Married To My Ex's Brother, Reborn Miraculously-Chapter 157: I’m already married.

"I did so much for this family, but they only hated me," Anne whispered through her sobs.

The ache in her chest deepened as she thought of the countless times she had tried to please Patricia and Lorie, but nothing had ever been enough. The only person who had ever truly seen her, who had stood by her through it all, was her father. And now he was lying unconscious, unaware of what they had done to her in his absence.

"He’ll be devastated when he finds out," she murmured, her words nearly swallowed by her grief. "I can’t keep this from him anymore. I’ve been pretending for so long... acting like we were still a family. But I don’t know how to break his heart with the truth."

Unable to contain the sorrow, Anne buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking with silent tears.

"Anne," Denis said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She quickly wiped her tears, trying to compose herself as she looked up at him.

"Don’t cry," he said. "Your father will pull through. He is strong." He reached into a small paper bag and handed her a sandwich. "Here. You need to eat something."

"Thanks," she said quietly, taking it from him.

"Eat," Denis encouraged, settling beside her and unwrapping his own sandwich. "You’ve got to keep your strength up."

Anne took a small bite, the taste barely registering. He wasn’t acting like a possessive ex, just someone offering support when she needed it most. His presence, his unexpected kindness—it didn’t feel like manipulation or pity.

Anne felt a flicker of ease.

Denis’s phone vibrated. As he pulled it from his pocket, Anne caught a glimpse of the screen—Tania. Her lips tightened slightly, but she turned her head and continued eating, feigning indifference.

Denis hesitated, his gaze lingering on her for a moment before he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Denis, where are you?" Tania’s voice was sharp, demanding. "I came to your office, but you are not here."

Denis stood up instinctively, moving a short distance from Anne. "Why are you at the office?" he asked in a hushed tone so Anne couldn’t hear him. "I told you not to show up at the office unannounced."

"Why?" she shot back. "I know you are with Anne. Don’t lie to me. Come here now, or I’ll come down there myself."

His jaw tensed. "Don’t," he warned. "I’ll come. Just wait there."

He ended the call with a curt swipe and turned toward Anne again, trying to smooth over his expression. "Uh... something urgent has come up at work. I need to head back."

Anne nodded. "You go. Thanks for staying this long."

Denis tried to smile, clearly unsettled, and turned on his heel. His steps were brisk, his shoulders stiff, and his face darkened with tension as he walked away.

~~~~~~~~~~

The meeting concluded smoothly. After the signatures were exchanged, the director extended his hand with a confident smile. "I’m certain this project will thrive under your leadership."

"We’ll do our best," Augustine replied warmly, shaking his hand with composure.

As the director exited the room, Gustave stepped closer to Augustine, his tone shifting to something more urgent and discreet. "The guard tried to contact you multiple times."

Augustine’s expression darkened. He quickly checked his phone and saw three missed calls. A chill of anxiety crept into his chest.

"What happened? Is Anne alright?" he asked worriedly.

Gustave hesitated for a beat before answering. "It’s her father. He was taken to the ICU. Madam is at the hospital, and," after a moment of pause, he added, "she is not alone."

Augustine’s eyes narrowed. "Who is with her?"

Gustave swallowed and answered carefully. "Denis. He came to the company, and from there, they left for the hospital together."

Augustine felt like something had hit his head hard. His jaw clenched. "Denis went to the company?" he repeated, disbelief flashing across his face. "Why would he do that?"

Gustave lifted his shoulders helplessly. "I don’t know. Do you want to go see her?"

Augustine was torn. His first instinct was to rush to Anne’s side, to hold her and offer her the comfort she needed. But then he remembered her recent doubts—how she had begun to suspect he was monitoring her every move. If he showed up now, it would only confirm her fears.

"No," he said finally. "She already thinks I’m watching her. If I show up, it’ll only make things worse. Just... tell the guard to keep an eye on her."

Gustave nodded. "Got it."

Augustine stepped out of the private booth, a storm of frustration and helplessness brewing behind his eyes. His long strides carried him toward the exit. But Megan suddenly appeared in his path.

"Augustine, what a pleasant surprise," she said, plastering a smile on her face. "Out for lunch?"

Before he could respond, Gustave’s phone rang. "Excuse me," he moved a few steps away, leaving Augustine with Megan alone.

"I had a meeting with a client," Augustine replied curtly, not in the mood for idle conversation.

"Oh, I see." Megan tilted her head, feigning interest. "How did it go?"

"It went fine. Now, if you’ll excuse me..." He tried to step around her, but she was quick to block him again.

"Wait." She moved a step closer to him. "I saw Denis at the office today. Though he came to see you, but turns out he was there for Anne." Her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Some employees even saw him bring flowers. And then... they left together."

She gave a casual shrug, pretending innocence, while every word was calculated, aimed to sow doubts in his mind.

"You were here all along, and your secretary walked out of the office with her ex-boss," she added with a deliberate pause.

Augustine’s expression turned stony, but he didn’t interrupt her.

Seeing she had his attention, Megan’s confidence bloomed. "You need to be careful with her," she said, lowering her voice. "She is not what she pretends to be. There is something off about her. I can sense it."

Augustine raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Interesting. You seem to know my secretary very well."

"I’m a woman." Megan smiled knowingly. "It doesn’t take much to see through another. And trust me—she is dangerous. I’m just worried about you."

Augustine’s smirk lingered, but his eyes were sharp, assessing. "Miss Megan is really worried about me?"

"Of course. We are going to get married in the future. It’s only natural I care."

The confidence in her voice and the self-assured look in her eyes almost made him laugh.

"There are plenty of women who have tried to get close to me. Some want to warm my bed, while some dream of dating me. But I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you."

Megan flinched. "What?" she gasped, her face flushing in disbelief. "Did you just call me shameless?"

"Yes," Augustine said with zero hesitation. "Unlike you, those women backed off the moment I made my disinterest clear. But you? You keep coming back, still dreaming about becoming my wife. Let me make this clear again. I won’t marry you."

He paused, then added sharply, "Because I’m already married."

With that, he walked away.