After He Tricked Me Blind, I Slept His Bro

Chapter 2

I wiped the lingering tears from the corners of my eyes and settled back into bed.

Ethan finished his phone call and stepped into the room. "Scarlett, you should get some sleep now."

He lay down on the far side of the bed just as he always did, carefully maintaining that deliberate distance between us.

I remained silent, inching my body closer until I pressed firmly against his back.

"Darling," I murmured softly.

"What is it?" His voice carried a noticeable tension.

"Nothing. I am just feeling a little chilly."

I draped my hand over his waist.

Ethan's muscles tensed immediately beneath my touch. He did not push me away, nor did he offer any response.

One minute stretched into ten. Ethan stayed completely motionless, as though battling fiercely to maintain control over himself.

In the enveloping darkness, I smiled without a sound. Adrian had claimed Ethan held no interest in women, yet the rigid strain in his breathing betrayed him completely.

Ethan's breaths eventually grew steady and even.

I opened my eyes and fixed my gaze on the ceiling, sleep eluding me entirely. Unbidden memories flooded my mind in vivid flashes.

It was from a year earlier, on our wedding day.

Adrian stood at the opposite end of the red carpet in his tailored black suit, looking every bit the dashing groom.

Sunlight cascaded over him, illuminating his figure with an almost ethereal glow.

The priest asked, "Mr. Smith, do you take this woman to be your wife? To have and to hold her through poverty and wealth, sickness and health, forsaking all others until death parts you?"

He gazed at me with eyes overflowing with affection and declared loudly, "Yes, I do."

In that moment, his entire world seemed to contain only me. Yet merely a year later, all those solemn vows had dissolved into nothing. Silent tears traced paths down my cheeks.

Beside me, Ethan suddenly turned over, his arm instinctively drawing me closer in a protective embrace.

I stiffened briefly but chose not to pull away.

'Adrian,' I repeated his name silently in my heart. The man I had loved devotedly for five long years. From this day forward, I would love you no more.

That night, I held Ethan close as I slept. I could sense how rigidly tense he remained throughout the long hours.

The following morning, Ethan had already left by the time I awoke. Adrian stood beside the bed instead.

"Awake? Get yourself ready. You are coming with me to my grandmother's birthday celebration."

I stretched languidly. "Darling, you kept me pressed against you all night, and now my waist aches terribly."

Adrian's smile froze in place. His expression darkened to an alarming degree.

On the drive to his grandmother's house, Adrian stayed utterly silent, his face clouded with storm clouds and edged with frost.

Upon entering the hall, he still managed to feign affection by taking my hand. "Grandma, may you enjoy many more years of good health."

Adrian's grandmother, Margaret Smith, greeted me warmly and engaged me in heartfelt conversation about family life.

The banquet hall buzzed with a sea of guests. Among them, I spotted not only Ethan, the man whose arms had held me through the night, but also Mia Deleon, the woman who now captured Adrian's deepest affections.

Mia's eyes fixed on me with bold challenge, her face dripping with contempt and scorn.

I acted as though I noticed nothing and brushed her off entirely.

Midway through the event, as I emerged from the restroom, Mia approached me head-on.

The instant we passed each other, she dumped the entire glass of red wine over my head. "Oh, sorry, my hand just slipped."

I remained composed, grabbed the mop near the entrance, and swung it forcefully across her face.

Mia shrieked, "Scarlett, what the hell are you doing?"

I pretended to realize my mistake only then and offered an apology. "Oh no, I am truly sorry. Since I cannot see, I was simply using the mop as a walking aid. Did I hit you? I feel awful about it."

Covered in stains and filth, Mia raised her hand in rage. I lifted the mop once more and struck her face again.

"Stop!" Two voices called out simultaneously from behind.

Adrian and Ethan strode forward with urgent steps.

Mia burst into heartbroken sobs and flung herself into Adrian's embrace. "Adrian, your wife attacked me with a mop! You have to make this right for me!"

"Scarlett, apologize right now!" Adrian's voice sliced through the air like ice.