Craving The Wrong Twin

Chapter Five

NATHAN

Returning to a family that abandoned you years ago for their ‘perfect son’ is like returning to a place where they made it clear that they didn't want you.

I was living well in Seattle. Living the bachelor life without any worries. But then my therapist had to pass away. Though that isn't the main reason that brought me back here, it served as a push.

My main reason is to find out the bastard who murdered my baby sister in cold blood, and getting my woman back.

“This is all I could find,” Adrian says, pushing the file toward me. We’re currently in his home office, cluttered with papers, case files, and the faint smell of coffee that’s been sitting too long.

I flip the file open, my eyes scanning every line, every note, every scrap of evidence about my sister’s murder. Photos, witness statements, police reports. But nothing solid. Nothing that points me directly to the bastard who ended her life.

“She was always careful,” I mutter under my breath, almost to myself. My fingers drum against the table, frustration coiling in my chest. “This isn’t enough. Not even close.”

The reports speak of an accident but I know it's a lie. Melly was way too careful to be involved in a silly kitchen accident that took her life.

Adrian clears his throat. “I know, Nathan. But we’re working with what we’ve got. It’s messy, and there are too many variables. People forget things, lie. Evidence gets lost.”

I close the file with a sharp snap, the sound echoing through the room. “I don’t care how messy it is. I don’t care if it’s buried under a mountain of mistakes. I will find him.”

Adrian shifts uncomfortably in his chair. “You’re… not making this easy on yourself.”

I glance at him, my green eyes dark and hard. “Easy isn’t the point. Justice isn’t easy. And neither is revenge.”

For a moment, silence fills the room, broken only by the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. My mind drifts, as it always does, to her, my woman. The one I’ve carried in my heart for five long years. The one I won. Or at least, the one I thought I had.

Seattle feels like a lifetime ago, a place where I could forget everything for a while. But here… here, every street, every corner, every family member, is a reminder of the life I never wanted but was forced to return to.

I lean back in my chair, eyes narrowing. “I’ll get her back,” I murmur. “And I’ll get her to remember who I am. Who I’ve always been for her.”

Adrian exhales, muttering something about obsession. I don’t hear it. Because in that moment, nothing else matters. Not the family that abandoned me. Not the dead ends. Not even the chaos that follows me wherever I go.

All that matters is the plan. The hunt. The retrieval.

The night with her replays in my head and a smile graces my lips.

“I'll see if I can get more information about Melly's death,” Adrian said, retrieving the folder.

I nod my head, my mind fixed on my little vixen. As beautiful as I always remembered her to be.

~~~

I step out of my shower, slowly drying my hair. The rain is falling heavily outside but the storm brewing inside me is more fierce.

I try to imagine Duncan kissing her, touching her and making her feel all the things I make her feel. Just thinking of it leaves me with rage.

She is supposed to be mine. She should have been my fiancee if our parents didn't value their perfect son and cast me to the side like used trash.

The storm outside crashes against the windows, a wild symphony of thunder and rain. I drag a hand through my damp hair, trying to shake the image from my head. Duncan’s hands on her skin, his lips where mine had been.

The thought makes my pulse spike. He doesn’t deserve her. He never did. She was supposed to be mine.

I’m halfway through that bitter thought when the door bursts open.

Nora steps inside, clutching something close to her chest, eyes wide when she realizes I’m fresh from the shower. Her lips part, as if she’s about to say something, but the words get lost somewhere between her throat and the sound of rain.

I don’t move. I just watch her.

Her gaze flicks over me for half a second too long before she drops it, color rising in her cheeks. “I…I’m sorry,” she stammers. “I didn’t know you were…I just came to say dinner’s ready.”

I tilt my head, my voice coming out rougher than I intend. “Do you usually walk into men’s rooms without knocking?”

She blinks, flustered. “I didn’t mean to…”

“Stop.” I take a slow step toward her. “You didn’t come here for dinner, Nora.”

Her throat works as she swallows. “That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?” I close the space between us until I can see her pulse flutter at her neck. “Because the way you’re looking at me right now says otherwise.”

“I’m married,” she says, but the words sound weaker than she probably meant them to.

I give a small, humorless laugh. “I remember.” My eyes darken. “But tell me…does he make you feel what I made you feel?”

Her lips part, but no sound comes out. I can see her fighting herself, every muscle tense, her hands trembling slightly as she grips the doorknob behind her.

“I should go,” she whispers. She turns to leave, but I pull her back and pin her against the wall. “We both know you enjoyed last night."

“Nath…"

“Shhh," I place a finger on her lips and gently caress. “You want me, sister-in-law. We both know you do "

“I really should leave now."

I lean in just enough that she can feel my breath against her ear. “Go ahead. But we both know you’ll come back.”

She slips out of the room quickly, the door closing behind her with a soft click.

For a long moment, I just stand there, staring at the door, my jaw tight. Soon I'll have her crawling to me.

Soon.