Chapter 1

  “Matthew is cheating on me!” I blurted out the second a groggy Vera had answered the phone.

  There was subtle ruffling at the other end before she finally said, “What are you talking about, Selene… it’s two in the morning.”

  “Exactly and I haven't seen Matt in a week,” I replied almost immediately, hoping she knew something that would help calm down my nerves.

  Or perhaps I was just tripping?

  “And you don’t know where he is?” She sighed, sounding more awake now.

  “Work…” I replied bitterly, “That’s all he had been telling me for the past couple days.”

   It was almost as though this invisible rift I had been sensing was slowly closing the gap, swallowing what little was left of our marriage.

  “I really can’t do this with you right now,” Vera interrupted my thoughts before adding, “I mean just listen to yourself. My brother is obsessed with you and everyone knows it… so what makes you think he’s cheating?”

  Before I could tell her about Matthew's  lie, I could hear more shuffling before a familiar groan filled the silence on her end followed by hushed chuckles.

  “Vera…?” I whispered.

  “What?” She snapped, sounding so distracted. “Oh. That was the T.V I must’ve rolled over on the remote.”

  Another shuffle and before I could ask any more question, she cut me short, “Look I think you’re spiraling and it’s fucking late.”

  “Perhaps staying home is having that effect on you, Matthew has been working so hard at the office so I didn’t know where this assumption is coming from… and please don’t call me this late some of us have work to do.”

  My face turned grim at her very subtle shade, surely she wasn’t saying that to me with a clear head.

  “I know Matthew loves you and you should never doubt that,” and the line went dead.

  The thought that Vera was covering up something for her brother filled my head.

  I swallowed the dread I could still feel clawing up my throat as I slowly lowered the phone, my gaze drifting to the file I had found in his drawer.

   Sterling Holding and Co.

  I honestly didn’t have time to dwell on what Vera had said… not when I was sure something was going on.

  I glanced through the contract in my hand again… this was the same company he’d claimed he was staying late at the office for… except the contract in my hands had been finalized three days ago.

  My fingers tightened around the contract as a brief memory resurfaced.

  “I just want you home,” Matthew had murmured a few months after our marriage, pulling me into his lap, “Let me be the one who works.”

  I had dropped cooking to take over daddy's company after his death… it was the only thing that kept my memory of him alive.

  “You’d be such a good mom, Selene,” he’d added softly. “Our kids deserve you at your best. I want you to rest and do what you love here… at home.”

  It had sounded like love back then but after four years of doing nothing at home, it was finally rubbing off on me in a bad way.

  Mattew was slowly turning into the version of my dad I hated and we haven’t even had kids yet.

  Worse still anytime I mentioned returning back to work or applying as a sous chef anywhere, he’d shut it down.

  And now, after our IVF results had finally come back promising…

  I laid awake wondering if I really wanted to go ahead in building a future with a man who was slowly becoming the very version of my father I resented most.

  By morning, the doubt hadn’t faded but I was more determined to quiet down the voices in my head, I hated the fact that it reduced me to nothing but an overbearing housewife.

  Holding the contact, I was at my fathers company as early as eight-thirty.

  There had to be an explanation somehow and if he wasn’t going to come home, I’d rather met him at the office.

  The lobby fell quieter than it normally would this early in the morning.

  I didn’t miss the heads that lifted as I walked past, then quickly dipped back down.

  A junior assistant near the elevator offered a tight smile as I walked past him.

  This was the first time I was stepping back into the company since I handed things over to Matthew and judging from the reception, no one wanted me here.

  No one greeted me the way they used to, I hated the fact that it seemed like they knew something I didn’t.

  Or worse…

  This used to feel like home, I had grown with most of the staff here but now it felt like I was walking into a room where everyone had already read the headline about me… and I was the only one who hadn’t.

  Perhaps if I had taken heed to their warning eyes, it would have greatly prepared me for what I saw the moment I stepped into my husband's office.

  

  I didn’t even knock and as soon I entered my heart stopped as I took in the scene before me.

  

  Matthew, my husband, was sweating profusely, his suit jacket  gone as he thrusted into the girl bent over his desk.

  

  Their moans and the sound of skin slapping skin filled the office.

  

  “Oh fuck! Matt, I’m so close…” she whimpered beneath him.

  

  That voice.

  

  I instantly recognized it as Vera's.

  

  His step sister?

  

  I took a step back and another, they were yet to notice me yet as Mattew let out a groan, his hands tightening on her hips.

  

  “Yes. Faster," she was moaning, bent over the table with her skirt hiked up.

  

  I felt lightheaded and nauseous, the folders I was holding clattered to the floor causing them to finally realize they weren’t alone.

  

  Both of them froze.

  

  “Selene?” Vera breathed, finally breaking the awkward silence.

  

  "What… what is going on here?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper as I shook in disbelief.

  Matthew cursed under his breath as he pulled out of here, hurriedly making himself decent while Vera shamelessly scrambled to pull her dress down.

  For a moment, the three of us simply stared at one another while I tried to digest it all.

  Mattew was sleeping with his step sister, the small wine I had complained to that had shamed me for giving up my company.

  The silence was beginning to suffocate me.

  “How could you…” My voice broke before I could finish.

  My gaze flicked between them, searching their faces for something… guilt? regret?

  “How could you do this to me?!” I cried.

  Matthew dragged a hand through his hair in clear frustration, “Selene… it’s not…”

  “No!” I shouted, interrupting him, “it’s exactly what I thought! You lied to me while you stayed here… fucking… your sister on my fathers desk?”

  "What are you doing here? Have you come here to create a scene?" He asked seemingly bored.

  

  The room started to spin and it took everything in me not to fall.

  

  I gripped the door frame for support as the tears that I had been holding back fell.

  

  “How long… How long have you two been… doing this?” I managed to ask.

  

  Vera chuckled nervously before she finally answered, seeming so bold, “Matthew is pretty hot and I guess I just couldn’t resist." 

  

  My breath grew more ragged.

  

  Perhaps this was a dream?

  

  How was that even possible? 

  

  They were siblings, even if not blood-related and Vera had a fiancé for Pete's sake.

  

  It was becoming too hard to breathe.

  

  "Come on, don't be like that and act like I didn't tell you," she said with a frown.

  

  I swallowed, "What?" 

  

  Her brows rose. "At the wedding. Or did you forget?” She smirked.

  

  My mind travelled back to the wedding, Vera leaning down to whisper in my ears.

  

  “Matthew is pretty good in bed. You don't know what a lucky bride you are!”

  

  I hadn’t read too much into it even though it felt weird to me, I simply brushed it off as a stupid joke.

  

  Now who was the joke?

  

  They must have had a good laugh every time they fucked behind my back.

  

  A wrecked sob escaped my mouth as the pain in my chest was unbearable now.

  

  “Look, Selene, if you're just going to stand there and cry I advise you go home.” 

  

  “Allow her. She brought this on herself, I mean I did try to persuade her to look away from your late nights,” Vera added with a hiss.

  

  Tears blurred my vision.

  

  “Why couldn’t you just stay home and keep being the clueless wife you are? You just had to ruin your perfect little bubble” she scoffed.

  

  Unable to stop myself, I closed the gap between us and my hands connected with her cheek.

  

  The impact made her stumble backwards with her eyes wide like saucers.

  

  “Vera!” Mathew was instantly at her side.

  

  "Are you ok?" He asked, checking over her with his eyes and hands.

  

  A dry scoff left my lips at the public display of attention between the disgusting duo.

  

  His eyes lifted to mine, "How dare you?" He bellowed. 

  

  My pain and disgust was slowly turning into rage. 

  

  "No, how dare you?!" I screamed back.

  

  I had given him years of my life, trusted him and he had chosen to just betray me.

  

  “You dare mock me for trusting you?! After every fucking thing we had shared? Four years of marriage!” Turning to Vera, “Six years of friendship! And suddenly I’m the dumb bitch?”

  

  I took a deep breath then exhaled.

  

  "Prepare the handover papers," I began with my head held high. "I want my company back from you and every other thing that you have gotten in my name."

  

  I expected them to apologize on their knees but they both looked at each other and burst into laughter.

  

  My gaze rounded.

  

  Had they gone mad?

  

  "Return your company?" Matthew asked with raised brows.

  

  "Yes," I nodded. 

  

  "I don't want you or Vera managing any part of it anymore after our divorce."

  

  Matthew stepped forward.

  

  "Let me make something clear to you, the company is mine, Selene. You gave it to me, willingly signing every paper. I never forced you to do any of those."

  

  “You can't do that.” I tried to sound angry or firm but all that came out was a scared whisper.

  

  "You can't ask for what you have given back, Selene," Vera sneered. "The company is now ours. You can leave if you want, but you will be leaving without a dime."

  

  I stumbled backwards, shaking my head slowly, refusing to believe.

  

  There must be a way.

  

  I snapped in a shaky voice. "The company was mine before marriage. I'll be able to get it back."

  

  Vera laughed, "Aww, I like how gullible you are. Now I see why it was easy for Matthew to make sure you stayed without a child."

  

  "What do you mean by that?"

  

  A smug expression claimed her face.

  

  "Poor Selene, she had abandoned her career to be a stay at home wife" she said with a tsk, " without even knowing her husband …"

  

  “Vera…” Matthew suddenly wanted, cutting her short.

  

  “Would you look at that? She's crying.”

  

  She was enjoying this.

  

  More tears poured down from my eyes as I stared at her and couldn't understand why she would even do this to me when all I have ever been was nice to her.

  

  She came closer to me, glee in her eyes at the tears streaming down my face. 

  

  “Also, I hope you have realised how worthless you are and since you are curious, yes we had spent years making our way into your life since you were ungrateful about your robust inheritance.”

  

  “Why…why? Why would you do that? Why would you do all of this? I loved you! You married me?!” I cried out looking between both of them.

  

  "Oh please, it’s not like you wanted it in the first place, you had gone on and on about how you were tired of your father not giving you attention.” Vera spat.

  

  Mathew stepped forward.

  

  "That's enough Vera," he chipped in.

  

  He cleared his throat and walked up to me, putting his hands on my shoulders. I tried to get out of his hold but his hands got firmer.

  

  “Go home,” he said through gritted teeth, “be a good girl and stop trying to embarrass yourself even more.”

  

  “Why Vera?” I found myself asking, “of all women why your step- sister?”

  

  A slow smirk filled his face before he leaned in to whisper, “Whenever did I tell you Vera was my sister?”