Contracted to My Ex's Cold Brother

ELOISE

Rain poured down in sheets when my car suddenly shuddered and died in the middle of the road.

“No, no, no...”

I turned the key twice, then a third time.

Nothing.

My heart lurched as I grabbed my phone and called my husband.

It rang. And rang. And rang, yet no answer.

I called again immediately. Still nothing.

“Pick up,” I whispered, gripping the phone tighter. “Damian, please pick up.”

This time it went straight to voicemail.

Rain soaked through my coat the second I stepped outside.

Freezing water drenched my hair, my clothes, my skin as I stood helplessly beside the dead car in the middle of nowhere.

I called him a few more times. And still, no response.

By the time I finally managed to get home in a cab nearly an hour later, I was shivering so violently I could barely get the key into the front door.

The house was dark. Empty.

Damien wasn’t home.

I stood in the foyer dripping rainwater onto the floor, my whole body trembling.

I was about to step in, when my phone buzzed.

A notification popped up in social media account.

The post was from Selene.

My stomach twisted before I even opened it. And when I did, I nearly dropped the phone.

**Family comes first ❤️**

She had tagged me which felt more like a taunt to me.

My hand tightened around the phone as I stared at the photos.

Damien, Selene and my four year old son, Diego in the same photo. All smiling.

The three of them huddled together under warm lights, wrapped around each other like some perfect little family.

In one photo, Damien had his arm around her shoulders.

In another, Diego was clinging to her side, grinning.

The caption beneath the post was the last straw that shattered my world that moment, completely.

**So grateful for the people who always show up when I need them most.**

My vision blurred.

I stared at the screen, unable to breathe.

That was where he had been. While I stood stranded in the rain calling for my husband...

He had been with her.

My fingers went numb.

It was supposed to be the night when I melted into the arms of my husband, Damien Snatos, on our fifth wedding anniversary.

But the joke's on me; his arms were clinging to another woman, and worse, to my forever bully, Selene Ricardo …

I waited until well past midnight, but Damien never came home.

Just as I slipped into bed, my phone rang sharply from the nightstand.

For a split second, a flicker of hope surged. I thought it might finally be Damien, checking on his wife.

But the number was foreign, unfamiliar.

“Hello?” I received the call, perhaps an emergency in the office.

That's just how my work is.

“Miss Eloise?” The voice on the other end, however, was strict and rushed.

“This is St. Lucian General Hospital. We have found your number in the emergency dial list of Mr Damien Snatos.”

“He has been in a car accident. ”

I froze. My stomach clenched tightly.

My world tilted violently. “A car accident?!" The words barely left my lips.

“Yes, ma’am. His situation is a bit critical. And there was another passenger."

My fingers tightened. “Another passenger!?”

My heart shuddered, thinking if it was Diego.

Silence crackled briefly on the line.

“A woman.”

My heart dropped. Even without asking who. A part of me already knew…

“We believe her name is Selene Ricardo.” And she said it.

The phone nearly slipped from my hand as a sharp twist coiled in my stomach.

So, it was always her…

And now, standing before the emergency ward, I see them.

My husband was lying unconscious on the white bed, his tanned face now pale, his lips devoid of colour, with tubes already attached to his arms.

His chest rose shallowly and unevenly, as if each breath was more difficult than the last.

Beside him, was lying Selene, his first and forever love.

Except, she is also my elder sister, and her only contribution to my life has been... to cause me distress.

She had left everything five years ago, leaving me in the midst of the business alliance, only to return and ruin it all…

Her dress was torn, her arms were bleeding, and her face was contorted with immense anguish.

“Ma'am?” An urgent tone cut through me, shifting my attention.

A nurse was standing beside me, holding a clipboard.

“And you are?” the nurse asked briskly. “Family?”

“Yes,” I said automatically. “I’m family.”

The words left my mouth before I could think.

Not wife.

I couldn’t bring myself to say that word aloud.

Not when even after five years of marriage, it still felt like a lie.

“They need an urgent operation. Please fill the forms.” The nurse held the pen and paper out to me.

My gaze didn’t move from them. They're barely holding on.

I could just leave… The thought crossed me sharp and quiet.

But then, I didn't. Unlike them, I couldn't walk over my modesty.

I never even let a stray dog pass me without care, and these are human beings, after all.

I exhaled once, then reached for the pen.

“Start the operation,” I said, my voice rolled out colder than intended. “And make sure they live."

My fingers stilled for a fraction of a second.

The nurse blinked, perhaps caught off guard. “Oh—we will try our best. Please wait in the lounge…”

I didn’t respond, and simply walked straight to the waiting area, letting the weight of everything press against my knees before I finally sank onto the couch.

I had wanted tonight to be ours.

A small surprise I had prepared for Damien on our fifth anniversary.

But hours ago, when I had called him repeatedly, he was with Selene...

His first love. The one who had always occupied the place that was never mine to begin with.

A soft cough broke the haze.

“Ma'am?”

I forced myself to look up.

The same nurse now stood with a tray.

She set it down gently.

“These are all the belongings we recovered. Please check and if anything seems missing, please inform the police.”

“Thanks.” I nodded slowly.

Placing the tray, she walked away, leaving me alone in the lounge, alone.

I glanced at the tray.

The items were scattered… Two crushed phones, Damien’s wallet, his cracked watch, his cards.

Then, a female purse, surely Selene's. And—a diamond bracelet that caught my attention more than it should.

I picked it up as my fingers trembled, and immediately my heart shuddered. A shard of memory stabbed right into my soul…

‘Isn’t this bracelet beautiful, Damien?’

I asked with admiration while we were in a jewelry store, selecting a present for my mother-in-law's 50th birthday.

‘Hmm,’ he hummed, casting a glance at it before his attention reverted to his phone screen.

I gave him a dissatisfied pout before turning my gaze back to the beautiful piece.

‘This is the rare Swarovski piece, only one had been crafted, no second piece.’ The salesgirl said softly.

‘It'll look good on you, ma'am. The charms are polite, quite like you.’

A heat crept up my neck, and my ears burned at her words.

‘Do you want me to pack this for you as well?’ She asked.

I had every intention of getting the bracelet.

During our two years of marriage, I have not received any extravagant gifts, which I genuinely do not mind or desire.

However, this particular bracelet is exceptionally beautiful and truly captivating.

I looked expectantly at my husband, who was in the process of purchasing the necklace we, or more accurately, he had selected for his mother.

He paused, then gave me a questioning look before glancing at the bracelet.

‘These salesgirls would say anything to sell the product. Don't be deluded, Eloise, this isn't for your wrist.’ He had said.

‘Come now, don't waste time. We're getting late.’ And walked out…

Three years had passed after that; the topic was never raised.

Damien had long forgotten, but the charm of the bracelet had always been in my heart.

I had a strong desire to buy it, but by the time I had achieved the financial means to do so, it was no longer available.

It was rumored that a billionaire had purchased it as a token of his eternal love... Now, after a period of five years, it has reappeared before me, with blood clots all over it.

And it belongs to my husband’s forever love…

Tears finally broke, spilling down my face.

In five years, Damien had never once hesitated to express that I was never his choice, even though I chose him earnestly.

I have harbored a deep admiration for him since my school years, after he saved me from drowning in water.

I never realized the depth of my admiration, which had evolved into love, until our families strategically allied our marriage for business reasons.

I believed I was safeguarding my honour, and perhaps, protecting my heart which held affection for him.

Yet, I had only chained myself to a man who never truly chose me…

Five years of living under the same roof, yet, no ring, no wedding, hostile in-laws, and bound by a flashy promise and legalities that only a few people were aware of.

Still, I served without a complaint.

And—in the end, he's being recognised in public with his first love.

My lips only twitched to a bitter smile, curving a sharp scar within my soul…

“Ma'am?” A voice broke my thoughts again.

This time a doctor had finally approached.

“Mr Snatos is stable for now. His injuries will take time to heal, but he’s no longer in immediate danger.”

“And for his wife— she’s out of danger as well.”

“Wife!?”

I couldn't hold back the gasp that tore through my chest as I stared at the man.

“Yes?” The doctor frowned slightly.

“Mr Snatos kept chanting her name ‘Selene’ until he lost consciousness. So, we thought…”

I let out a short, bitter laugh.

“Yeah… maybe you’re right,” My tone rolled out, harsh and cracked. “His wife... his forever love.” Every word dripped venom.

The doctor blinked, he seemed uncertain, before cautiously noding. “You can take a look at them, if you want...”

“No need.” I cut him off sharply, my fingers tightening around my phone as if it could shield me from the humiliation.

“I’ll take leave. They can survive with each other.” I turned toward the door, then paused, and glanced over my shoulder.

“And if anything happens, please don't disturb me again.” Then, I left, leaving the baffled doctor…

With a heavy, shattered heart, I stepped out of the hospital and sank into my car, letting the tears finally slip.

It wasn't pain, but humiliation that had resided deeper within my chest.

Wiping my face, I fumbled in my bag and pulled out my phone.

My grip on the device was uncertain for a moment, but then my fingers clenched around the device.

The screen lit up, and with a swipe, I opened the document folder.

A half-prepared divorce draft glared back at me. Words I had written weeks ago during long nights of suspicion and quiet despair.

It was the time of Damien's parents' twenty-ninth anniversary, where memories were full of unkind words and emotional detachment from them, from my own parents, and from Damien himself.

It had been the moment I first decided to walk away.

But then, my eyes fell on the small, beaming face... Our son, Diego.

I had never opened the draft again, never dared, fearing the chaos it might bring to his little world.

I feared the disappointment of my parents, of becoming completely unfilial

Until now…

I began to type, and with each word, a sharp clarity cut through the fog of my ache.

The hum of the hospital, the weight of betrayal, the nausea of humiliation... All of it faded into a singular, cold resolve.

With each passing second, the decision had solidified.

No more hanging on, no more waiting for scraps of love that were never meant for me.

When Damien would open his eyes the next day, he would not find a loyal wife waiting at his side.

He would see the letter of liberty spelled out in black and white, signed by the woman he had never cared about…