Divorcing My Husband Over His Stepsister's Secret novel Chapter 76

Chapter 76

Anna’s POV:

Blake slammed the bedroom door shut with a heavy thud.

He didn’t even try to be quiet, completely disregarding that Claire was still in bed. Or so he thought.

I noticed her eyelids flutter the moment I entered the room. She wasn’t asleep at all–hadn’t been since I walked in.

She just lay there, pretending, either angry or calculating her next move. I decided not to investigate her emotional state. Not tonight.

Back in the guest room, the desire I’d suppressed for seven days finally erupted.

My body ached for him in ways I couldn’t control anymore. The moment Blake locked the door behind him, something changed in his expression–a hunger that matched my own.

“Anna he whispered against my neck, his voice husky with need. Before I could respond, his lips found mine, demanding and possessive.

I didn’t hesitate. Seven days of pretending I didn’t want him had been torture enough.

My hands fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, desperate to feel his skin against mine. He helped me, shrugging it off his shoulders before pushing me back onto the bed.

“I’ve missed you,” I said, surprising myself with the honesty.

His response was to kiss me harder, his hands roaming everywhere at once.

His movements grew increasingly forceful, possessive.

Each touch carried an urgency that matched my own desperation. He pinned my hands above my head, his eyes dark with something beyond just lust–something that looked dangerously like claiming what was his.

“Say it,” he commanded, his voice rough against my ear. “Say you’re mine.”

The words caught in my throat as he intensified his rhythm.

My body responded instinctively, arching to meet him.

With each powerful thrust, I felt myself losing control, surrendering to wave after wave of pleasure crashing over me.

“Blake,” I gasped, unable to form any other words as the tension buil to an almost unbearable–point.

In that final moment of ecstasy, I briefly lost consciousness, completely immersed in our fierce connection. When I came back to myself, Blake was watching me with an intensity that made me shiver despite the warmth of his body covering mine.

Friday afternoon, I walked into the General Hospital, heading toward my scheduled meetin

Jade Miller.

We were supposed to meet at the office, but Jade had texted to change our location to the hospital. I assumed she had a routine checkup, but my stomach tightened with unease as the receptionist directed me to the oncology floor.

nurse with tired eyes guided me down a long hallway to a quiet room. The antiseptic smell that permeated the air made me feel slightly nauseated. Or maybe it was anxiety about what I might find behind that door.

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Chapter 76

Inside, the harsh fluorescent lights made Jade look years older than er forty years.

Dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her cheekbones stood out sharply against her pale skin. Her once–elegant preserice was still visible beneath the surface, but her frail body was swallowed by the pose hospital gown.

I noticed she’d brushed her hair and applied light makeup for our meeting–a small act of dignity in her current state.

A pain medication drip stood beside her bed, the clear liquid slowly making its way into her veins. The sight of it made me panse of the doorway.

“Anna,” she called, waving

me in.

Come in.”

1 forced a smile and approached he

her bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Like shit,” she said bluntly, then softened. “Thank you for coming. About the coral project, we need to talk.”

“Jade, you’ve missed several meetings lately. The team is worried.” I glanced at the photo on her bedside table–a younger lade with Lucas, both smiling on a beach.

They looked so happy, so carefree. She followed my gaze and sighed.

“There are things I’ve been hiding from the team, from Lucas… I can’t hide them anymore.” She looked directly at me, her fingers twisting the thin hospital blanket. “The test results came back… I have pancreatic cancer. Late stage. The doctors say I don’t have much time.”

My stomach dropped. “Jade, I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head. “Don’t be. I’ve had a good run. She took a shaky breath. “But that’s not why I asked you here.”

“Lucas and I were so in love–that’s exactly why I couldn’t tell him the truth. I chose divorce instead,” she continued. ‘Once the papers are finalized, I’m going to Canada, somewhere he can’t find me, for treatment. To wait for the inevitable…”

Her voice broke. “I can’t bear the thought of how much pain it would cause him. That man gave up a tenure position at Woods Hole just to work with me. So I lied to him, saying I cheated and wanted a divorce. I’d rather have him hate me, think I’ve changed, than watch me die.”

She gripped my hand tightly, her fingers surprisingly strong despite her weakened state. “Anna, can you understand why I’m doing this?”

“Yes,” I said simply, because how could I not? If love were a terminal illness, I was experiencing it firsthand.

I’d pushed away everyone around me and picked up the scalpel myself. I just didn’t know if the operation would save me or leave me in pieces.

Jade broke down, a year’s worth of pain, loss, and impossible choices pouring out in her sobs. The sound made my whole body ache as I thought about my struggle with Blake.

“Thank you, Anna,” she whispered through tears.“Thank you for understanding.”

I wouldn’t try to convince her to tell Lucas the truth or face this together. I wouldn’t judge‘ choices from the safety of an outsider’s perspective. I could only respect her decision and offer support.

*I’ve prepared all the materials and research notes for the handover, she said, pointing to a USB drive on her nightstand. ‘Five years of data and observations are there.”

“I hope you’ll take over the coral research. Lucas and I started it together, but he can’t finish it alone. She paused, wiping her eyes

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