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หน้าหลัก / Romance / She Marries The Wrong Brother / Chapter Two

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Chapter Two

ผู้เขียน: Livia Vale
last update ปรับปรุงล่าสุด: 2026-01-06 20:50:45

She did not sleep again.

She lay on the edge of the bed, wrapped tightly in the sheets as though fabric alone could protect her, staring at the faint line of light creeping in through the heavy curtains. Morning came quietly, without apology, as if nothing irreversible had happened during the night.

Behind her, he moved.

Not suddenly. Not loudly. The mattress dipped with controlled ease, and she felt the shift immediately, her body responding before her mind could catch up. She did not turn around.

“You don’t need to pretend you’re asleep,” he said.

His voice was calm, irritatingly so, like a man discussing schedules instead of dismantling someone’s life.

“I’m not,” she replied.

“Good.”

She finally turned, sitting up again, keeping distance between them. He was already dressed, dark trousers, crisp shirt, sleeves rolled back slightly. He looked composed. Untouched. Like the night before had cost him nothing.

“Where is your brother?” she asked.

He adjusted his cuff slowly. “Safe.”

Her jaw tightened. “That’s not an answer.”

“It’s the only one you’re getting for now.”

“For now,” she repeated. “So this is temporary to you?”

He paused, then looked at her directly. “Nothing about this is temporary.”

The words landed heavily.

She stood, the floor cold beneath her feet. “You don’t get to decide that.”

“I already did.”

She laughed, sharp and humorless. “You really think you can control this because you signed a few documents?”

“No,” he replied evenly. “I think I control this because everyone else will protect what happened.”

Her stomach twisted. “Why would they?”

“Because,” he said, stepping closer, “this family survives on appearances. And right now, you are the appearance.”

She clenched her fists. “I didn’t agree to this.”

“You agreed to a marriage,” he said. “The name was never the most important part.”

She looked at him then, really looked at him, and for the first time, fear settled deeper than panic.

“You planned this,” she whispered.

“Yes.”

The honesty unsettled her more than denial would have.

“Why me?”

He studied her for a long moment before answering. “Because you were the one my brother never questioned.”

Her chest tightened. “That doesn’t make sense.”

“It will,” he said.

A knock interrupted them.

Sharp. Precise. Confident.

He turned toward the door without hesitation. “Come in.”

An older woman stepped inside, impeccably dressed, her eyes immediately scanning the room, then landing on her with calculated warmth.

“Good morning,” the woman said. “I trust you slept well.”

She stared at her in disbelief.

“I—”

“This is Mrs. Calder,” he said smoothly. “She manages the household.”

Mrs. Calder smiled. “Congratulations on your marriage. Breakfast will be ready shortly.”

Marriage.

The word echoed painfully.

Mrs. Calder glanced at him. “Your family expects you downstairs within the hour.”

“I’ll join them,” he replied.

The woman nodded and turned to her. “If you need anything, you may ask me.”

Then she left.

The door closed softly.

She felt the walls closing in.

“You told them already,” she said.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t even wait.”

“There was no reason to.”

Her voice shook. “They think I chose you.”

“They think you are my wife,” he corrected. “The rest doesn’t matter.”

She stepped back. “I won’t play along.”

He watched her carefully. “You will.”

Her eyes burned. “You’re enjoying this.”

“No,” he said quietly. “I’m managing it.”

“That’s worse.”

He took a step closer, stopping just short of touching her. “You can scream. You can fight. You can refuse to eat or attend or smile. But when you walk into that room, you will do so beside me.”

“And if I don’t?”

He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering. “Then my brother loses everything he was protecting.”

Her breath hitched.

“You wouldn’t.”

“I already did,” he said.

Silence filled the room, thick and suffocating.

She turned away, anger and helplessness warring inside her. She wanted to break something. To run. To disappear. Instead, she did the only thing left to her.

She straightened her shoulders.

“When this ends,” she said, “you’ll regret it.”

He watched her closely, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

“When this ends,” he replied, “you won’t want it to.”

She looked back at him sharply. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

A faint smile crossed his face. “I don’t need to.”

A moment later, he opened the door and gestured toward the hallway.

“Come,” he said. “They’re waiting.”

She hesitated only a second before stepping forward.

Not because she accepted this.

But because she refused to be crushed by it.

And as she crossed the threshold beside him, she did not notice the way his gaze softened, just slightly, as though the war he had started had finally begun to interest him.

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  • She Marries The Wrong Brother    Chapter Fifteen

    She did not sleep well.The night passed in uneven stretches, drifting in and out of shallow rest, her thoughts circling the same points until they blurred together. When morning finally came, it felt less like relief and more like an interruption. She lay still for a moment, listening to the house wake around her, then sat up slowly.The lock on her door stared back at her, a quiet reminder of the night before.She dressed with more care than usual, smoothing her clothes as if order might steady her thoughts. By the time she left her room, her expression was composed, but the tension beneath it had not faded.At breakfast, he was already there.He stood near the window, phone in hand, speaking in a low voice. She caught fragments of the conversation as she entered. Business. Deadlines. Someone asking for assurances he did not seem inclined to give. When he ended the call, he turned toward her, his gaze pausing just long enough to take her in.“You slept,” he said.“A little,” she rep

  • She Marries The Wrong Brother    Chapter Fourteen

    She did not mean to avoid him.At first, it happened without intention. She lingered longer than necessary in the garden, fingers brushing over leaves she could not name. She chose the longer staircase instead of the one that passed his study. When dinner was announced, she arrived late enough to miss conversation but early enough not to be questioned.By nightfall, avoidance had become a decision.The house noticed.Every sound felt amplified, every door closing somewhere distant carried weight. She could feel the tension in the air, stretched thin like something waiting to snap. She told herself it was exhaustion, that the past few days had been too much, that her nerves were simply frayed.But she knew better.She had begun to anticipate him. To wonder where he was when he wasn’t immediately present. To notice the absence of his attention the way one notices a missing limb only after it has gone.She reached the corridor leading to her room when his voice came from behind her.“You

  • She Marries The Wrong Brother    Chapter Thirteen

    She woke with the lingering sense of having been watched.The thought came before reason, before memory. It sat heavy in her chest as she lay still, listening to the quiet hum of the house settling into morning. When she finally pushed herself upright, daylight had already crept through the curtains, pale and uninviting.The events of the previous day returned in pieces. The visit. The tension between the brothers. The way her husband had positioned himself without asking, without explanation, as though it were instinct rather than intention.She dressed slowly, choosing her clothes with more care than usual. It annoyed her that she noticed such things now, that she wondered how he would look at her, what conclusions he might draw from small choices. She told herself it was about control, about not giving him unnecessary leverage.Downstairs, the house was quieter than she expected. No voices. No movement beyond the distant sound of staff somewhere out of sight. She poured herself cof

  • She Marries The Wrong Brother    Chapter Twelve

    She did not see the other brother until it was too late to pretend she hadn’t.He was already in the sitting room when she entered, seated with an ease that suggested familiarity, one leg crossed over the other, a glass of something amber catching the light in his hand. He looked up at her and smiled, slow and knowing, as if her presence amused him.“So,” he said, standing, “you’re real after all.”She stopped short. “I’m sorry?”He laughed softly. “I was beginning to think my brother had invented you. He’s good at keeping things to himself.”The way he said things made her wary, as if every word had been chosen to land somewhere specific. “I didn’t know we were expecting company.”“We weren’t,” he replied easily. “But I had business nearby.”She doubted that very much.Before she could respond, she felt it, that familiar shift in the air, the subtle awareness that had become impossible to ignore. She didn’t need to turn around to know he had entered the room. His presence settled beh

  • She Marries The Wrong Brother    Chapter Eleven

    She woke before dawn, not because of a sound, but because the house felt too aware of her presence.The silence was different at that hour, heavier, as if it had settled deliberately. She lay still for a moment, listening, then sat up slowly. The clock glowed faintly beside the bed. Too early to be restless, too late to call it a dream.She dressed without turning on the lights.By the time she reached the kitchen, the sky outside had begun to pale. She poured herself water, leaned against the counter, and let the coolness of the glass steady her thoughts. The events of the previous day replayed themselves with uncomfortable clarity. The meeting. The looks. His quiet approval, offered as if it were a reward she had not known she was competing for.“You’re awake early.”She turned. He stood at the entrance, already dressed, jacket slung over one shoulder. He looked like someone who had been awake for hours, waiting.“I could say the same,” she replied.He moved farther into the room, s

  • She Marries The Wrong Brother    Chapter Ten

    Morning came quietly, without relief.The house looked the same in daylight, orderly and elegant, every surface polished to the point of intimidation. She moved through it carefully, as if noise itself might offend someone. Even her footsteps felt too loud on the marble floor.He was already awake.She realized it when she entered the dining area and found him seated at the table, jacket folded neatly beside his plate, sleeves rolled just enough to show his forearms. He looked up when she stopped short, her hesitation not lost on him.“You’re late,” he said, not accusingly, but not kindly either.She checked the clock on the wall. She wasn’t late. She chose not to correct him.“I didn’t know there was a schedule,” she replied, keeping her voice even as she took the seat across from him.“There is now.”The words settled between them, heavy with implication. He watched her closely as she reached for the cup of tea placed at her setting, his gaze following the small movements of her han

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