All Chapters of A Substitute Bride For Mr. Voss: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

♤Adrian♤She still had her arms around me. To say I momentarily froze was an understatement. Hell, I had no idea what the fuck was going on."Astrid," I called quietly, my arms stiff at my sides, unsure of what to do. She sniffled and tightened her grip, holding on like I was the only thing keeping her from falling apart."One second, Voss," she muttered, voice small, almost pleading. I let her.I couldn’t push her away, not when she was like this. I couldn’t even ask why—because, well, it was none of my fucking business.But I knew. It had something to do with why her sister was here. She dodged my question earlier, right before we hit the road, and that told me all I needed to know—she didn’t want to talk about it.I had my own things I didn’t want to talk about either.Her grip loosened, and she took a step back. The loss of her warmth hit immediately, like stepping outside on a cold night.She brushed her hair out of her face, but in the darkness, I couldn’t see her expression. I

♤Adrian♤I got into my car and drove out of the compound with Freya's words echoing in my mind."Why are you back in her life? Are you planning to hurt her the second time? Maybe take her life this time?"It was confusing as hell, because I had no fucking idea what she was talking about. I was going to ask, but Astrid chose that moment to come downstairs, and I couldn’t help but wonder what had happened after our breakup that would make Freya say something like that.I was still thinking about her words when I noticed a figure outside the gate. A familiar one. Looked like they recognized me too.I slowed down, my brows furrowed. What the fuck was Nova doing here?She walked toward my car, a small, hesitant smile on her face."Hi," she said, stopping in front of the window. My frown deepened."And what are you doing here?" I asked coldly. She pursed her lips, tucking a strand of her fake hair behind her ear.Astrid was right. She’d dyed her hair blonde—I could clearly see her brown r

♡Astrid♡Once we got home, I made sure Freya had freshened up and gone to bed before I waited for Adrian in the living room.I knew he wasn't back because one of his cars wasn't in the garage, and the easier way to get him was to wait for him in the living room.I sat on the couch and tipped my head back before closing my eyes. God, I was so fucking tired.It sucks having a mother who wouldn't believe she made a poor choice of a man who abused a child under his care and was ready to do so to another a couple of years later.It totally sucks.I had a lot on my mind that I had no idea when I drifted off.Someone was touching me. Soft finger brushes across my cheeks, and they were tucking my hair behind my ear.The touch drifted down, and I tensed up immediately. Derrick.The smell of wood and body wash. It irritated me—I hated it.It went further down and down; I could feel it on my thighs. I shook my head, muttering words that weren't audible even to me.I hated when he touched me. He

♡Astrid♡After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I sauntered out to go find Adrian. If I was lucky, he would still be at home, but if not, I'd have to call him.I walked up to his door and knocked. Once. Twice. There was no response.I turned away and walked toward the gym. He’d left. A little earlier than usual.Pushing the door open, I walked into the cold space. I should burn a few calories and get off some tension before seeing Joan and Aaron.And there I paused. He was there.His body glistened with sweat as he hit the punching bag like it didn’t hurt. Every punch echoed in the room. The muscles in his back flexed with every move, and those pants?He really needed to stop wearing them. It should’ve been illegal to look that good in sweatpants.“Enjoying the view?” His voice came out raspy and in quick breaths. I quickly cleared my throat and walked farther into the room.“What are you talking about?” I asked, glancing at the treadmill. I walked toward it.He stopped hitting

♤Adrian♤Once Astrid and Joan finished whatever it was they were all about — the wedding — Astrid and I got home and went our separate ways.I walked into my bedroom, shut the door, and undressed quickly. Grabbing my laptop from the nightstand, I sat on the bed and opened it.I still had some digging to do on Derrick before meeting with him.I’d had one of my men fix a fake meeting with him to discuss “goods.”Obviously, after he disappeared from Astrid's life nine or ten years ago, he went into drug trafficking. Now, suddenly, he reappears — needing a new place to stay after being on the wanted list in California. He moves back to Brooklyn, and well… Maya lets him in.Unknown to her, she’s harboring a hard-core criminal. And not just that. He tried abusing his own daughter. There are records of him sexually abusing girls in California. Turns out he's not only a drug trafficker — he's a pedophile and a rapist.And that brings me to why I'm invested in this case.He touched Astrid.