Claimed And Marked By Her Stepbrother Mates - Chapter 500

Chapter 500: 500-He Chose Her Memories Over Me
Helanie:

Since no one was awake, it was easy for us to sneak into his bedroom. He turned on the lights, and I took a deep breath.

His room was squeaky clean and smelled like fresh roses. It was a spacious room, and he had clearly changed the furniture and everything for his wife’s arrival.

I could tell most of it was designed for Jessica’s comfort. Even that soft cloud-like sofa by the window screamed Jessica’s style.

I felt disgusted with myself. I had ruined someone else’s happiness.

But then, a part of me reminded me who her brother was, and I tried to comfort myself with the idea that maybe I was hurting him back—by taking his sister’s mate.

Blame is a powerful thing. If we try hard enough, we can ease our guilt by convincing ourselves we did nothing wrong.

But for me, the guilt always came back.

“You should get some rest,” he muttered and started fixing the soft mattress.

I was tired, but not in a rush to sleep. We needed to set some boundaries.

“There’s a perfectly good couch over there,” I pointed at the other couch facing the TV on the wall.

“No, I don’t think you should be sleeping on the couch,” he said quickly, then stared at me like he was waiting for praise.

“I meant you sleep on the couch,” I snapped, and he frowned.

“I won’t fit,” he muttered. “You know what, you sleep on the—”

Before he could finish, I grabbed a pillow and started walking toward the couch.

“No, don’t. It’ll be uncomfortable for you. Why can’t we—”

He trailed off when I turned around and narrowed my eyes at him.

“It’s a big bed. We could make a wall in between.”

He looked away the second I gave him that look.

“Don’t tell me you want to share a bed with me,” I said, just to get under his skin.

Sure enough, he turned bright red.

“No! Why would you say that? Sleep wherever you want. I’ll—sleep on the ground,” he grumbled, grabbing a blanket from his closet. He rolled it out on the floor, then grabbed his pillow and settled in.

“You can use the restroom first,” he added quietly.

The moment he mentioned the restroom, tears started to fill my eyes again.

How was I supposed to live like this?

Using his bathroom… having him around all the time…

Why the hell did Emmet do this to me?

I watched Norman take off his coat, and somehow, even that felt inappropriate now. I rushed into the bathroom to avoid any more awkward moments.

His bathroom was all white, with a small jacuzzi. I sighed and looked around some more. The girly skincare stuff must have already arrived from Jessica’s place.

Wait—when was their wedding?

The thought hit me hard.

Was it supposed to be this full moon, and they delayed it because I was being punished?

It had to be this full moon—why else would they send her stuff here so early?

She was practically everywhere in his room.

After washing my face, I came out of the bathroom still wearing the same dress. All my stuff was back at the academy, and Emmet had probably forgotten—just like he forgot about me—to bring my bags like he said he would.

“Ugh,” I groaned, kicking the ground in frustration. I looked around and sighed when I realized the room was empty.

Norman wasn’t in the room. Where did he go?

That made my heart pound. Maybe he had found out something about Emmet.

I left the room and started walking toward Emmet’s forbidden passage—his haven.

My heart was racing in my chest. What if someone saw me?

I was wearing a white knee-length dress, my hair still curled, looking like I was either coming back from a prom date or still ready for one.

And since everyone knew today was my wedding, seeing me here would definitely raise questions.

But at that moment, only one thing mattered—I had to find out what was going on. Where was Emmet?

Crossing the passage made me feel like I was headed the right way. I spotted a few warriors entering his room. I sped up, needing to know if Emmet was okay.

He had to be, or else Norman would’ve freaked out in the car.

The fact that he stayed calm and didn’t even leave the driver’s seat made me believe he already knew Emmet was safe.

Once I reached the room, I stopped. I could hear Norman talking to the warriors inside.

“He’s fine. Just drunk and passed out,” one of the warriors said to Norman. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths.

“I don’t understand. Why would he leave and get drunk at a bar?” I heard Norman say—it sounded more like he was talking to himself.

“Sir, we also found a bunch of pictures in his pockets. And a bracelet too. He had this photo on the counter, and his face was resting on it,” the warrior added.

My heart skipped a beat.

A bracelet.

“What is this bracelet?” Norman asked.

“Listen… you will not tell anyone about this. We’ll talk to Emmet first and then come up with an excuse for him.”

Typical Norman—always trying to save his brother from looking bad.

“Show me the pictures,” he added, and the warrior handed them over.

As Norman held the pictures and the bracelet in his hands, I stepped into the room.

The warriors exchanged a quick glance and then stepped back, making Norman look up from what he was holding.

His back had been facing me.

“This bracelet belongs to Azura,” I said calmly, “and I’m guessing these pictures are hers too.”

Norman turned around quickly, eyes wide, completely caught off guard.

“So it’s true, then. He got cold feet because he remembered his ex,” I laughed bitterly, my gaze drifting past Norman—

—to the bed where Emmet lay sleeping like he didn’t have a single care in the world.