From a Wrong Turn to Mr. Right novel Chapter 27

He was terrified—afraid he’d lose his mind, afraid he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from killing that man.

But more than that, he was scared. Scared that the investigation would force him to remember everything Olivia Bennett had suffered.

The woman he’d cherished, the one he’d tried so hard to protect, had been hurt by another man while he’d been helpless.

“I was just so scared back then,” Lavinia Bennett choked out, her shoulders shaking as tears streamed down her cheeks and soaked Daniel’s robe. “You and Olivia have been together for so long, I was afraid I couldn’t compete. I was just… so scared.”

Daniel Gill’s jaw clenched, fury blazing in his eyes, so fierce it nearly blinded him to reason.

His knuckles whitened, fingers twitching with the urge to grab her by the throat. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting the impulse to just shove her away. Instead, he settled for resting his hand gently on her back, rubbing soothing circles.

“It’s over,” he said flatly, his voice giving nothing away. “Let’s not bring it up anymore. I was with her because I didn’t want to let her down. She helped me—really helped me. I always saw her as Olivia, never wanted to hurt her.”

Lavinia burrowed closer into his chest, nodding frantically. “I know, I know it’s my fault. This whole month, I haven’t eaten, haven’t slept—I just want her to forgive me.”

She clung to him, sobbing uncontrollably. “She’s my Olivia too. Let’s make it up to her, okay?”

“Okay,” Daniel replied, expression blank, patting her shoulder. “Stop crying. You’ll hurt your eyes.”

He forced himself to comfort Lavinia until she calmed down, then guided her gently to the guest room next door.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Lavinia wiped away the last of her tears, her face wiped clean of any guilt.

She’d worked so hard to finally pull off her scheme, to spike Olivia’s drink and ruin her innocence.

Why would she feel guilty? She was still buzzing with triumph.

Sitting on the bed, legs crossed, she leafed through a magazine with a smug smile, eyes glinting with satisfaction.

Ethan gazed down at her, his dark eyes softening with affection. For the first time in a long while, he felt truly at home.

Marrying her hadn’t been about passion, not really. It was more about a sense of duty, a feeling that it was the right thing to do.

He’d never been obsessed with the idea of marriage. But once he’d tied the knot, he was all in—no half-measures.

Now, with the marriage certificate signed, he’d been learning to live with her, to treat her like a real partner and not just someone sharing his space.

He’d thought he’d resist it, that it would feel forced—but it didn’t. In fact, it felt natural, like this was how it was meant to be.

Maybe this was what marriage was supposed to feel like.

He glanced down at Olivia’s sleeping face, and for a moment, he was quietly amazed.