Falling For My Husband's Brother

Where It All Began

Chapter 1

Shanna's POV

"You are not my type of woman. You're just too plain, freckled face—I mean, have you seen the women I've been with recently? I like my women who are highly sophisticated. You don't meet that qualification for me," Cameron, my best friend, said to me when I finally brought myself to confess how I felt about him.

My eyes blurred as the words slowly sank in. I'd thought confessing my feelings to Ben would ease my budding fear that I was going to die.

Yes, I was going to die. That was what my doctor told me after my completed series of tests and checkups. I had been struggling with lung cancer, and I had barely three months to live. I'd thought telling Cameron would make my last days quite memorable.

Each day, I struggled with the possibility that it could be my very last, and I thought perhaps I should start being audacious with what I wanted for myself.

"Am I not good enough?" I queried, adjusting my circular eyeglasses with shaky hands. He had come to see me when I bugged him that I had something of importance to tell him. His curiosity pushed him to drive down from his workplace to see me with a strawberry cake, my favorite.

"I didn't say anything like that," he paused, sighing as he slapped a hand on his temples.

"If you don't find me good enough to be your woman, why are you so kind to me? Why do you cuddle me in bed to make me fall asleep? Why do you plant kisses all over my face and _" my voice quivered.

Cameron's thick brows c****d upwards. "Don't get it all twisted. I have no interest in you at all. I did all that because you're too fragile and you're my best friend. You're too old-fashioned, and _" he snapped his eyes away from me for a second.

"When you've got the chance, I'll reveal to you my girlfriend. We should meet up this weekend, and I'll introduce you to her." Swiftly, he stepped forward to plant a chaste kiss on my cheek, but when our eyes collided, he stopped himself instantly.

"I'm sorry." With an awkward smile, he shifted backwards, and then he was gone. Cameron was gone. My breaths came in, sharp and heavy, and I dabbed my sleeves on my eyes as the tears pooled by the corner. I didn't cry over my predicament of having fewer days on Earth, and I certainly wouldn't cry over Cameron's rejection.

Reluctantly, I dragged my feet back to my desk at Inkling's company, where I have worked as a graphic designer for the past five years. Cameron had been the one who had constantly pushed me to apply as a designer. He had believed in my abilities and had constantly reminded me how much impact my talent would create in the market world.

My throat burned. This hurt more than the fact that I was going to die. "Hey Shanna, we need to talk." It was Linda, the head unit for my department, strategic designing.

Not right now, I tried to sideline her, but she grabbed my arm and yanked me to the corridor. "You told our supervisor that you were the designer of the submitted project? Are you out of your mind?" Linda gritted her teeth.

Finally! This was another aspect of my life I needed to fix before I died. Linda had been in the company before me, and she had on several attempts taken my designs as hers whenever there was a project launched because she was my superior.

"Yes, I did. Haven't I been covering your past designs for the past season? It's either you don't have my ideas on a platter of gold, or you handle your designs yourself." I faced her squarely.

Her hands dabbed into my chest until she grabbed my arm. Her long nails dug into my flesh as she stepped close to me. "You are a fool to think that our supervisor bought that. And let me warn you, if you give more believable proof to him, or to anyone else entirely, I will make sure you regret being in Inkling's company." She snapped my arm away from her, making me stagger, and my eyeglasses fall to the ground.

As she turned away, my eyeglasses cracked beneath her feet when she stepped on them. The tears which I had previously held at bay coursed down my cheeks.

What was the point?

Why was I trying to make myself happy?

I was going to die anyway, and no one would even know of my existence. What use of my talent was it when someone was taking it as theirs and my supervisor chose to protect her instead?

The rest of the day waltzed slowly by, and I found myself in the garage going for my old crooked car. I would return home, perhaps cry myself to sleep from Cameron's rejection and Linda's consuming hate to let me soar free. But it will all be over soon.

As I attempted to start the car. I jerked to the sound of someone jerking at the door of my car.

As he pulled, I thought it was a maniac. Alas, his face was partly covered.

Good thing the windows were all pulled up.

Who was this person?

Was he a thief?

"Open up!" I caught the words of his almost muffled words.

As soon as I noticed the shotgun in his hand, I started the car.

I drove onto the highway that led to the tunnel. To my dismay, I was being followed by the same man on a motorcycle.

I didn't see the lady who was coming along the way as I peered constantly behind me.

I heard the scream as my car smashed into the body.

The car screeched to a stop.

I paused in shaky breaths.

Could she be dead?

My hands shook as I looked around frantically.

Good thing no one else was in sight.

What about the robber who was tailing me?

Who the hell was he? Could he be a thief? Could it be that Linda must have sent him to kill me?

My heart thumped wildly as I thought of what to do.

The sound of a loud motorcycle pierced the air.

I gasped.

I thought I lost him.

Why the hell was he chasing after me?

Frozen with fear, I veered the car sharply and sped off at full throttle.

My heart jumped as my eyes studied the road through my misty tears.

I think I lost control.

The car skidded off the road, screeching at the same time. And then everything went dark when the car smashed into a pole.