While My Husband Cheated I Married His Powerful Brother novel Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Chapter 41 The Smile of Victory

The car was still cold.

Veyra’s teeth wouldn’t stop chattering. Her dress was soaked through, clinging to her skin like a second layer of ice. Lily had fallen asleep on Dorian’s lap, her small face pressed against his chest, her breathing slow and even.

Dorian looked at Kaelen in the front seat. "Get a blanket."

Kaelen nodded. He reached into the back and pulled a folded wool blanket from a compartment. Dorian took it. He shook it open and draped it over Veyra’s shoulders.

The wool was rough. But it was warm. So warm.

"Thank you," Veyra said. Her voice was still shaky.

Dorian did not respond. He looked at Kaelen again. "Turn up the air conditioning. Heat."

Kaelen adjusted the dials. Warm air began to flow from the vents. It hit Veyra’s face, her hands, her wet hair. She closed her eyes and let the heat sink into her bones.

After a moment, she opened her eyes. "Thank you," she said again. "For the blanket. For the heat."

Dorian looked at her. His gray eyes were unreadable. "You shouldn’t have been there."

She blinked. "What?"

"At the lake. You shouldn’t have been there." His voice was flat. "I had everything under control. The snipers were on their way. I had a clear shot. I was negotiating."

Veyra stared at him. "The snipers were fifteen minutes out. The kidnapper gave you ten. He had a knife to Lily’s throat."

"I would have taken the shot."

"You would have risked hitting her."

"I wouldn’t have missed."

"You don’t know that."

Dorian’s jaw tightened. "I’ve taken that shot before. In similar conditions. In worse conditions. I know what I’m capable of."

Veyra felt something sink in her chest. She had been so sure. So certain that he needed her. That she was saving Lily when no one else could.

But maybe she had been wrong.

"Your actions today were completely superfluous," Dorian said. "You put yourself at risk. You put the child at risk. You disrupted my strategy."

The words hit her like slaps.

She looked away. Her face was hot. Not from the heater but from shame.

She had misjudged. She had meddled. She had done something stupid and dangerous and unnecessary.

"I didn’t know," she said quietly. "I thought—"

"You thought I couldn’t handle it."

She said nothing.

Dorian did not say anything else. He turned his head and looked out the window.

The car was silent except for the hum of the engine and the soft sound of Lily’s breathing.

Veyra pulled the blanket tighter around herself and tried to disappear into the seat.

After a long moment, Dorian spoke again.

"How did you know where to find them?"

Veyra looked at him. His face was still turned toward the window. She could not read his expression.

She thought about telling him the truth. About the coffee kiosk. About the older woman. About the flyers she had posted all over the commercial district.

But then she remembered his words at the café. What exactly do you plan to do? The mockery. The dismissal.

She felt a flash of spite.

"A passerby told me," she said. "Someone who saw the flyers I put up."

Dorian turned to look at her. His eyes narrowed. "What flyers?"

"Missing person flyers. I printed them after the kidnapping. I posted them all over the district. Someone saw one and called me."

He stared at her for a long moment. She could not tell if he believed her.

"You took matters into your own hands," he said. "Without consulting me. Without informing my security team."

"I didn’t have time."

"You made time to print flyers."

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