Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously-Chapter 209: An unhealed scar

They lay there quietly, bodies still entangled. The storm of breath and skin had faded.

Anne shifted slightly and looked up at him, finally asking the question that had been pressing at her all day.

"Why Bennet? You are a Beaumont by blood. Why don’t you use that name? Is it because you are angry with them?"

Her eyes searched his face.

Augustine lay flat on his back and stared at the ceiling, his features tightening. "The Beaumonts were never really my family." His voice was calm, but there was a quiet edge of bitterness beneath it. A scar that hadn’t quite faded.

"They never accepted my parents. Or me."

It was a painful reality he and his parents had lived through. Still, his father had always insisted that the Beaumonts were their family, not their enemies. For a long time, Augustine believed him until life proved otherwise, and the betrayal became impossible to ignore.

"My grandfather had never married my grandmother," he continued. "He kept the relationship with her secret for years. My father was born in the shadows, raised without a name."

Anne’s brow furrowed as she listened to him.

"When my grandmother died, my grandfather brought my father into the family. His wife was furious—threatened divorce. So he backed down and sent my father away, out of the mansion."

Anne’s voice dropped to a whisper. "He still wouldn’t give your father his name?"

Augustine nodded, slowly. "Not while his wife was alive. My father stayed invisible. But after she passed, my grandfather finally acknowledged him. Gave him a position in the company, even transferred ten percent of the shares to him."

"I see," Anne nodded understandingly. "That’s what made Gabriel so furious. He believed he was the only true heir to the family name, the company... everything. Then your father appeared and threatened all of it."

"You are right," Augustine exhaled deeply, like the weight of memory still sat on his chest. "Gabriel hated my father. Always did. He wanted him gone."

His jaw clenched. "And then came the accident. My parents didn’t survive. Gabriel got what he wanted."

Anne shifted closer, resting her palm gently over his heart. She could feel the tight, silent storm beneath his skin. Pain still fresh, rage still sharp.

"Do you think Gabriel was behind it?" She studied his face carefully, her voice barely above a whisper.

Augustine looked at her for a long moment, his gaze hardening. Then he nodded once, deliberate and cold.

"Yes. I investigated silently. It took time, but I found some leads that pointed toward him. The car crash was arranged. Gabriel was behind it."

His eyes darkened with a fury he kept locked away, but now it bled to the surface.

"I’ve never truly belonged to the Beaumonts. That name is poison to me. I’d rather carry my mother’s name—Bennet—the name of the only family that ever truly loved me."

Anne leaned into him, wrapping her arms around him, her own eyes glistening. She could feel the weight of his grief, the anger etched deep into his bones, the loneliness of carrying this truth alone for so long.

"You are not alone anymore," she whispered. "I’m with you."

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, but he didn’t speak.

This was his battle, and he would fight it alone. And though he needed Anne by his side, he refused to pull her into the crossfire. He had already lost too much. And he wasn’t willing to risk losing her, too.

Justice would come. One way or another.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Lorie stepped into the house, the heavy scent of alcohol hit her instantly. She froze at the sight of Robert slouched on the sofa, his bloodshot eyes locking onto hers with a cold intensity that made her heart skip.

"Where have you been?" His voice was low, laced with a dangerous edge.

Lorie swallowed hard, sensing the storm brewing beneath his rigid posture. "I was with Mom and Dad... at the hospital," she replied carefully.

"Really?" With a flick of his wrist, he flung several photographs at her feet.

Lorie instinctively stepped back. Her eyes dropped to the floor, and she felt chills all over her body. Those were the clear shots of her and Nathan at a café. Her face went pale.

Robert had been watching her.

"You thought you could betray me and walk away like nothing happened," he growled, rising from the sofa.

"No—you have got it all wrong," Lorie said, panic seeping into her voice. "That man has nothing to do with me. He... he was asking about Anne."

"Don’t lie to me," he bellowed, and she flinched.

"I’m telling the truth," she insisted. "He has been searching for someone he lost, and he believes Anne might be that person. That’s the only reason I met him—nothing more."

Robert’s eyes narrowed in fury. "You think you can spin some pathetic story, and I’ll fall for it? If he wants to talk about Anne, he can speak to her directly. Why the hell does he need you?"

The room pulsed with tension as Lorie stood frozen, her heart pounding, her voice lost to the rising storm of suspicion and hurt.

"I don’t know... I met him at the hospital," she managed. "He was asking about Anne. Then he called and asked to meet..." She tried to explain, but she didn’t get the chance to finish.

In a sudden burst of rage, Robert lunged forward, gripping her jaw with brutal force.

"Ahh..." Lorie cried out in pain, her hands flying to his wrist in a desperate attempt to break free. But his hold only tightened, sending sharp pain through her face.

Tears welled in her eyes as fear gripped her. His strength made her feel like he could shatter her jaw if he wanted to.

"Still lying," he growled through clenched teeth. "I looked into it. You paid off the waitress—spiked his coffee. Aphrodisiac, huh?" His mouth twisted into a cruel sneer. "You were planning to screw that pretty boy."

A cold shiver raced down Lorie’s spine. She hadn’t thought he’d dig that deep. She felt exposed, hunted.

"You disgusting bitch," he spat. "I know all about your past—sleeping around before you marry me. And still, I made you my wife. I gave you that title. And what do you do? Run off to find another man. What, am I not good enough for you?"

"No! It’s not like that," Lorie stammered, barely holding together. "I wasn’t going to sleep with him—I just wanted to lure him in, figure out what he was really after—"

But Robert wasn’t listening anymore. Rage blinded him. He raised his hand and struck her across the face.

Lorie collapsed to the floor, dazed. Pain seared through her cheek as she lay there, stunned and trembling, her head spinning. Her heart sank at the sheer terror of what might come next.

"You are not worthy of being my wife," Robert hissed. "Since you are so eager to chase other men, I’ll make your wish come true. Starting tonight, you’ll serve the customers in my nightclub."

"No!" Lorie cried out, horror flooding her face. "I’m not a prostitute. You can’t do this to me."

He leaned in and sneered cruelly, "Oh, darling, the moment you decided to drug that man, you became one. Now you’ll live like one."