Falling For My Husband's Brother

Fixing The Puzzle

Shanna's POV

{One Week Later}

"How had we met, Richard?" The question burned in my throat as I smothered my pale Chemise dress. I had found Marilyn's journal in the attic, but I didn't let Jaime or Richard know about it.

Thrice, I had tried to escape, but Richard had found me again.

Curiosity plagued me. As a married couple, we were meant to share the same bedroom. Richard had been so kind to leave the bedroom to make me feel at ease.

"We met on Crescent Street," his perfect dedication was hard to ignore. "You fought off a set of thug bikers who wanted to rob me. You saved my life." He palmed my sleeved hand.

I saved his life — just as Marilyn had written in her journal.

That certainly didn't sound like what I could do.

I didn't know how to stand up for myself, not to speak of fighting off thugs.

Just like Richard had said, he prepared a party to celebrate my recovery. The hall which held the party was already filling with people in polished suits and colorful dresses.

I had my hand tugged under Richard's arm while he welcomed guests into the hall. Marilyn's written notes about her mother and sisters flirted across my mind. An emotion so strange crawled at me, it squeezed my eyes into nothing but tears. I blinked back the tears, hating to have to explain the tears to Richard.

"Ha, finally," Richard's words broke into my thoughts, "My siblings are here."

Siblings? I flinched as the word screamed 'Jaime'. I'd been scanning the blur of faces in the room all evening hoping not to catch sight of him. Blood thumped in my heart; I didn't want to see him.

My eyes shifted to the small crowd close to the entrance. Jaime wasn't among them. Richard hadn't given us the chance to interact the last time I saw him. A figure so strange shook me, she was looking straight at me with a murderous stare.

Cold ran up my spine. I knew I'd seen that face before. Wasn't she in the family portrait Richard showed me some days back? Her photo was also in the album Jaime had given me.

"I need to use the restroom. I'll be back shortly," I shot him a quick smile. Pulled back my hand from his grip without waiting for his reply.

That was Eucharia, Richard's younger sister.

Even from the distance between us, I could tell that Eucharia had a secret vendetta towards me. I could sense the hostility from where she studied me. Had she been involved in whatever had happened to Marilyn?

Marilyn's journal had only grappled with the idea that Eucharia had never liked her. Why was Jaime making me do all this?

Will I ever be able to return home?

To quell my disturbing thoughts, I reached out to grab a passing cocktail, but instead another individual beat me to it.

I looked up at the woman before me. Fringed hairstyle, flowered dress on pump shoes.

"Oops," she sneered at me, tilting the cocktail to her lips.

As she sipped the drink, watching me from the rim of the cup, I caught the slight bulge of her stomach. "Would you rather drink from my cup?" She smirked, then, without warning, spritzed the leftovers on my face.

I gasped, closing my eyes briefly. Who the hell was this woman? I have never seen her, and I don't understand why she was doing this to me.

"What is the meaning of this?" I fought the words out of my mouth.

Reaching out, her hand smacked hard against my cheek. "And that's for stealing my man." She cut out.

Her man?

Who was she talking about? Richard?

How was Richard her man? Wasn't he married to Marilyn? I didn't understand.

My cheek burned, my eyes blurred from the sting. And as I maneuvered my head to meet her gaze, she hit me harder this time.

Eyes steered towards us.

I think I lost my balance because I staggered, flailing my hands like a bird who lost control.

Strong arms wrapped around my waist, holding me tightly as I crashed into a solid body. "If you don't leave, I'll make you pay for laying your hand on her."

That voice. The way it is pimpled my flesh.

I looked up to the figure holding me.

It was Jaime Neil.

"You think she's worth it? I'm carrying his child, here it is. The heir to Neil's Empire!" Her voice echoed amidst murmuring tones.

My breathing grew heavy, and I felt Jaime's arms grow tight.

No way that was Richard's baby?

Why the hell was I playing wife?

Richard spurned into action. He strode towards the pregnant woman and grabbed her hand. "Who let you in?" His tone was laced with contempt.

She tried to pull free of Richard's grip. "Don't treat me like I am of no value. I want the world to know that I carry your heir, and not this woman who thinks she can take my place!"

My eyes pooled. Unfortunately, the tears spilled as she pointed at me. The humiliation. Everyone was watching us, and I thought I noticed some cameras flickering.

Richard knew her after all. But Marilyn never said anything about a woman like her in her journal. Look at the way he looked at her stomach like she was really carrying his baby.

"Come with me!" Richard's hand closed around her hand and started pulling her out of the hall.

I stood there.

My heart wrenched to pieces as the scene replayed in my head. I couldn't stand the blazing gazes and the wagging tongues, I took to my heels, leaving the hall.

*********

Richard met me in the bedroom where I'd been sitting while staring into space. I expected him to spill out words, but he only eyed me closely, then he started to unbutton his clothes.

Was he planning to share the bedroom with me? No way that was happening.

"I don't remember anything about being your wife. Wasn't it a month ago that you said we'd been married? Why is that woman's stomach saying another story entirely?" I turned my eyes to him.

It would make no sense if I went crazy over a man that I knew nothing of. But sharing a room with him as my husband was something that gnawed at my very skin.

"Can we not talk about her, please?" He begged, turning to my reflection in the mirror.

My eyes widened, and my throat began to burn. "Is this why you wouldn't let me go home because you only want to cage me right here?"

He turned to me with narrowed brows, "Marilyn, I will never cage you." He objected.

"Then what are you hiding from me? Why won't you tell me who she is?" I shrugged.

He walked towards me, reached forward and tried to touch me. But I snapped my face away, stood up and kept my distance. He was still a stranger to me after all.

"She's nobody. The doctor explained," You shouldn't be triggered," he put in.

I gasped at his reply, held my lip to my teeth and started for the door. There was no way I was sharing this room with him.

"Where are you going?" His tone slashed me short.

"The house has multiple rooms which you've shown me. I'm sure I can decide which room to spend the night." I didn't wait for his reply. I closed the door behind me.

The driver was there to drive me out. Intently, I knew he was being nice as Richard had commanded him, but I declined his kind gesture of riding in the car.

I started out the massive gates, wrapping my arms around me as thoughts swayed my mind.

How long do I have to pretend to be Marilyn? Her journal portrayed her happiness at the mention of her marriage to Richard. Richard must have been secretive—because tell me why a heavily impregnated woman would storm his party despite the fact that he was married to Marilyn?

It made no sense.

I stopped walking once I noticed how the streetlights blinked repeatedly. I did a semi-swirl; I didn't realize that I had walked on aimlessly out of fury.

More pissed by the knowledge, I walked on until I saw a pub.

Perhaps, I could drown down whatever worries and stinking humiliation that had previously transpired.

"I would need a scorching drink," I said to the bartender, ignoring the eyes that shot in my direction.

The young man behind the counter served me a bottle of bourbon. The realization that this was my first drinking spree hit me once I drowned three glasses of the drink.

And then I saw him, Jaime Neil, walking into the pub in jeans and rolled-up sleeves.

As I tilted my gaze to his face, our gazes held and my heart began to race.