Ravaged by my brother-in-law

09

~Sandra~

Thirty minutes later, I stood in front of the door of the luxury high-rise apartment I shared with Liam.

I stared at the polished wood door for a long moment, taking deep breaths. I smoothed down the simple modest dress Ryan helped me buy to replace the lingerie he had torn off me last night.

I then checked my reflection in the glass panel, and forced my facial expressions into something calm and submissive. I was stepping back into the cage… just like we had planned.

I unlocked the door and pushed it open.

The moment I stepped into the grand living room, Liam was there. He was dressed in a crisp white shirt, looking handsome and polished, completely unbothered by his secret life.

“Sandra!” Liam called out, walking over to me immediately. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me into a very tight hug.

But my entire body went instantly went rigid against him, because being touched by him now only made my skin crawl.

The smell of his expensive cologne, the same cologne I had smelled on him just before he left me to make another woman moan his name—It made me want to throw up.

“I was so worried about you, baby,” Liam whispered into my hair, while holding me tight. He pulled back and looked at my face. “I’m so sorry about last night. Work was a complete nightmare, and I hate that I missed our anniversary. You know how crazy things are at the company right now.”

“It’s fine, Liam,” I said quietly, but my voice accidentally came out flatter and colder than I intended.. and unfortunately, he seemed to notice.

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly, then he reached down to the console table beside the entrance and picked up a massive bouquet of long-stemmed red roses.

“Here,” Liam said, smiling as he thrust the flowers into my hands. “I bought these for you last night. It’s just a small peace offering, and I know I haven't been the most attentive husband lately, but I promise I’m going to make it up to you.”

I stared at the red roses. They looked like blood against my hands. Two years ago, I would have cried tears of joy seeing him bring me flowers, but today, I knew the truth.

They were nothing more than a cheap ass cover-up for his guilt.

“Thank you,” I mumbled, my tone dripping with passive ice.

Liam stopped smiling at that and his light grey eyes searched my face suspiciously. “Sandra? What is wrong with you? Did something happen?”

“No, nothing is wrong,” I said quickly.

“Don’t lie to me. You’re acting strange,” Liam said, his voice dropping into that quiet, controlling edge he always used when he was annoyed. “You’re acting cold. I just brought you flowers and apologized, and you’re standing there looking at me like I’m a stranger. Is this about last night? Are you throwing a tantrum because I had to work and make money for both of us?”

I almost snorted at his blatant lie but I caught myself instantly. Remember the golden rule. Play the part.

I quickly forced a wide, sweet, timid smile on my lips, then I reached out and touched Liam’s arm, making my eyes look soft and apologetic.

“Oh, Liam, no! Of course not!” I said, making my voice sound high and gentle. “I’m not angry at all. I know how hard you work for us. I’m just… I’m really tired. I hardly slept at Kitty’s house, and my head is pounding. I’m so sorry if I sounded cold. I love the flowers. They’re beautiful.”

Liam’s posture relaxed and the suspicion vanished from his eyes, replaced by his usual arrogant satisfaction.

“That’s my good girl,” Liam said, patting my cheek condescendingly. “Why don’t you put those in a vase? I have a few emails to check before we make breakfast.”

“Okay,” I said softly.

The moment Liam turned his back and walked toward his home office, my sweet smile instantly disappeared and my expression turned to pure hatred.

I walked into the kitchen, opened the cabinet under the sink, and dumped the entire bouquet of red roses straight into the hidden trash bin, before slamming the cabinet door shut.

Because f**k that! f**k his lies and f**k his stupid apologies!

But then suddenly, Clack! Clack! Clack!

A sharp, loud knock echoed from the front door.

I froze in the kitchen, my heart jumping out of no where as I looked toward the hallway. Who could be knocking at this hour of the morning?

Or was my anxiety just setting me on edge for no reason?

Liam came walking out of his office, frowning.

“Who is that?” he muttered, heading toward the foyer.

I slowly wiped my hands on a towel and followed him, with a weird mix of dread and burning curiosity.

And when Liam finally pulled the front door open. I literally couldn’t believe my eyes.