3. The Better Man

Adrea stayed in bed most of the day. Her mind was a fog, filled with an unending mist of questions that had no clear answers. What was she going to do? She could not get over the tightness in her chest, the lump in her throat, or the weight in her belly. What was going to happen now?

Even as she remembered the events of that night a week ago, she could not believe it.

Nothing made sense. Felix had essentially claimed he was having an affair with her. It was just not right! She had thought he was her friend…

The brothers had not been close when she married into the family. But she had thought it was normal for hot-headed brothers. This was not.

A knock on the door made Adrea lift her head from its perch over her knees. She did not feel like talking. Her throat felt as though no sound could come out of it if she tried. That was not a problem. Her housekeeper opened the door and walked in with a food tray.

“Ma’am,” she said, “I brought you some food. You should eat something.”

“Thank you,” Adrea rasped and then cleared her throat. “Just leave it on the nightstand.”

Concern flashed in the housekeeper’s eyes as she looked at her mistress. The young woman had a blanket over her shoulders as she sat with her knees drawn to her chest, her arms securing the blanket around her. Despite her concern, she nodded, did as she was told, and retreated from the room. The housekeeper shut the door behind herself and Adrea relaxed when the door clicked shut. She was alone again. Alone with her thoughts. Not the best place to be.

‘What do I do?’ she asked herself. ‘What do I do?’

There was nothing. Nothing that would help her situation. Not even imploring her husband to see her side. He would not believe her. She would not believe anyone in her situation. In fact, she would have some choice words attacking their morality. Maybe if Felix told her husband the truth about what he was doing in their bed that night, maybe then he would believe her.

But Felix was not talking. She had tried to talk to him. She had called him the first time she thought of him as the only person her husband would believe now. Shivering with anxiety and fear as she tried to call him. His phone had rung on and on. And then it had gone silent. He had not picked up her call. She had tried again and again and had gotten nothing. Then she had cried in frustration.

Surely, he would not ruin her life and then block her without an explanation, would he? But it seemed he had.

No… Her marriage depended on her trying. So, she picked up her phone and tried again. She rocked back and forth on the bed as she listened to his phone ring. She was acutely aware of the time ticking around her as the phone rang.

Ring-ring. Ring-ring. Ring-ring.

“Please pick up,” she found herself whispering just as the phone gave three final beeps before going silent.

She let out a frustrated sound, and a sob clawed its way up her chest, slipping out through her lips.

“I can try again,” she mumbled to herself. “That’s right. I’ll try again.”

And she dialled the number again and pressed the call button.

The ringing began again. He had to pick up this time. He just had to. If he did, she’d convince him to explain to his brother that she had not done anything. She had not touched him. They were innocent.

She took a shaky breath as the phone continued to ring, each tone dragging her closer to despair. Finally, a voice answered.

“Hello?”

She froze for a moment, her heart thudding in her chest. “Felix,” she rasped, the name barely escaping her lips.

There was a pause, and then he replied, “Adrea.”

Her throat tightened, but she forced the words out. “You have to talk to Rael. Please, Felix. Tell him the truth.”

“I already did,” he said, his tone calm, almost detached.

Her breath hitched. “You… did?” For a moment, hope flared. “When? What did you say?”

“That night,” he said evenly. “I have the shiner to show for it, remember?”

The flicker of hope was snuffed out in an instant, replaced by disbelief.

“But you said nothing!” she reminded him, her voice trembling. “What do you mean, everything? You lied to him, Felix!”

“I couldn’t keep lying to him, Adrea,” he said, a hint of exasperation creeping into his tone. “He deserved to know.”

“To know what?” she snapped, her voice rising. “That you decided to ruin my life for no reason? Why are you doing this to me?”

“I’m not doing anything to you,” Felix said, his voice soft but firm. “This was bound to come out eventually. Rael would’ve figured it out on his own.”

Adrea pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to keep herself from spiralling. “What are you even talking about? There’s nothing to figure out, Felix. Nothing happened!”

There was another pause. Then, with maddening calm, he said, “You’re just upset. It’s better this way. We’ll be together finally.”

“What?” Adrea could not believe what she was hearing. “Oh God… this has to be a bad dream. Why are you trying to ruin me, Felix?”

He didn’t answer immediately. When he spoke again, his tone was quieter, almost remorseful. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“Then why won’t you just tell the truth?” Her voice cracked, a sob threatening to escape. “Please, Felix. If you ever cared about me, even as a friend, you’ll fix this.”

“I… can’t,” he said after a beat, “It’s better this way,” and the line went dead.

The way he spoke. So convinced of the lie he had built. Was she going crazy? She knew for sure that she had not touched or spoken to Felix in an inappropriate manner. Was she in some sort of alternate reality where things were different?

She looked at the call logs. She wanted to be sure she had called the right number. She had. This was Felix she had called. Why was he doing this? Nothing made sense.

***

She called.

She actually called.

Felix stared at his phone long after the call had ended, her voice still echoing in his mind—cracked with desperation, thick with disbelief. It tugged at something in him. Not guilt, not exactly. Something deeper. Possessive. Familiar.

He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows of his apartment, watching the city below. Adrea had never been predictable. She had been vibrant and kind, sweet but sharp-tongued when pushed. She had smiled at him like he mattered. Not like his brother—always so smug, always acting like he was the better man. The chosen one.

Rafael had everything handed to him. The business, the inheritance, the respect, the woman.

His woman.

Felix clenched his jaw.

Rafael didn’t deserve her. He never had.

If only she could see how much better life would be without him. How loved she’d be... She’d been miserable for months; he seen it in her eyes, in the way she lingered when they talked. She didn’t want to admit it—she was too loyal, too proud… but he knew. He felt it.

“Once the dust settles, she’ll understand,” he whispered to himself. “This was necessary.”

She never would’ve chosen him over his golden-boy brother. Not on her own. So, he had pushed.

Now that the lie was out there… Believable, undeniable. There was no turning back.

He tapped the phone screen once more and hovered over her contact. A soft smile curved his lips.

“She’ll come around,” he murmured. “She just doesn’t know it yet.”