My Husband’s Rival

The museum was filled with the sound of a hundred violins, but to me, it sounded like a funeral.

Every step I took in my high heels felt like I was walking on fire. My stomach was in knots, not just from the nerves, but from the fear I felt.

In my mind, I felt like I was already showing. I felt like the whole world could see the secret growing inside me, even though my stomach was still flat under the blue dress.

"Keep your head up, Elena," Mark hissed, leaning into my ear. He was sweating. I could see the moisture on his forehead even in the dim gala lighting. "You look like you’re going to a wake. Smile. Look happy. Look like the wife of a man who deserves to be a Managing Director."

"I'm trying, Mark," I whispered. My voice felt like it was coming from a mile away.

"Try harder. Vane is here somewhere. I need to find him before the other VPs corner him. This is my night. Don’t ruin it with your stagnant mood."

He used that word again.

Stagnant.

I looked at him and felt a wave of pity. He was so small. He was a little man in a big suit, trying to beg for a scrap of power from a man he didn't even know.

"There he is," Mark gasped. He gripped my elbow so hard I winced. "By the bar. Stay close."

He dragged me through the crowd. I felt like a doll being pulled along. People waved, people spoke, but I didn't see them. I only saw the back of the man standing in the center of a circle of powerful people.

He was taller than everyone else. His shoulders were broader. Even from behind, he looked like he was made of something harder than flesh and bone.

"Mr. Vane!" Mark called out, his voice a little too high, a little too eager.

The circle of people parted.

Julian Vane turned around.

Up close, under the bright lights of the gala, he was terrifying. He didn't look like a call boy. He didn't look like the man who had whispered to me in the dark. His eyes were cold, sharp, and lethal.

"Mr. Vane," Mark said, stepping forward with his hand outstretched. He was practically vibrating with nerves. "I'm Mark Montgomery. Senior VP of the firm. I've been looking forward to this merger for a long time. Vane Industries is exactly the kind of leadership we need."

Julian didn't look at Mark’s hand. He didn't even acknowledge it. He just stood there, his hands in his pockets, looking at Mark like he was a bug on his windshield.

"Montgomery," Julian said. His voice was the same, deep, and powerful. It sent a shiver straight down my spine that I couldn't hide.

"Yes, sir! And I’d love for you to meet my wife, Elena," Mark said, pulling me forward. "She’s the heart of my home. We’re a real family-values couple, Mr. Vane. We believe in loyalty. In tradition."

I thought I might throw up right there on the marble floor. Loyalty? Tradition? Mark was a liar, and he was using me to sell his lie.

Julian’s eyes shifted from Mark to me.

The coldness in his gaze vanished, replaced by something much more dangerous. It was a predatory, possessive hunger. It was the look of a man who had found something he thought he’d lost and he wasn't going to let it go again.

"Your wife," Julian said slowly.

"Yes, sir," Mark beamed, completely oblivious to the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. "Elena, darling, say hello to Mr. Vane."

I looked up at him. I had to. My heart was beating so fast I could hear it in my ears. "Hello, Mr. Vane," I whispered.

"Elena," Julian said. He said my name like a secret. "A pleasure to meet you. Your husband has told me... so much about your traditions but you haven’t said anything.”

Mark chuckled, a nervous, brown-nosing sound. "She’s a bit shy, sir. But she’s the perfect partner. Behind every great man, right?"

Julian’s lip curled in a tiny, disgusted sneer. He looked back at Mark. "Is that what you think you are, Montgomery? A great man?"

Mark blinked, his smile faltering. "Well, I... I’ve hit all my targets for the last three quarters, sir. I’m very dedicated to the firm’s growth."

"Targets," Julian repeated. He looked back at me, his eyes burning holes through my blue dress. He looked like he wanted to reach out and pull me away from Mark right then and there. "And what about your other targets? Are you as dedicated to your wife as you are to your spreadsheets?"

Mark laughed nervously. "Of course, sir! My Elena is my world. Isn't that right, babe?"

I couldn't even nod. I was trapped in Julian’s stare. He was mocking Mark. He was mocking the whole situation. He knew. He knew Mark had cheated. He knew about the "open marriage." And he knew exactly what I looked like when I wasn't being a "good wife."

"She’s quiet tonight," Julian remarked, his voice dropping an octave. "Perhaps she’s tired. Or perhaps she has something on her mind."

"Oh, she’s just overwhelmed by the occasion," Mark said, wiping sweat from his neck. "Say, Mr. Vane, I’d love to show you the projections for the Q4 expansion. I have them on my tablet."

Julian didn't look at him. "I'm thirsty, Montgomery. Why don't you go find me a glass of that vintage scotch they’re hiding in the VIP lounge? And get one for your wife, too. She looks like she needs a drink."

"Of course! Right away!" Mark said. He didn't even hesitate. He scrambled away, desperate to prove he could be Julian’s errand boy if it meant a promotion.

Suddenly, it was just us.

The crowd was still there, but they felt miles away.

Julian stepped closer. I stepped back. He stepped closer again, and before I could move, he reached out. His hand didn't go for my waist, he grabbed my wrist, his thumb pressing against my pulse.

He could feel how fast my heart was going.

"A call boy, Elena?" he whispered. His voice was a low growl. "Isn’t that what you thought I was?"

"I... I didn't know," I gasped, trying to pull away. "I just followed the link. I didn't know it was you."

"You left money on my table," he said. His eyes were dark with a mix of amusement and fury. "Five thousand dollars. For my 'services.'"

"I wanted to be even with him," I said, my voice shaking. "I wanted to feel like I wasn't the only one being used."

"You’re not even with him," Julian said, stepping even closer. He smelled exactly like he did that night. "You’re way ahead of him. Because while he’s out there begging for a job, I’m standing here thinking about exactly what I’m going to do to him for ever letting you go"

"Please," I whispered. "Don't. Just let me go. I won’t say anything about that night, I'll disappear—"

"No," Julian said.

He didn't give me a choice. He moved so fast I didn't have time to react.

He dragged me gently towards a massive marble pillar in the shadows of the gallery, away from the prying eyes of the guests. He pinned me against the cold stone, his body on mine.

He put one hand on the pillar next to my head and used the other to tilt my chin up.

"You aren't disappearing anywhere," he said. His face was inches from mine. "You’re the only woman who ever had the balls to pay me for a night. And you’re the only woman I haven't been able to stop thinking about for thirty days."

"Please stop. Mark will be back any second—"

"Let him come," Julian said. He looked down at my stomach, his eyes softening for just a fraction of a second before turning hard again. "You look different, Elena. Pale. Nervous. Are you sick?"

"No," I lied immediately.

He narrowed his eyes. He leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear. "I don't like being lied to. Especially by people who owe me."

"I don't owe you anything," I snapped, a spark of my old rage coming back. "I paid the five thousand. We’re square."

"We aren't even close to square," Julian whispered. He moved his hand from my chin, his fingers grazing down my neck, sending electric shocks through my body. "You’re hiding something, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes. The fear."

I felt my stomach flip again. The nausea was back, and it was worse this time. I turned my head away, trying to hide my face.

"I have to go," I said, my voice cracking.

"You’re not going anywhere until I say so," Julian said.

Behind us, I heard the sound of Mark’s voice. "Mr. Vane? I have the scotch!"

Julian didn't move. He stayed pinned against me for one more second, his eyes searching mine, looking for the truth I was trying so hard to hide.

"This isn't over, Elena," he whispered. "Not by a long shot."

He stepped back just as Mark rounded the corner, holding two glasses of scotch and looking like a proud golden retriever.

"Here we go, sir! The best they had," Mark said, handing a glass to Julian. He didn't even notice the way my chest was heaving or the way Julian was looking at me like he wanted to devour me.

Julian took the glass. He didn't drink. He just looked at Mark with a cold, terrifying smile.

"Thank you, Montgomery," Julian said. "You’ve been very helpful. But I think I’ve seen enough for one night."

"Oh, of course! Does that mean... the promotion?" Mark asked, his eyes wide with hope.

Julian looked at me, then back at Mark. "It means your future is in my hands. And I’m very particular about what I keep."

Julian turned and walked away, his security detail immediately forming a wall around him.

Mark stood there, grinning like an idiot. "Did you hear that, Elena? My future is in his hands! We’re going to be rich! We’re going to be the top of the world!"

I looked at Mark, then at the disappearing back of the man who really owned me. I felt the nausea hit me one more time, and this time, I knew it wasn't just nerves.

I was pregnant. And the father of my baby wasn't my husband. It was the man who was about to destroy him.

TBC