The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back
Chapter 191: We are all we have

Chapter 191: We are all we have

Mara’s gaze flicked toward Stefan again. The clatter of cutlery and muted hum of conversation around the table faded to a low, unimportant drone. She watched as her brother pushed peas across his plate, the way his shoulders hunched like he was carrying something he hadn’t figured out how to set down yet.

"I know Steve’s got something eating at him he’s too damn stubborn to talk about," Mara began, her voice cool and laced with that sisterly authority that always made the room hush. "But what’s your problem, Stefan?"

The words cut through the air like a stone thrown into still water. The conversation died. Chairs shifted. Even the soft tick of the wall clock seemed louder in the pause that followed.

All eyes landed on Stefan.

Stanley arched a brow. Stanford’s mouth quirked into a grin like he was waiting for a confession about a parking ticket or an embarrassing mishap at work. Steve didn’t even pretend to be subtle, leaning forward, his interest suddenly piqued.

Stefan’s fork paused mid-poke, and before he could weigh the words, before he could build one of those careful, measured walls he was so good at, it slipped out.

"I’m seeing someone."

For a second, no one reacted. The air stretched tight.

Mara blinked, then smiled, slow and genuine, like sunshine cracking through a cloud. "What? Really? Who is she?"

"Do we know her?" Stanford piped up immediately. "How long’s this been going on? You’ve been sneaking around behind our backs?"

Stefan looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. "We... met online," he admitted, his voice soft but firm.

Stanley’s fork clattered against his plate. Steve’s brow shot up, an incredulous smirk pulling at his mouth. "Online?" he repeated, like the word itself was a foreign language. "Okay, how long are we talking here? ’Cause this sounds like you’re about to tell us you’re moving in together after, like, two weeks."

Stefan’s eyes darted around the table, at his brothers’ wary, teasing faces and then settled on Mara. His jaw tightened, a stubborn little glint in his gaze.

"It doesn’t matter," Stefan said quietly. "I like Avaline. I love her, Steve. And I know it’s her. She’s... sweet. She’s kind. Gentle, but strong in a way most people aren’t. Brave. Just like—"

He stopped himself, but the name hung there, unspoken, thick and heavy in the air. Just like Stef.

And that was when it hit Mara.

Her breath caught, and she fell back in her chair a little, the name Aveline circling in her head like a phantom. Ava.

That was why Stefan’s surety made sense now. Why was he ready to propose to a woman he’d met online like a man chasing a ghost with a different face? Mara’s chest ached with something bittersweet. She could still remember Ava, the first girl who made Stefan’s whole face light up, the girl they thought would stay, the one they lost.

And now, Aveline.

The name alone was enough to make her feel like fate was circling back around.

Steve, Stanley, and Stanford all exchanged the universal take it easy, man, look, the kind of wary amusement only brothers could get away with. But Mara didn’t look away from Stefan. She just stared at him through him, really seeing both the man at the table and the boy he used to be.

She smiled again, smaller this time. "If you love her," she murmured, "that’s enough for me." Stefan let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. But the room didn’t quite relax. Not all the way.

Not yet. Because somewhere under the table, Steve’s leg was bouncing, and his jaw clenched just a little too hard. And Mara was still watching him, too.

"How long have you known this girl, Stefan?" Stanley asked, his voice sharp enough to slice through the leftover warmth in the room. The big brother instinct had officially kicked in, the one that made them band together like wolves when one of their own was caught up in something potentially reckless.

Stefan shifted in his seat, his discomfort plain as day. He hated being the one under the microscope, it was usually Steve drawing the heat. His jaw tightened, his fork clinked against his plate as he dropped it.

"Will you guys stop it already?" he muttered, irritation creeping into his tone. "This is my life. My relationship. Can’t I have something that doesn’t turn into a Shepherd family inquisition?"

Mara, who’d been quietly watching the whole thing like a referee in a match she hadn’t asked to officiate, reached across the table and took Stefan’s hand in hers. Her fingers gave his a gentle squeeze.

"I’m sure Stefan can make his own decisions," she said calmly, her voice carrying that steady authority only a sister could wield. "And if he thinks Aveline is the one, then that’s the end of the discussion."

But of course, it wasn’t.

Steve let out a humorless laugh, leaning back in his chair, arms crossed. "Wait — this can’t just end like this," he shot back, eyes sharp now, the easygoing grin from earlier long gone. "What if this Aveline or whatever her name is... is a gold digger? Or worse?"

"Worse?" Stanford echoed, raising a brow. "What’s worse, Steve? An undercover serial killer?"

Steve ignored him, laser-focused on Stefan. "I’m just saying," he continued, trying to cloak his concern in justification, "I need to know everything about this girl. Where she’s from, what she does, who her people are."

Stefan sat up straighter now, his own temper beginning to simmer. "Aveline doesn’t even know I’m a Shepherd," he said, voice firm. "She knows me as a doctor. That’s it. She’s not after my money. And for your information, she’s an intern at a law firm in the city, working her ass off to become a lawyer."

There was a pause, the brothers eyeing each other across the table, the air thick as tension that hummed between them.

"What law firm?" Steve asked immediately, like a bullet fired without hesitation.

That one hit Stefan square.

He opened his mouth, then shut it.

Mara’s stomach sank. She could see it written all over his face, he didn’t know.