that little girl and her monster of a husband…..”

“I said shut up,” Samuel snapped.

Cassandra flinched.

His voice hadn’t been loud, but it was enough.

“I don’t need your running mouth echoing what I already know,” he growled, his jaw clenched so hard the veins in his neck throbbed.

Cassandra looked at him, shocked, but Samuel wasn’t looking at her. He was staring ahead, at nothing.

His breathing was slow but deep, measured. The way it gets when someone’s trying to suppress an urge.

“They’re going to get married,” Cassandra said softly, almost bitterly now. “You saw how she looked at you. Like she finally won.”

Samuel’s lips twitched. But not in amusement. Mia had never defied him so openly. Never made him feel so… powerless. And it’s because of that Sterling of a boy.

That boy had walked in like he owned the room, and somehow, by the time he left, he did. He always knew nothing good comes out the name, Sterling.

Samuel rose to his feet slowly.

“She thinks she’s won,” he said darkly, to himself voice tight. “She thinks marrying Sterling is a victory.”

Cassandra’s eyes narrowed. “And has she?”

He looked at her now, eyes like cold steel.

“No one win against me. Not even Mia.”

Outside…

Stefan opened the car door for Mia and helped her inside like it was second nature. His actions were silent but full of meaning, protective, steady, unshakable.

When he climbed in beside her, he didn’t start the engine right away.

He looked at her.

Mia sat still, her eyes on the house like she was waiting for something.

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CA STEFAN WAS MERE NOW HE CARED GENUINELY

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“You okay?” he asked, his voice gentler now.

She turned to him, nodded slowly. But her eyes shimmered just a little.

“I am,” she said.

Stefan said nothing, reached over and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, his touch lingering.

Her breath hitched. Just slightly, but she said nothing.

Stefan removed his hand’s and finally started the car.

The drive out of the compound was quiet. Stefan didn’t say anything anymore, and neither did Mia. She sat with her hands tucked in her lap, eyes staring blankly out the window as the gates closed behind them.

But just as they reached the end of the street, Stefan suddenly pulled the car to a slow stop by the roadside. He put the car in park, then leaned slightly forward to roll the windows up.

Mia blinked and turned to him, confused. “Why are we stopping?” she asked, her brows pulling together.

Stefan didn’t look at her right away. His voice came low, soft, and sure.

“You can let it all out now.”

Mia stiffened. Her fingers clenched together a little tighter.

“I don’t… understand what… you’re saying,” she tried to brush him off, her voice slightly wobbly. She turned her face back toward the window like that would hide the glassiness in her eyes.

Stefan didn’t push. He just shifted in his seat and leaned toward her, slow and calm.

Mia’s body tensed. “What… what are you doing?” she asked already backing away just a little.

But Stefan didn’t say a word. He gently brought her closer, his hand at the back of her head, pulling her to his shoulder like she belonged there. His other hand began patting her back slowly, up, down, again and again. Steady. Comforting. Not rushing her.

That was all she needed.

Mia broke.

It started with a shaky breath. Then came the first tear. Then the next. And before she could stop herself, she was crying, really crying into his chest. Uncontrollably. Everything she’d been holding back came pouring out. The shame. The anger. The humiliation. The grief of being tossed aside like she never mattered. The weight of years without a real father’s love. The pain of seeing her mother’s memory thrown into an abandoned room full of dust.

Stefan didn’t say anything. He just held her. Patted her back and rested his chin gently on her head.

Minutes passed. Long, painful minutes.

And then, finally, her body began to calm. The sobs softened. Her breaths steadied. She started to pull away, sniffling and wiping at her face.

“Sorry,” she murmured, trying to look away.

But Stefan surprised her.

He took her hand away from her face and wiped the remaining tears himself, with his own bare hand.

Mia stared at him, wide-eyed. This was Stefan. The same man who once frowned because a drop of coffee touched his white shirt. And here he was, using his hand to clean her tear-stained face like it meant nothing.

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84 STEFAN WAS HERE NOW HE CARED GENUINELY

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Before she could say anything, he leaned down and kissed her forehead, softly. Then, without a word, he turned back to the steering wheel, adjusted it like nothing happened, and started the engine.

Mia sat there, completely still. Her heart thudding. Her checks completely red.

And for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like she had to apologize for breaking down. Or had to hide her pain and tears.

She felt free, and relieved. She took a look at Stefan before turning towards the mirror back. He didn’t know but he was starting to make her feel things she didn’t understand. Like the feel of ten thousand horses running in her

tummy.

By the time they pulled into the driveway, the sky had turned a soft shade of grey-blue. The sun had almost dipped, leaving the world in that quiet moment before night. Mia was curled up in her seat, her head resting lightly against the window. Her breathing was slow and even, she’d fallen asleep somewhere along the way.

Stefan turned off the engine and just sat there for a second, gazing at her intently, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.There was something about her when she slept, vulnerable, peaceful, like a weight had finally lifted. Her small face was pale with a touch of pink, looking quiet and well-behaved, yet she was so stubborn. When she spoke, she was sharp-tongued.

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her face, then opened his door quietly.

Walking around the car, he gently opened her side and leaned down. “Mia,” he called softly. She didn’t stir.

He didn’t say anything else. Just slipped his arms beneath her knees and behind her back and carried her out like she weighed nothing. She shifted slightly in his hold, instinctively tucking her face into his chest. His grip tightened, protective.

Inside the house, the door clicked open alerting Elena who was on her phone, in the living room.

Elena’s voice came loud and excited. “Mia! If you see the way the……” she paused mid-sentence when she turned and saw Stefan standing there, Mia asleep in his arms.

“Shhh,” Stefan hushed her gently, one finger lifting slightly.

Elena’s eyes widened. Then, seeing Mia completely knocked out, she clapped her hand over her mouth and giggled silently. She tiptoed backward toward the couch, plopped down, and gave Stefan a big thumbs-up with a silly grin. The look in her eyes was nothing but pure joy.

She pulled her phone back up to pretend she was distracted, but her heart felt light. For the first time, it didn’t feel like it was just her and Mia against the world. Stefan was here now. He cared genuinely. You could see it in the way he held Mia like she was the most fragile thing. You could feel it in the way he lowered his voice just for her.

Elena smiled wider, hiding her face behind her phone.

Mia finally had someone. And Elena knew, no matter what Happened next, Samuel wouldn’t be able to break her

anymore.

Not with Stefan by her side.

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