It was a mistake

~SERENA POV~

The phone kept buzzing against the wooden nightstand.

CALLING: RYKER

My hands shook as I stared at the name flashing across the screen. Heat still flushed my skin from what had just happened in this bed. I had just slept with my husband's brother.

Cassian stood near the bathroom door with a towel low on his hips, water droplets sparkling on his bare chest. He leaned his head, watching me with a lazy, arrogant smirk.

"You going to answer that, sister-in-law?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and swiped the green icon.

"Where the hell are you, Serena?" Ryker's voice barked through the speaker, tight with anger. "I'm standing outside the house. Do you have any idea what time it is?"

He wasn't worried about me.

He was just annoyed that his dutiful wife wasn't where she was supposed to be.

"I'm at Lora's," I lied, keeping my voice flat.

"Since when do you go to Lora's in the middle of the night without telling me?" he snapped. "Get back home. Right now."

A few hours ago, I would have apologized and hurried out the door.

"No."

The word left my mouth before I could stop it.

Silence stretched over the line. Ryker sounded stunned. "What did you just say to me?"

"I'm not coming home tonight," I said calmly.

"Have you lost your mind, Serena? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm tired, Ryker. We'll talk tomorrow."

I hung up before he could say another word.

My heart blasted against my chest. I had never spoken to him like that in five years of marriage.

Cassian let out a low chuckle. "Look at you, standing up to the big bad husband."

I turned away, pulling the silk sheet higher around my chest. "I need to get dressed."

---

I pulled my clothes back on with trembling fingers.

Every inch of my body felt different, sensitized and aching from the hours we had spent together. I tried to avoid eye contact with Cassian, but he made no effort to cover up as he pulled on his trousers.

He looked completely relaxed.

He wasn't staring at me like I was the love of my life. He wasn't acting guilty or conflicted. He looked like a man who had enjoyed his evening and was ready for whatever came next.

'It was one night,' I told myself, squeezing my purse to my stomach. 'It was a mistake. It ends right here.'

"You leaving already?" Cassian asked casually, leaning back against the edge of his dresser.

"Yes."

"That's a shame." He buttoned his white shirt without breaking eye contact.

"Why?"

"I was beginning to enjoy having you around."

I shot him a sharp glare. He only offered a slow, playboy smile in return. He didn't care about the risk or the drama. He was just enjoying my reaction.

"This was a one-time thing, Cassian," I said, stepping toward the door. "It won't happen again."

Cassian pushed off the dresser and took three slow steps toward me, closing the distance between us easily.

"We could always keep this going," he murmured.

I froze, staring at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me." He shrugged, resting one hand against the wall behind my head, trapping me in his space. "We're good together, Serena. Better than good."

"You want me to become your mistress?" My voice raised in disbelief.

Cassian laughed softly, the sound low and rich. "Relax. I'm not asking you to marry me."

Heat flooded my cheeks. "I am married."

"So am I supposed to be the moral one here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I glared at him, my breath catching in my throat. "You're terrible."

"And you're getting a divorce," he added smoothly.

The statement knocked the air straight out of my lungs. I looked up into his dark eyes, searching his face.

"How do you know that?"

He didn't answer. He just kept that knowing smile on his face, enjoying the way he held all the power in the room.

---

"I didn't say I was getting a divorce," I muttered, trying to step around him.

Cassian caught my wrist gently, stopping me in my tracks. "You don't have to say it. I can see it in your eyes."

"Let go of me."

He released my wrist instantly, raising both hands in mock surrender. "Whatever you say."

"I'm going home," I insisted, clutching my bag tightly. "I'm not playing these games with you."

"That's very convincing," he said, leaning his hip against a heavy wooden armchair.

"It is."

"You're blushing, Serena."

"I'm angry."

"Those two things aren't mutually exclusive."

I took a quick step toward him, irritation flaring in my chest. "Do you think everything is a joke, Cassian?"

"I know," he said, his expression turning serious for a moment. "Which is why I'm offering you an option."

He sat down on the leather armchair, looking up at me. I turned to leave. My heel caught the edge of the plush rug.

I stumbled.

Cassian caught me before I hit the floor, his quick reflexes pulling me back. Somehow, I ended up sitting across his lap.

Cassian's arms wrapped around my waist, steadying me before I could fall. His broad chest felt warm against me, as if a wave had washed over me.

I froze, my breath catching in my throat as I looked down at him.

"You're doing it again," Cassian whispered, his hands resting firmly on my hips.

"Doing what?"

"Looking at my mouth."

"I am not," I lied, trying to push off his chest.

"Sure."

Before I could pull away, Cassian cupped the back of my neck and pulled me down into a hard, deep kiss. My head spun. The taste of him flooded my senses again, clean and addictive.

For two seconds, I completely forgot where I was. I leaned my head, kissing him back with a sudden, strong hunger that terrified me.

Then reality hit back into my chest.

I pulled away abruptly, sliding off his lap and standing up on unsteady legs. My breathing came in shallow gasps as I straightened my dress.

I wiped my lower lip with the back of my hand, glaring at him. "Don't do that again."

Cassian didn't chase after me. He didn't try to grab me again. He simply leaned back in the chair, looking far too amused by my reaction.

"You didn't exactly stop me."

I froze, my throat tight. He was right....I hadn't stopped him.

Cassian's amusement vanished.

"You're going home to an empty bed tonight, Serena."

My stomach twisted into a knot. "What?"

"My brother probably won't be in that bed alone."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Suddenly, the memories rushed back, razor-sharp and suffocating.

Ryker's mocking laugh behind the study door. The woman's voice giggling on the other end of his phone.

'She's a dead fish in bed.'

The untouched anniversary dinner left on the dining table. Five years of trying to be the perfect, submissive wife while he treated me like furniture.

I had spent half a decade shrinking myself to keep a man who didn't even respect me.

Cassian watched the change on my face, his playboy charm completely gone now. "So what are you going to do, sister-in-law?"

Silence filled the room.

I looked at the doorway, then down at my bare left hand where my wedding ring used to sit.The fear was gone, the doubt was gone.

All that was left was a cold, clear fire burning in my chest.

"I'm going to divorce him."