Chapter 2

Ruined By My Husband's Brothers (2)

Gabriella 

By the time I picked it up and finally managed to hit the delete button, the little 'seen' icon had already appeared.

My heart stopped. My brother-in-law had just heard me have a mental breakdown. He had heard me admit I wanted to be 'taken' by someone who wasn't his big brother.

I stared at the screen, waiting for the mockery. I was waiting for him to tell me that he was going to tell Derek, for the final blow to my dignity.

Then, three dots appeared.

Brent: I heard everything, Gabriella.

I squeezed my eyes shut, a fresh wave of mortification washing over me. I began typing a frantic apology, my thumbs stumbling over the keyboard. 

'Brent, I am so sorry, that was meant for a friend, please forget you heard that, please don't tell Derek—'

I hadn't finished typing when his new message cut me off.

Brent: Don't apologize. And don't worry about Derek. We’ve known what a piece of shit he is for a long time. We’ve seen how he treats you. How he tries to hide you away like a trophy he's afraid someone will steal.

I froze. We?

Brent: I’m sitting here with Arden and Elden. We’re tired of watching him destroy you. He doesn't deserve a woman like you. He never did. He's a weak man who has to break something beautiful to feel strong.

I didn't know how to respond. The air in the room felt electric, charged with a sudden, dangerous shift in the atmosphere.

Brent: You said you wanted to hurt him. You said you wanted to feel something. We have an offer for you, Gabriella. A way out. We have the best divorce attorneys in the city on retainer. We can ensure you get the house, the assets, and the freedom you deserve. We can make sure he's left with nothing.

My breath caught. ‘Why would you do that for me?’

I typed, my heart racing.

Brent: Because we’ve wanted you since the second he brought you home. Because we’ve spent two years imagining what it would be like to take and cherish what he’s too stupid to appreciate.

Then came the long, explicit paragraph that had sent me into a spiral. The description of what they wanted to do to me. The filming. The revenge.

Brent: That’s the price, Gabriella. You let us claim you. You let us record it. You give us your submission and we give you your life back. And when it’s over, we send him the video as a parting gift. Let him see exactly how his 'quiet' wife looks when she’s being worshipped by three real men.

I dropped the phone onto the duvet as if it had burned me. I couldn't do this. They were his brothers. It was sick. It was insane. It was...

It was the most wanted I had felt in years.

I deleted the thread. I blocked the number. I spent the next three days in a daze, trying to pretend like they hadn't just offered almost everything I wanted on a silver platter. 

I tried to be the perfect, obedient wife again. I cooked Derek’s favorite meals. I kept the house clean like he said and I even wore the drab, high-necked sweaters he liked.

But Derek didn't care.

On the fourth day, I heard the front door open and so I walked into the foyer, expecting Derek, but he wasn't alone. He was carrying two large suitcases, and behind him stood the same blonde mistress from the bedroom the other day.

"This is Chloe," Derek introduced, not even looking at me as he set the bags down. "She’s moving into the master's bedroom with me. You can stay in the guest room. I expect you to show her where everything is and make her feel welcomed. She has a strict routine so also make sure to pay attention to her needs."

Chloe gave me a triumphant, nasty little smile. "I hope you don't mind, sweetie. Derek says I'm much more... adventurous than you are."

Derek laughed, squeezing her hip right in front of me. "A lot more. Now, go make us some coffee, Gabriella. We’re tired from the drive here."

Something inside me didn't just crack; it shattered into a million fucking pieces. The fear that had kept me paralyzed for two years evaporated, replaced by a cold, searing white heat that I recognized as anger. 

He didn't just want to cheat; he wanted to humiliate me in my own home. He wanted to rub my so-called replacement in my face. And to think she isn't even half the woman I was before I settled for Derek's sorry ass!

I didn't make the coffee. I walked back to the guest room and locked the door. My hands were steady as I reached for my phone and unblocked the number.

My thumb hovered over the screen for only a second before I typed the words.

'Is the offer still standing?'

The reply came almost instantly but it wasn't from Brent this time.

Elden: We’ve been waiting for you to realize you’re ours, little bird. Derek is leaving for his business trip to Dubai tomorrow morning, isn't he?

'Yes,' I replied, my pulse thrumming in my throat.

Arden: Perfect. Get ready, princess. We’re coming over tomorrow night. And Gabriella? Don’t bother wearing any panties. We’re just going to tear them off anyway.

I leaned my head back against the door, a shaky breath escaping my lips. I was stepping into the lion's den. I was about to betray my marriage with three men who shared my husband’s blood.

But as I looked at the bruises on my arms from where Derek had gripped me too hard last week, I didn't feel guilty. I felt an uprising of something dark and hungry.

I felt a thrill run through me.

I was going to be ruined. 

And I couldn't wait.