My Brother-in-law is my Ex

Chapter Two

The Sudden Break-up

Audrey's POV

As soon as I entered the studio, I spotted Asher playing the piano. The place was wide but suffocating. I gripped my bag and took a deep breath; my heart pounded as I approached him.

He stood as soon as he laid eyes on me. He embraced me—it felt like an eternity. The warm hug was as gentle as ever, a moment I could have lived in forever.

“You’re here. I was starting to miss you already,” he said, wrapping his arms around my shoulder. His voice was sweet and gentle.

I brushed his arms away, distancing myself. I sat in the lounge, completely lost in thought, staring at our pictures hanging on the wall. Portraits that reminded me of the past and the memories we had shared.

He sat next to me, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear. His eyes showed concern.

“Babe, are you okay?” he asked with genuine worry, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him everything.

“There’s… something I need to… say,” I murmured, biting my lip.

“Babe, you can always tell me everything. I’ll always be here for you,” he reassured me, smiling and holding both of my hands.

I pulled my hands away and stood. “I think… I think it’s best if we… end things here.”

He froze, momentarily speechless.

“You heard me. Let’s just… forget this ever happened,” I said, grabbing my purse. When I turned to leave, he grabbed my hands; his grip was gentle.

He let out a forced laugh. “You’re really good at joking, aren’t you?”

I gazed at him seriously. “Ash… I’m not joking.”

“I don’t understand. What did I do wrong?” His expression showed disbelief and confusion.

“My feelings have changed. I’m just not interested in you anymore,” I said, each word designed to inflict a tiny, precise wound.

This, I told myself, would keep him away from me.

“Babe… what? Wait… what did I do? Seriously? I… I don’t get it,” he said, his voice shaking. “We were… we were good, weren’t we? Can we… can we just talk about this? Please?”

“It was a mistake. A brief, stupid distraction. And now… it’s over. There’s nothing more to explain,” I said, looking away.

“Sweetheart, you’re just upset. You didn’t mean those words,” he murmured, more to himself than to me, his voice barely a whisper. “Just go home and rest… clear your mind… yeah, that’s it. It’ll all be okay.”

“I’m serious…” Before I could finish, he put a coat around me and pushed me outside the studio.

I was about to shout, but then I remembered the studio was soundproof. How could he possibly hear me? I decided to leave, thinking maybe he would accept what I said sooner or later. I was doing this for him.

While driving, my mind was blank. I pulled the car to the side of the road and stopped. “Why? Why do I have to endure this?” I screamed, the words a desperate, ragged gasp against the crushing weight of my despair.

Tears streamed down my face, blurring the already indistinct world around me, a relentless torrent mirroring the unstoppable tide of my sorrow.

Then my phone rang. The call was from an unknown number. I answered it, wiping my tears with a handkerchief.

“Hello… who is this?” I said, trying to calm myself despite the situation.

“Audrey, it’s me, Marcus. Could we meet? There’s something important I need to tell you,” he said. His voice was unclear due to the loud background music. It seemed like he was at a nightclub.

“What is it? Seriously? You couldn’t have waited until morning? I’m so tired; I can barely think straight. Just spit it out,” I said, stifling a yawn behind my hand, enough to let Marcus hear it.

“It’s best if we discuss this in person. You said you were asleep, but I didn’t know a Morgan lady like you loved to sleep on the roadside,” he chuckled. I could hear him despite the loud music.

I looked outside the car window, confused about how he knew where I was.

“How did you know?”

“I checked your GPS,” he chuckled again, clearly enjoying himself.

“You think that’s funny? I’m not in the mood for jokes right now,” I said, annoyed. “Okay, I’ll go.”

“Great, I’ll send you the location.”

“Okay, I’ll be there.”

“Just don’t be late.”

I hung up the phone, tossing it into the backseat. “So annoying…”

I drove to the location he sent me. I parked my car in front of a nightclub, which explained the loud background music during his call. The air reeked of alcohol and cigarettes.

The staff guided me to the VIP lounge.

“Audrey… you came. I thought you wouldn’t,” he said, standing as soon as he saw me.

“You’re overthinking much,” I said, rolling my eyes.

“Wait… did you cry?” He leaned in, peering into my eyes.

“I didn’t,” I said, looking away.

“Yes, you did—your eyes are red,” he insisted, pointing at them.

“I said I didn’t!” I continued to deny it.

“Okay, if you say so…” His voice playfully admitted defeat. “Well, let’s get to the point.”

“That would be appreciated,” I said sarcastically.

“I know you didn’t want this engagement, and neither did I,” he said, choosing his words carefully. He stared at me before continuing, “So, I have a proposal for you.”

“What proposal?” I asked, raising a curious eyebrow.

“Instead of resisting, let’s just pretend we’re getting along. It’ll buy us some time. Once we inherit our family’s companies, we can drop the act. You know as well as I do that once that happens, they won’t be able to control us anymore.”

“I know it’s a stupid idea… but that might actually work,” I said, my face lighting up.

“Besides, you’re not the only one in love with someone else. I’m also in love. So it’s a win-win,” he said, extending his hand.

“Then we have a deal,” I said, shaking his hand.

We drank a lot before leaving. As we reached the exit, Marcus stopped.

“Audrey… can you go ahead? I forgot something inside.”

I nodded, and he hurried back inside while I continued walking. Then, a woman suddenly grabbed my hand and slapped me out of nowhere.

People stared like they were watching a show, some even recorded the scene. My face burned from the sting of the slap.

“What the hell?!” Raw fury laced my voice. My hand flew to my cheek. “Are you insane?!” The shock of the unexpected blow fueled my rage.

“You slut!” She started recording me live. “Everyone, look at her face carefully—this is my boyfriend’s mistress.”

“Me?!”