Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously-Chapter 8: Have you fallen in love with Anne?

Tania's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you serious? Didn't you see how she treated you? She doesn't want you anymore!"

Denis snorted, shaking his head dismissively. "Anne's just angry. She loves me too much to walk away for good. She can't live without me." He folded his arms across his chest, smugness creeping into his tone. "I'll talk to her, calm her down. She'll understand and come back to me."

Tania's stomach churned with fury, her nails digging into her palms. 'He has fallen for that bitch.' The bitter thoughts flooded her mind, fueling her resentment. 'Anne, you'll never come between me and Denis. I won't let you.'

Swallowing her anger, Tania softened her tone, reaching out once more. "Denis, please." Her eyes glistened with feigned vulnerability. "I'm pregnant with your baby. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Can't you take me back?"

Denis stepped back, increasing the distance. Guilt flickered across his face. "That night... I was drunk. I didn't mean for it to happen. It was...a mistake."

Shock froze her in place, disbelief written across her features. "Mistake?" she echoed.

Denis averted his gaze, clearly uncomfortable. "Tania, it's not that simple. I didn't mean—"

But she cut him off, her patience snapping. "You want her, but you don't want me," she spat, her desperation bleeding into anger. "Then why have you been with me all this time? Ignoring her, spending your nights with me—sleeping with me. What was I to you? A mistress?"

"That's not what I meant. You are important to me. But..." He hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "Things are different now. Anne is..."

Tania didn't let him finish. Her composure shattered entirely. "Why the hesitation?" she whimpered, tears of fury welling in her eyes.

"You don't love her. If you did, you wouldn't have kept your relationship with her a secret all this time. Admit it—you only chose her because I wasn't around. She was nothing more than a stand-in. Now that I'm back, you don't need her anymore."

Denis stood there, lips parted as if to argue, but no words came.

His silence only added to her fury. "I want a clear answer. Do you want me or not?" Her chest heaved with anger, eyes blazing with betrayal.

Knock-Knock...

The sudden sound shattered the moment.

"Come in." Denis exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck.

His assistant stepped inside. "Here is the surveillance footage of the hospital waiting area." He handed Denis a tablet, his gaze moving to Tania fleetingly. "I checked the footage already. "Miss Clair didn't even touch Madam Tania."

Tania's face turned pale, anger and embarrassment twisting her gut. How had things unraveled so quickly?

Denis didn't speak right away. He stared at the tablet, thumb hovering over the play button. Then he pressed it.

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The video showed the argument unfolding, though the sound was muted. Tania raised her hand to slap Anne, but instead, stumbled backward and collapsed on the floor on her own.

Anne didn't touch her at all.

The footage was damning.

Denis's lips pressed into a thin line, fury simmering beneath the surface. He didn't explode, though.

"Leave us," he said coldly, not taking his eyes off the screen.

The assistant gave a curt nod and exited the office, the door clicking shut behind him.

The moment they were alone, Denis rounded on Tania, his face like stone. He thrust the tablet toward her. "What is it?" he hissed. "You lied. You tried to frame Anne."

Tania flinched, but she recovered quickly. Putting the tablet aside, she grabbed his wrist. "I was wrong, okay? I shouldn't have lied. But I only did it because I love you, Denis. I'm terrified of losing you. Can't you see that?"

She forced a smile, trying to soften his anger. "Let's forget all this. Let's just get married."

Denis recoiled, shaking her. "Don't pressure me." His expression hardened. "I don't like it."

Tania's composure snapped. The mask of vulnerability fell away, revealing the raw bitterness beneath. "You're hesitating because of her, aren't you?" she spat. "Have you fallen in love with Anne?"

"Love?" He scoffed, forcing a bitter chuckle. "Who would love that stupid woman? It's not love."

"Then why can't you let her go? Why do you keep clinging to her?"

Denis was speechless. He didn't know why he couldn't stand the idea of leaving Anne. When she mentioned breaking up, he lost his temper. Why her cold indifference enraged him more than Tania's lies ever could.

'Am I falling for her?' The thought flickered, unwelcome. He shoved it aside almost as quickly as it emerged. 'That's impossible. She is just a plaything. She is not qualified to leave me.'

It was about control, nothing more. Anne was his, and she couldn't walk away from him.

Tania's frustration boiled over as she didn't get the answer. "Still reluctant!" The fire inside her stoked. "If you can't take responsibility, I'll end this life. Right here, right now."

She snatched the glass from the table and hurled it to the ground. The glass shattered into countless jagged shards.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Denis barked, momentarily stunned by her outburst.

Before he could understand what was happening, she crouched down and picked up one of the larger shards. Panic hit his heart as he saw her putting the shard on her wrist.

"Stop this madness." In an instant, he lunged forward, grabbing her wrist and prying the shard from her grasp. The jagged edge nicked his palm, but he barely noticed.

He tossed the shard away and pulled her in his embrace. "What the hell are you thinking? Hurting yourself won't solve anything!"

Tania sagged against him, her sobs muffled against his chest. She gripped the front of his shirt, eyes red and wild as she looked up at him. "Promise me," she rasped. "Promise me you'll break up with Anne."

Ring-Ring-Ring...

Denis's phone rang before he could reply. Denis's focus snapped to the screen. His expression hardened the moment he saw the caller ID. "Go home and rest," he said briskly, shoving the phone into his pocket. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Before Tania could stop him, he turned and strode out of the office.

Tania's face contorted with rage. Her hands balled into fists at her sides. "You have fallen for her. I can't believe this." Each breath fueled the storm brewing inside her. "Anne, you can never be with Denis. I won't let it happen."

~~~~~~~~

Anne stood on the sidewalk, watching as Augustine's car disappeared around the corner. With a tired sigh, she pulled out her phone. Her thumb hovered over the screen, indecision flickering across her face.

"Where do I go now?"

Returning to Denis's place wasn't an option. That Chapter was closed—sealed shut with betrayal and disappointment. At the same time, she didn't want to go to her house.

Ever since she had moved into Denis's house three years ago, she had avoided going to her childhood house. Going back meant facing her foster mother's sharp tongue and her stepsister's smug glances. She didn't want to be in the same toxic environment she had once escaped.

After much deliberation, she dialed her friend. The line barely rang twice before a familiar, cheerful voice chimed through.

"Hello?"

Anne swallowed the lump in her throat. "Audrey... can I stay with you tonight?"

"Of course, darling! You're always welcome here," Audrey replied. "Come here and we'll have fun tonight."

"I'll be right there." Ending the call, Anne hailed a taxi to her friend's place.

It didn't take long to reach Audrey's apartment.

"Anne!" Audrey's face lit up the moment she opened the door. She pulled Anne into a warm embrace. "It has been over a year since you stayed with me. How did this miracle happen? Did Denis actually give you permission?"

Anne's smile waned, her posture stiffening. She pulled back, drawing a deep sigh. "I broke up with him," she said quietly, sinking onto the sofa.

Audrey froze in place, the words hanging in the air like a thunderclap. "You what?" She hurried over, plopping down beside Anne and crossing her legs under her. Hugging a cushion to her chest, she stared at her friend with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"You broke up with Denis! How did this happen?"

Memories flashed in Audrey's mind—school days when Anne had been nothing more than a shy girl trailing behind Denis like a lovesick puppy. Back then, he hadn't even spared her a glance.

"You loved him for years," Audrey said in confusion. "I still remember how you used to follow him around in school, no matter how cold he was to you. And when you finally became his girlfriend, I thought that was it. You would marry him. But this...What happened?"

She couldn't believe that Anne had ended her relationship with Denis. "Didn't you always say you'd never leave him and that you'd be forever grateful to him for helping you back then?"