While My Husband Cheated I Married His Powerful Brother novel Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Trial Without Mercy

The tablet screen glowed between them.

Veyra stared at the photograph. At herself. At Lily. At Caspian’s reaching hand. From this angle, from this frozen moment, it looked exactly like Dorian said. Intimate. A family. The three of them together like they belonged.

She looked up at Dorian. His gray eyes were still on her. Still cold. Still waiting.

"I need to explain," she said.

"Then explain."

She took a breath. Her hands were steady now. She pressed them flat on the table.

"First, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I lost track of Lily. I’m sorry I took my eyes off her. I’m sorry I let her down. She trusted me, and I failed her. There’s no excuse for that."

Dorian said nothing.

"I went out today to meet Dr. Harrison. About the licensing agreement for the serum. I had the Old Madam’s permission to take Lily with me. She was excited. She’d never been to a café before. I thought it would be harmless."

She paused.

"Running into Caspian was not planned. I didn’t know he was going to be there. I didn’t know he had followed me. He showed up while I was sitting with Dr. Harrison. He sat down at my table. He started talking to me like nothing had happened. Like he hadn’t locked me in a basement. Like he hadn’t let my mother die."

Her voice was quiet. But it did not shake.

"I told him to leave me alone. I told him it was over. I told him I didn’t love him anymore. And then the crowd came. And while I was trying to get away from him, someone took Lily."

She met Dorian’s eyes.

"That’s the truth. Every word of it."

He was quiet for a long moment. His jaw was still tight. His eyes were still cold.

"You expect me to believe this was a coincidence," he said. "Your ex-husband showing up at the exact same café. At the exact same time. While you were there with my niece."

"I don’t know if it was a coincidence. Caspian has been following me for days. He showed up at the estate. He showed up at the café. He’s not going to stop until he gets what he wants."

"And what does he want?"

"He wants me back." She said it flatly. "And I know it isn’t because he loves me but because he can’t stand the idea of me being happy without him. Because I was his. And he doesn’t understand that I’m not anymore."

Dorian’s expression did not change.

"I didn’t plan this," Veyra said. "I didn’t ask Caspian to come. I didn’t know anyone was going to take Lily. I would never do anything to hurt that little girl. She’s innocent. She’s kind. She made me cookies because she wanted to say thank you."

Her voice cracked.

"She called me her friend."

The door opened.

Li Wei walked in. He was holding a tablet of his own. His face was serious.

"Sir," he said. "I have the full surveillance footage. From the café and the surrounding streets."

Dorian held out his hand. Li Wei gave him the tablet.

Dorian’s fingers moved across the screen. He watched in silence. His face did not change. But Veyra saw his jaw tighten. She saw his eyes narrow.

He watched the footage of her and Dr. Harrison sitting at the table. Lily beside her, drinking her hot chocolate. He watched Caspian walk in. Sit down. Reach for her hand.

He watched the crowd surge. Watched Veyra fall. Watched Lily disappear.

Then he watched the footage from the street. The man in the dark jacket. The hat. The face mask. Lily in his arms, struggling.

He set the tablet down.

His phone rang.

He answered it without looking at the screen.

"Grandmother," he said.

Veyra could not hear the Old Madam’s voice. But she could see the effect. Dorian’s shoulders tensed. His free hand curled into a fist.

"She’s not here," he said. "I’m looking for her."

A pause.

"I know. I will."

Another pause.

"Yes. I’ll bring her back. I promise."

He hung up. He set the phone on the table. He looked at Veyra.

"The Old Madam is frantic," he said. "She wants to know where Lily is. She wants to know why she was allowed to go out without sufficient protection. She wants to know who is responsible."

Veyra said nothing.

"I told her I would bring Lily back safely," Dorian said. "And I will."

He turned to Li Wei.

"Take Mrs. Thorne back to the estate."

Li Wei nodded. "Yes, sir."

Dorian opened his laptop. His fingers flew across the keyboard. Lines of code flashed on the screen. Windows opened and closed. Maps appeared. Surveillance feeds. Street cameras.

Veyra watched him work. Her eyes widened.

He was hacking into the municipal surveillance system.

She had seen people do this in movies. In TV shows. She had never seen it done in real life. The speed of it. The precision. He moved through the system like he had built it himself.

"You can do that?" she asked.

He did not look up. "I can do a lot of things."

She stared at him. At the lines of code. At the maps. At the way his fingers moved without hesitation.

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