My Husband Slept with His Brother's Wife and Called It Love

Chapter 5 Chose Not to Marry

In the study, my mother-in-law sat stiffly in a carved mahogany chair, her expression serious.

"Hannah, I know you have issues with Kylie."

I said nothing.

"But since you married Louis, you're part of the Wood family now. You need to think about the bigger picture."

"The bigger picture?" I couldn't hold back anymore. "What bigger picture? You mean I'm supposed to tolerate my husband being way too close with his sister-in-law and just call it normal?"

She frowned, her tone turning sharp. "What do you mean ‘too close'? They grew up together. Their bond is stronger than most siblings. If Kylie hadn't insisted on going abroad back then, do you really think you would've married into the Wood family? Louis has always had feelings for her. Everyone in this family knows it. You chose to marry him, so you should accept it. The Wood family doesn't owe you anything. Everything you eat, wear, use, who do you think pays for it? You should learn to be grateful."

I honestly couldn't believe what I was hearing.

To them, everything I had was just charity from the Wood family.

I was supposed to be thankful, supposed to ignore Kylie's existence, maybe even grateful that she "chose not to marry" back then.

I said, my voice shaking with anger, "I didn't marry Louis for your family's money. We have our own company. I'm a shareholder. Every dollar I spend is money I earned myself. And if you remember correctly, you were the ones who came to my family first."

She choked on that, her face turning even darker.

"So what if we did? The fact that we chose you is your blessing! Hannah, let me tell you something. Kylie's had a hard life. She lost her parents young. We raised her. She can't handle any kind of hurt. If you ever treat her like you did last night again, don't blame me for not recognizing you as my daughter-in-law."

A tight pain spread through my chest. I could barely breathe.

So this was it. In this family, I was the outsider.

No matter what I did, it would never outweigh one tear from Kylie.

I walked out of the study. In the living room, Louis and Kylie were sitting side by side on the couch, watching TV.

Her head rested naturally on his shoulder.

And Mark sat across from them, smiling as he handed them fruit.

What a perfect, harmonious picture.

What a joke.

I didn't want to stay there another second. I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.

"Hannah, where are you going?" Louis called out.

"Home."

"I'll drive you," he said, starting to get up.

Kylie grabbed his arm. "Louis, I'm scared. Can you stay and talk to me for a bit?"

Louis sat back down immediately. No hesitation at all.

He waved at me like I was some kid throwing a tantrum. "Just go by yourself. Be careful on the way."

I stood there in the entryway, watching him gently comfort her, and felt my heart go cold, inch by inch.

When I got back to the empty house, I finally broke down.

I had thought that after all these years, I could earn his love.

I was wrong. If someone doesn't love you, you could hand them your heart and they'd still complain it's messy.

After crying until I had nothing left, I wiped my tears and made a call.

A man’s voice came through the line—low, edged with the lazy huskiness of someone just woken up, yet somehow making my ears tingle. "Shane?"

I tightened my grip on the phone, my voice still thick with tears.

"Hannah… what you said before—does it still stand?"