Chapter 6: Caught by My Husband

"Ask Adrian why he was at that hotel bar three months ago."

For a second, nobody moved. Not Nathaniel. Not Adrian. Not even the servants pretending they were invisible near the dining room doors.

My fingers tightened around the staircase railing, knuckles blanching white as I fought against the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

I hated that Celeste's words struck home. I hated that my curiosity outweighed my pride.

Slowly, I turned to face Adrian.

His eyes went somewhere else for just a moment, not to Celeste, not to Nathaniel, and then met my eyes back.

My stomach plummeted. "What does she mean?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Celeste's smile was triumphant, but her eyes betrayed a hint of moisture. "Ask him."

Nathaniel's voice rang out, sharp and commanding. "Enough."

"No," I replied, locking my gaze with Adrian's. "I want to hear it from him."

Adrian raked a hand through his hair, his mouth opening and closing as if the truth was a live wire that threatened to shock him.

That frightened me.

Because the Adrian I thought I knew always had a comeback. Always had a quip, a dangerous edge.

Now, he looked like a man trapped by his own secrets.

"I knew who you were that night," he admitted, his voice strained. "I saw the announcement in the paper. Nathaniel's engagement. And I went to that bar because I wanted to see what kind of woman would agree to marry him."

My heart thudded painfully in my chest. "You knew? Before the wedding, you knew I was marrying your brother?"

"I told myself I just wanted to look. To see what he was getting." His jaw tightened. "But then you walked in, and you were... you were nothing like I expected."

Nathaniel stepped closer. "Tell her the rest, brother."

Adrian's eyes flared. "Shut up."

He turned back to me, vulnerability etched across his features. "I didn't plan to talk to you. I didn't plan for any of this. But you were drinking alone, and you looked so fucking sad, and I couldn't-"

"Couldn't what?" I pressed. "Couldn't resist playing with me? Testing whether I'd cheat before I even made it to the altar?"

"No." His voice dropped to a hush. "I couldn't resist wanting you to choose something. Anything. Even a stranger in a bar, rather than let him have you without a fight."

I turned to Nathaniel, searching his face. "And you? Did you know about this?"

Nathaniel's gaze was steady, impenetrable. "I knew Adrian went to the bar that night. I didn't know he spoke to you. But I knew he was watching. Waiting to see what I'd acquired."

"Acquired?"

"You were a merger, Claire. A transaction." His voice was smooth, almost mocking. "I assumed my brother would understand that better than anyone."

Adrian stepped closer to him, anger flaring. "Don't twist this. I didn't go there to help your fucking merger."

"No." Nathaniel smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "You went to destroy it. And instead, you fell into it. How poetic."

I looked between them, the realization hitting me hard. "I was part of your punishment," I said quietly, my voice breaking. "For whatever he did to you. That's why you came back. That's why you couldn't stay away."

Something flickered across Nathaniel's face; a crack in that cold façade that disappeared almost instantly.

Adrian stepped toward me. "Claire."

I backed away from both of them, instinctively shielding myself. "No. Don't touch me."

Pain crossed Adrian's face, and Nathaniel's jaw tightened in response.

"I'm leaving," I said, turning and rushing up the staircase.

This time, no one stopped me. Not until I reached the second-floor landing. A hand caught my wrist, and I spun around, ready to lash out.

Adrian.

He released me instantly, hands raised as if to show he meant no harm. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice gentle but raw.

I let out a broken laugh. "Which part?"

"All of it."

"You were angry at Nathaniel, and I was just there."

"No." He stepped closer, his gaze intense. "Never just there."

I should have walked away. I should have screamed for him to leave me alone.

But the hallway was empty, and his eyes held the weight of that night I had tried so hard to bury.

"I hate you," I whispered, the admission tasting bitter on my tongue.

"I know."

"I hate that I remember you."

His breathing grew uneven as he took a step closer. "Claire."

"I hate that when everything in this house feels like a cage, you still feel like the door."

His resolve crumbled then. Adrian crossed the distance between us in an instant, capturing my lips with his in a kiss that was anything but gentle. It was desperate, raw; filled with regret and the ache of a night we had both tried to forget.

For one fleeting moment, I kissed him back. God help me, I did.

Tears burned my eyes, spilling over before I could stop them. His thumb brushed them away but they kept coming, blurring everything until I couldn't tell if I was kissing him or drowning.

My hands tangled in the fabric of his shirt, and his arm wrapped around my waist, as if anchoring me to a moment suspended in time.

This was wrong. This was ruin. This was everything I had promised myself I wouldn't want.

Reality crashed back, a tidal wave of clarity. I remembered where I was. Who I was. Whose ring was on my finger.

I pushed him away, breathless, panic flooding my senses. "No."

Adrian froze, his lips parted, his dark eyes searching mine.

"I'm sorry," he said again, voice rougher this time.

I wiped my mouth with trembling fingers, feeling the remnants of his touch linger like a brand. "You cannot be my escape."

His expression fell, crushed.

Before he could respond, a voice echoed from the end of the hallway.

"No," Nathaniel said quietly. "He cannot."

I spun around to face Nathaniel, who stood near the stairs, still, silent, a predator watching his prey.

His gaze moved from my swollen lips to Adrian's hand, still lingering near my waist.

Then he smiled. But this time, there was no triumph in it, only something colder, more dangerous.

"My office," he commanded.

I lifted my chin, defiance flaring. "No."

His gaze locked onto mine, unwavering. "Now, Claire."

Adrian stepped forward, protectively. "You don't command her."

Nathaniel didn't even glance at him. "She will come," he stated, his voice a chilling certainty.

My heart pounded as I faced Nathaniel. "Why would I?"

He reached into his coat and pulled out a folded document.

The world tilted on its axis as he held it out to me. "Because your father signed one more clause."

Fear coiled in my gut.

"And this one is about what happens if you betray me with my brother."