Oops! I Married My Dangerous Stepbrother

7. Emergency Meeting

The rest of the honeymoon went by without any incident, so I tried to push my fear to the back of my mind and enjoy myself. And then, soon, we were on our way home.

"Home sweet home," Axel says.

"Finally," I murmur, trying to match his lightness. But when I look at the house in front of me, I don't recognize it.

"This is our house?" I ask.

Axel looks at me with amusement. "Are you still keeping up with your 'where am I' game? Of course, this is our house. We picked it out together.

I guess that makes sense since I am with Axel and got married to him. Why would I still be living with Mom after marriage?

"Sorry, just... tired." A lie.

"Let's get inside." He unlocks the door and I go inside the unfamiliar home.

"Let's just go to bed," he suggests. "We can unpack later."

"Okay," I say. "Where is the bedroom again?"

Axel laughs. "Stop messing around." He shakes his head and starts walking. I follow him, hoping that's where he is going.

Luckily, he did go into the bedroom, so now I know where it is. I can't believe I have to do a house tour in my own home.

He hugs me and holds me close.

"What's wrong? Are you not happy to be home?" He nipped my ear, a spark of possessiveness in his touch.

"Of course I am." I turn in his arms, looping mine around his neck. "It's just—during our honeymoon, it was easy to pretend we were different people. Now reality's sinking in."

His eyebrow quirks up. "Having second thoughts?"

"No...it's not that." I rise up to my tiptoes and kiss him, deep and slow. Despite my growing suspicion of him, it feels good to kiss him.

He responds instantly, dropping the bags to pull me close to him.

When we break apart, breaths coming fast, a strange look flickers through his eyes. Recognition? Confusion? But in a blink, it vanishes, and he grins. "Good. Now, how about we continue our honeymoon here?"

My heart falters as he sweeps me into his arms. Yes, this is familiar—the passion, the heat, the way he made me feel.

But it is also new. This life, this chance, is a gift. It's also a chance for me to find out the truth.

Axel crushes his mouth to mine, all traces of restraint vanishing. I gasp into the kiss, my heart kicking into overdrive as he hauls me against him. His hands roam my body, leaving trails of fire in their wake.

When he finally lifts his head, we are both breathing hard. "You are so f*****g sexy, Chloe."

I trail my fingers down his chest again, watching his eyes darken. "You are not bad yourself, Jensen."

Another dangerous smile. "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

My heart pounds at the challenge and the possibilities. The rest of his life? That doesn't sound like something a killer would say.

Sliding my hands into his hair, I pull him down for another scorching kiss. He growls low in his throat, walking me backward until I hit the wall. Caging me in, he deepens the kiss until my knees go weak.

I bring my hand to the front and slide my hand under his shirt, touching his chest. My fingers touch some cold and metallic. A necklace.

I gasp and break the kiss as I remember what necklace it is. The silver wolf necklace he never takes off. The last thing I saw when I was murdered.

Axel studies me with a frown. "What is it?"

I shake my head. "Nothing. Just...déjà vu."

His frown deepens. I can see the wheels turning in his mind, questions forming that I am not ready to answer.

I sidestep to get out of his embrace. "I should start unpacking."

Axel stares at me intently. "Do you want help? I can—"

"No, you relax. Jet lag and all that." I head for the suitcase before he can protest. My heart pounds against my chest as I fling it open on the bed.

"Chloe, talk to me." His voice holds a hint of desperation. "Ever since we got back, you've been acting strange. If there's something wrong, or if I did something to upset you—"

"You didn't do anything wrong." I turn to face him with what I hope is a reassuring smile. "I guess I'm just overwhelmed. The trip, the wedding, everything that's changed..." I trail off, hoping he'd buy the excuse.

Axel studies me for a long moment. "You're sure that's all?"

I hold his gaze, willing him to drop it. If he keeps pushing, he might force a confession I am not ready to make. "Positive. Now stop worrying so much." I stand on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.

"If you're sure..." He still sounds doubtful, but let it go. With a sigh, he heads for the stairs. I listen until his footsteps fade, then sink onto the edge of the bed.

The necklace...it can't just be a coincidence that my murderer was wearing the same one as Axel. It's not like that necklace has a common design. So it had to be Axel who attacked me that night.

Oh, god. What do I do? I can't just pretend that memory doesn't exist and keep living a happy life with Axel! The memory of that night will haunt me forever, and I wish this reincarnation or rebirth or whatever didn't keep my past memories intact.

I need to figure all this out soon and I can't do it alone. I will ask Cassie for help, I decide by myself.

~-~

The next day, I sit in my room alone as Axel goes to work. The silence in my room is deafening, every beat of my heart is a thunderous echo against the walls. I don't know why I am so nervous.

"Focus, Chloe," I whisper to myself, but it's hard when your own head is a battlefield between what was and what is. I stand up, restless energy pulsing through my veins, and start pacing, my feet tracing a worn path on the carpet.

"Okay, think! How do I explain this to Cassie without her sending me to a mental hospital?" My voice sounds foreign, even to my own ears—laced with an urgency I can't suppress.

I pause by my window. "Reincarnation isn't supposed to be like this," I mutter, more to the universe than to myself. "It's not just about coming back—it's about why. And for me, it's to solve my own murder."

I need to get a grip and call Cassie already.

"Alright, Chloe," I say, stopping mid-pace. "First things first. You need to talk to Cassie. She'll think you've lost it, but she's your best shot at making sense of all this."

With a deep breath, I grab my phone and punch in her number.

"Chloe! I am so glad you called. I can't wait to hear all about your honeymoon," Cassie's cheerful voice graces my ear.

"I need you to come over. It's an emergency," I say urgently.

"Everything okay?" she asks.

"Just get here soon and we will talk about it," I say.

Cassie agrees, so I hang up the phone and go downstairs. There are only a few hours left before Axel comes home, so I need to make sure I have enough time to tell her everything.