Claimed by My Ex's Half-Brother-Chapter 199 What exactly happened here?

Author’s POV

Marcia Cross continued to sob, hurling insults at both Damien and Victoria. Meanwhile, Ethan’s gaze remained fixed on the two figures walking away, unable to look elsewhere.

He had witnessed it all—those intertwined hands that seemed inseparable. Were they officially together now?

Countless times, Ethan had wondered if things would be different had he not married Scarlett. Perhaps he and Victoria would be married by now. Maybe she would even be carrying his child. Their life together would have been as sweet as honey.

But reality was cruel. Victoria belonged to someone else, while he was reduced to this pitiful state—not quite human, not quite wolf. He was useless, and even his only child was gone.

How had it come to this? Ethan couldn’t understand how everything had fallen apart so completely.

"What exactly happened here?" Lawrence Sterling’s question finally pulled Ethan from his thoughts.

"It was Scarlett," Ethan explained, his voice hollow. "She pushed Mona down the stairs. The doctors couldn’t save the baby."

Before he could elaborate further, Marcia erupted into another fit of rage. "Scarlett! That wretched bitch! I’ll find her myself and make her pay for taking my grandchild away from me!"

Without hesitation, Marcia stormed off to the Sutton residence, dragging Ethan along. Scarlett, aware she had crossed a line, had been hiding at home, too afraid to face the consequences. The Sutton family remained oblivious to what had happened until Marcia appeared at their doorstep, screaming accusations.

But the Suttons were not people to be trifled with. They had provided considerable support to Ethan over the years. In fact, it was only because of their backing that Marcia had managed to marry Lawrence Sterling after being his mistress for so long.

It was also common knowledge that Ethan had cheated on Scarlett first, betraying her trust. The Sutton family had harbored resentment toward both Marcia and Ethan for some time, and now these two had the audacity to show up and make demands.

Mr. Sutton defended his daughter fiercely. "That bastard child deserved to die! What good could come from the son of a homewrecker? It’s gone now, so get the hell out of my house!"

Both Marcia and Ethan bristled at the words "mistress" and "bastard"—terms that had always cut deep into their souls.

"How dare you! I’ll tear that filthy mouth of yours apart!" Marcia lost all restraint and lunged at Mr. Sutton, clawing at his face.

"You crazy shrew! Someone get her out of here!" Mr. Sutton roared, barely containing his urge to strike back at a woman.

Then he pointed at Ethan, his voice dripping with venom. "You useless waste of space! If I had known then what I know now, I would have died before letting my daughter marry you. You ruined my Scarlett, and now you have the nerve to come here demanding justice for a bastard child?"

"You miserable old wolf!" Marcia snarled back. "Your daughter killed my only grandchild, and you stand there without offering any explanation? If you don’t make this right, I’ll ensure your daughter never bears a child in her life!"

"You threaten my daughter?" Mr. Sutton’s eyes flashed dangerously with his wolf’s anger. "If you dare touch a hair on her head, I’ll make you regret it until your dying day! Even if it costs me my life, I’ll destroy your family. Now GET OUT!"

The two families continued their heated exchange, with Marcia demanding retribution while the Suttons tried to force her out.

Marcia stubbornly planted herself in their living room, refusing to budge, the epitome of shamelessness.

Mr. Sutton resumed his tirade: "This is exactly what happens when you let country trash into your pack! I don’t know how you managed to seduce Lawrence Sterling, but it’s no wonder you raised such a worthless son. Disgusting, absolutely disgusting!"

"You’re the one without class! My son was raised properly! It’s your daughter who’s trash—hanging off different men right after her divorce. Who knows how many times she cheated on my son before they split!"

As their verbal battle escalated, Scarlett, unable to bear listening from upstairs any longer, descended to join the fray. "Shut your mouth, you old hag!" she shouted at Marcia.

Upon seeing Scarlett, Marcia’s eyes widened with fury, her wolf’s rage barely contained beneath her human skin. The confrontation intensified, with neither family sparing a thought for Mona, who lay recovering in the hospital.

Back at the hospital, only Mona and Lawrence remained.

Lawrence made his way upstairs to the private room where Mona was staying. When he opened the door, he found her looking incredibly frail, her face ashen.

Upon seeing him, she weakly called out, "Dad..." Her eyes immediately welled with tears, as though she’d suffered the greatest injustice imaginable.

"Dad, I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry..." she repeated.

Lawrence felt a twinge of sympathy. He approached her bedside as Mona continued apologizing profusely for letting down the Sterling family.

Then Mona began her manipulation, asking in a small voice, "Dad, will you hold me, please?"

Under normal circumstances, this would have been inappropriate, but seeing Mona in such distress, Lawrence couldn’t refuse. He embraced her, and Mona cried even harder against his chest.

"I’m sorry, Dad. It’s all my fault. I couldn’t protect the baby."

"It’s alright," Lawrence consoled her. "There will be other children."

"No, there won’t be," Mona sobbed more intensely. "There won’t be any more children."

But in the space hidden from Lawrence’s view, a small smile curved Mona’s lips.

A truly skilled manipulator doesn’t need to keep the leash tight—they release it knowing the dog will panic and bring it back, begging to be leashed again. This was Mona’s strategy. By controlling Lawrence, she could push Marcia out and claim the Sterling pack’s wealth for herself.

Clearly, Lawrence had developed feelings for her. He couldn’t bear to see her suffering and was now holding and comforting her—a promising start.

Mona was pleased. She clung to Lawrence, unwilling to let go. "I’m so scared, Dad," she whispered, the word "Dad" carrying a deeply intimate undertone rather than the respectful address it should have been.

"Don’t be afraid," Lawrence murmured, patting her back soothingly.

To make her act more convincing, Mona trembled noticeably, savoring Lawrence’s embrace. He truly was a mature, charismatic man. Although Mona’s initial plan was to manipulate Lawrence, in that moment, she found herself genuinely attracted to him. Apart from his age, he had no flaws—he was even more gentle than Ethan.

A young nurse, assuming the room was empty, pushed open the door. "Miss Mona, your—" She froze at the sight before her, stammered an apology, and quickly retreated.

Mona startled, then cried, "Dad, did she see us? Will she figure out our relationship?"

"She won’t," Lawrence assured her.

Clutching Lawrence’s shirt tightly, Mona suddenly hooked her arms around his neck and kissed him. Lawrence didn’t pull away, allowing the kiss to deepen until they were lost in each other’s embrace.

Meanwhile, Marcia and Ethan, busy with their confrontation at the Sutton residence, remained completely unaware of what was transpiring between Lawrence and Mona—at least for now.

---

Victoria and Damien returned home together. When Damien mentioned taking a shower, Victoria promptly objected, "Didn’t you hear what the doctor said? You can’t get water on your wound right now."

"But it’s so hot today. I can’t just not shower," Damien replied with a mischievous smile curving his lips. "Unless you want to help me wash?"

Though Victoria had shared showers with Damien before, those had always been after their intimate moments. They had never just showered together for the sake of cleanliness.

"In your dreams!" Victoria scoffed.

"Then I’ll have to shower by myself. I can’t sleep if I don’t wash up." Damien remained adamant.

Victoria sighed. "Fine, go ahead. I’m not responsible for what happens."

Damien nodded and headed for the bathroom.

Despite her dismissive words, Victoria couldn’t help but worry. "Be careful with your arm! Don’t let the wound get wet," she called after him. "If necessary, wrap some plastic film around your arm, or just wipe yourself down with a towel. You don’t need to be so meticulous—I wouldn’t find you repulsive even if you skipped a shower, you know."