Craving My Husband’s Brother

The sound of applause filled the room as I cut my way through the crowd of my colleagues. “Congratulations once again, Mrs. Sinclair. You really earned this,” my boss said, giving me a firm, supportive nod. Hearing that name always made my chest tighten. Life had given me a second chance after moving across countries with my stepmother and her daughter Audrey to start over. It was the only way to survive after the tragedy that took the only two people I had left—my dad and my little brother. I shook a few hands and accepted some hugs, even though I could feel the jealousy hiding behind half of those fake smiles. But I didn't care. After two years of working my ass off, I had finally made it to the top—from scrubbing coffee shop counters to becoming a lead designer in one of the top firms in the city.. After saying thank you for the thousandth time, I finally escaped back to my office. Aria and Sloane were already waiting. “Girl, I am so freaking proud of you!” Aria yelled. She rushed over to hug me. Sloane immediately jumped in to make it a group hug. These two had always had my back since day one. “Thank you so much,” I said, grinning from ear to ear “We are celebrating tonight,” Aria declared, pulling back with a wild look in her eye. “Girls' night out. No excuses.” “I don't know, Aria. Isn’t that a bit much? I mean” “Are you crazy? You just got promoted,” Sloane cut me off, pointing a finger at me. “You are literally one step away from the executive board, babe!” “Exactly, Sloane is right,” Aria agreed, leaning over my desk. “You did in two years what takes most people a decade. It’s rave night at Sky High tonight, and we are going.” I knew these two wouldn't give up easily. They were always trying to force me out of my shell. “I’ll pass this time,” I said, offering a soft smile. “I’d rather go break the news to my husband and spend the night in with him.” “Aww... well, we’re gonna party hard enough for all three of us while you’re busy playing housewife,” Aria teased with a playful pout. My throat tightened the second the words left my mouth, and I had to swallow hard. Nathaniel and I definitely didn't have the perfect marriage. My stepmother had basically forced me into the Hawthorn family, claiming their status could protect me from whatever dangerous mess my father got himself into before he died. But let's be real she did it entirely for her own bank account. Still, at the start, I really wanted it to work. I devoted myself to Nathaniel, constantly hoping I could fix his reckless lifestyle, the constant partying, the overspending, the heavy drinking, and the fact that he barely even looked at me. But I still wanted to try. Tonight was going to be our turning point. I hope so. “Thanks, guys. Have fun,” I said, blowing them a kiss as they finally headed out. A second later, Aria popped her head back in and dropped a glossy card on my desk. “A ticket for tonight’s rave. You know, just in case you change your mind,” she said with a wink, disappearing before I could even reply. I looked at the card and shook my head.I wondered why she thought I would change my mind. I wanted tonight to be special, and I wanted to celebrate this milestone with my husband. So I’m definitely not changing my mind. I stayed late until 7:00 PM, my only focus being Nathaniel. I figured he’d be happy. The cab dropped me off right in front of the Hawthorn mansion, which completely towered over the rest of the neighborhood. Walking inside, my heart started pounding against my ribs. Nathaniel should definitely be home by now since his Fridays were usually wide open. But when I stepped into the foyer, the house was completely dead. Usually, he’d be blasting loud rock music that drove me crazy while I tried to work. I dropped my bag on the couch and looked around. “Babe!” I called out. I walked down to the kitchen, but he wasn’t there either. ‘He’s probably upstairs,’ I thought to myself. Then, I had this sudden, giddy image of him waiting upstairs with a giant bouquet of flowers. He used to buy me little gifts when we first got married, though he stopped doing it out of nowhere. A wave of excitement hit me. I hurried over to the staircase and practically hopped up the steps like I’d just won the lottery. I mean, a major promotion counts as a win, right? I reached the hallway leading to our room. “Nat, are you in there?” I called out again. When I got within a couple of doors to our bedroom, the muffled bass of music vibrating through the wood caught my attention. Confusion hit me, and the energy in the house suddenly felt weird.M. My chest tightened up, and a cold knot formed in my stomach. I paused for a split second before touching the handle. I slowly pressed my hand against the doorknob and turned it quietly. I pushed the door open with just a crack. “Babe...?” I whispered. I didn’t even know why I was whispering, but the sight through the crack of the door completely froze me in my tracks and shattered my world into a million pieces. There, tangled in our matrimonial sheets, was my husband. And pinned right underneath him was my stepsister, Audrey. Naked.