I have found myself a boyfriend.

Bianca’s pov

A dull, throbbing pressure has taken up residence behind my eyes. My skull feels like it is packed with lead.

I force my eyes open, the world swimming into a blurry focus. I am on the living room sofa, but the memory of how I arrived here is a complete blank.

Oh, God. Brandon’s car.

I lurch to the window, my pulse a frantic drum against my ribs, and peer outside. It is there, parked perfectly in the driveway. Thank Christ. The fallout from damaging that vehicle does not bear thinking about.

I need a shower. Desperately. And my mouth has the distinct, foul taste of a long-dead animal.

I haul myself up the stairs, my body protesting every movement. But when I push open the door to the master suite, I stop dead.

Rosa is astride Brandon, both of them naked, their bodies a single, moving silhouette. The air is thick with the sound of their breathing.

A cry rips from my throat.

Rosa shrieks and rolls away, grabbing for the sheets.

“For fuck’s sake, Bianca,” Brandon growls, propping himself up on his elbows. His expression is pure annoyance. “Did you consider knocking?”

The retort is on my tongue, that I have never needed permission to enter my own bedroom, but the fight is gone. “I just came for my things.”

“It is already handled,” Rosa says, her voice crisp. “All of your belongings have been moved to the guest room.”

I give a stiff nod and pull the door closed. If I stand in that hallway for one more second, I cannot be responsible for what I might do. I descend the stairs slowly, counting each step. You can do this, Bianca. Hold it together.

The guest room is a monument to Rosa’s pettiness. My possessions are not just stored here; they are dumped in haphazard piles across the floor and bed, a chaotic mess designed to humiliate. I am too drained and too hungry to face the task of organizing it.

Under the spray of the shower, I let the scalding water pummel my skin, praying it can scald away the memory of this morning and the fresh horror of yesterday. The roar of the water is a blessed silence, muffling the tears I refuse to shed. I will not give Brandon that. I will not give Rosa that satisfaction.

“Cassandra?” I find our cook in the kitchen, already busy at the counter.

“Good morning, ma’am,” she says, offering a tentative glance. “I hope you rested well?”

“Like the dead,” I lie smoothly. “But I am absolutely starving.”

“I will bring your breakfast right out. Please, have a seat.”

A moment later, she sets a plate before me. I stare at it, baffled. It holds a few sparse leaves of lettuce and a handful of wilted herbs.

“What is this?” I ask, my eyebrow arching. “Where is the actual food?”

“The new Mrs. Evans has instructed that we are no longer to prepare high-calorie meals,” Cassandra explains, her voice low with anxiety. “I mentioned your usual preferences, but Mr. Evans said my employment would be terminated if I did not follow Ms. Rosa’s directives.”

Naturally. The little viper is not content with my husband; she is now staging a coup in my kitchen. Let the games begin.

“That is perfectly fine, Cassandra. I know you are just following orders.”

I look down at the pathetic greens, my stomach clenching in protest. I manage one bite, fighting the urge to gag. No wonder Rosa is so slight; she exists on rabbit food. I make a valiant effort to eat more out of respect for Cassandra’s effort, but every mouthful is a form of punishment.

My thoughts drift back to last night. Should I contact Julian? How in God’s name are we supposed to execute this ridiculous plan?

I pick up my phone and type out a quick message, saving his number as ‘Julian The Mercenary’. Hello, it is the intoxicated heiress from the bar. A quick update: I am home, and your precious vehicle is unscathed. I will be in contact regarding our arrangement. Best, J.

I press send.

His reply is almost instantaneous. “Who?”

My God. He does not remember me. That is a special kind of humiliation.

But then a second message appears. “Just fucking with you. I am glad you are safe, Bianca. Keeping my phone close.”

He is impossible.

The sound of footsteps on the staircase draws my attention. Brandon and Rosa appear, their fingers laced together, wearing matching expressions of smug satisfaction.

“Good morning, Bianca!” Rosa chirps, her smile a blinding, expensive flash. “How was your breakfast?”

I mirror her saccharine expression. “Absolutely divine. Precisely what I needed. You are so right, we should all eat like this. Everyone is so terribly slim these days, architects might start designing narrower doorways.”

Rosa giggles, utterly oblivious to the barb. “That is so true, Bianca! Cassandra, we are ready for our breakfast now.”

Cassandra brings them two identical plates of miserable greens. A smirk tugs at my lips as Brandon takes a bite and his face contorts, his jaw working with obvious difficulty.

“You like it, babe?” Rosa asks, beaming.

Brandon nods, swallowing with visible effort. “Yes. It is… refreshing.”

Perfect. Now to give him something else to choke on.

“You know,” I begin, leaning back in my chair with an air of casual grace, “I have done a great deal of thinking. I realize I have been terribly unfair to you, Brandon. You did not deserve my anger.”

He looks at me, his gaze instantly suspicious. He knows me too well.

“You are my husband,” I continue, layering my voice with honey. “And every person is entitled to their own… curiosities, even if they are completely baffling. So, I have decided I am one hundred percent supportive of this new dynamic.”

Brandon looks profoundly uncomfortable. After all these years, he can always sense my lies.

But Rosa is not so perceptive. She seems genuinely pleased. “That is wonderful news, Bianca! I have always said humans were never designed for monogamy.”

“Is that so?” I ask, my eyebrow lifting again.

“Without a doubt. Our ancestors were natural explorers.”

Of course. A lecture on evolutionary biology from the woman fucking my husband. How enlightening.

“That is precisely why I have decided to embark on an expedition of my own,” I say, my eyes locked on Brandon. “I have found myself a boyfriend.”

Brandon goes completely still, his fork suspended in mid-air. Rosa’s brilliant smile finally cracks.

“A boyfriend?” Brandon asks, his voice dangerously low.

I let my own smile bloom, wide and full of venom. “That is correct, darling. It only seems fair. If you are going to explore new territory, then so the hell am I.”