ASHERI tore my thoughts away from Dinara and Dominic as I got myself ready for bed, took a shower, and tried to relax. But no matter what I did, all I could think about was Ariella and my son, Leon.The guilt never left me. It clung to me, heavy, suffocating. I still couldn’t shake the memory of everything I had put her through. I know she told me not to think about it, that it didn’t matter, that she doesn’t even see it anymore… but I see it. I know what I did. And I know that as I did it then, she must have been hurting.....silently, painfully.How did she endure it? How did she go through all of that without breaking?Why didn’t she say anything?The thought almost escaped my mouth, but I stopped myself. Because after all she had done, after all the love she had given me despite my cruelty, how could I dare? How could I look her in the eye and demand answers when I was the reason she stayed silent?And then there was Luca.The way he came to me, his voice low, deliberate, telling
ASHERDinara didn’t answer. She just kept looking at me, shaking her head, trembling like a leaf in the storm.“I need answers, Dinara,” I said, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade. “If what you’re saying means he raped you, then you’d better speak now. And if that’s the truth, know this....I don’t tolerate rapists in my family. Never have. Never will. I’ve killed plenty of them since I took power. Quietly, of course. But the rumors? They spread. They always spread. So if that’s what Dominic is, I want to know.”That was when Dominic snapped.“Dinara!” he barked, her name tearing out of him like a whipcrack. His anger filled the room, but when she didn’t respond. When she kept her wide eyes locked on me instead of him, his voice shifted. Softer. Almost pleading.“Dinara...”This time, she turned to him. And I swear..... I didn’t know what passed between them in that moment. I didn’t know her that well, not really, nor the language they had built between stolen hours and
ASHERDominic finally lifted his eyes to me, but only for a second before he busied himself with the wine glass, swirling it as though there was something fascinating at the bottom.I chuckled under my breath. “You know,” I said, tapping my knife against the plate, “our father always told us, blood comes first. Above everything. Above business. Above women. Above… temptation.”Dominic froze. Just for a fraction of a second. But I caught it. Dinara’s hand tightened on her fork, her knuckles white.I leaned forward, dropping my voice low, intimate, like we were sharing some sacred truth. “And I believed him. I still do. Loyalty is everything. Without loyalty, there is no family. Without loyalty, there is no us.”I smiled at both of them, but it wasn’t warmth. It was sharp. Deadly.The room was suffocating. I set my glass down and laced my fingers together. “So, tell me,” I asked softly, eyes flicking between the two of them, “what do the two of you think? Is loyalty still sacred… or ha
ASHERI moved quietly, too quietly for a man coming home to his wife. Maybe deep down, I already knew what I was going to see...And then I saw them.My brother. My own blood. And my wife, tangled in sheets that weren’t meant for betrayal. Her hair spilled over the pillows, her body arching in ways I had never touched, never allowed myself to touch. And Dominic....shameless, his hands all over her, his mouth on the woman who bore my name.The two were in a heated passion. No worry, no fear. You could tell this wasn't their first rodeo; they knew each other's pulse points, knew each other's turn on.For a second, the world just… stopped. I couldn’t hear anything but the pounding of my own heart. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think. I was frozen.I had come home to give her everything she had ever wanted, all she had asked of me.... Except love course. And she had already given herself away.That was the day something inside me broke. I had been faithful to her, and I never thought of bein
ASHER“That’s not gonna work for me, I’m afraid,” I told her flatly. Her sobs grew louder, desperate, maybe for effect, maybe for real, but I didn’t care to measure the difference anymore.“I’m tired,” I added, dragging my words like I was done with every piece of her. “I want to go inside, take a shower, and sleep. So why don’t you go to Dominic? I’m sure he’ll have something to make you stop crying.”I didn’t wait for her answer. I turned my back, leaving her standing there with her tears, and walked toward my bedroom. The click of the door closing behind me sounded like a final judgment.Inside, I leaned against the door and let out a long breath.Dinara... Sometimes I think I shouldn’t blame her, not entirely. But how can I not? Our whole marriage was built on lies. Promises wrapped in silk, but rot underneath. They promised me a virgin. They promised me a devoted wife. What I got was a woman sharp as glass, manipulative, disruptive, disloyal....And a whore.Because who sleeps
ASHERDinara widened her eyes at me.“That’s not true,” she said.“It’s true,” I shot back. “The only thing Dominic is missing is power. If he had power, you wouldn’t still be after me. Nagging me. Chasing me. Talking to me. Afraid of losing me...”She flinched, but I laughed, cold. “Really, Dinara? Really? So you slept with your brother-in-law....my own brother, because I’m your husband? Because you love me so much, don’t you?” I asked, my voice dripping with a sneer.“Don’t you dare put the blame on me,” she snapped. “You’re the reason I ran toward Dominic. You’re the reason he was able to seduce me, able to exploit my weakness and take advantage, because you didn’t have time for me. You left me all alone. You didn’t give me any attention. I was lonely.”“So you fucked my brother?” I asked flatly.She looked away then, taking a deep, trembling breath.“You know you’re the reason I ran into Dominic’s arms,” she whispered. “If only you had given me space in your heart. If only you wo