Todos os capítulos de Shared by My Husband's Best Friends: Capítulo 1 - Capítulo 10

Prologue: Derek Two years ago. The night before the accident. She is asleep beside me. Nova. My wife. Her hair spills across my chest like dark silk. Her lips are slightly parted. Her hand rests over my heart. Even in sleep, she reaches for me. Even in sleep, she trusts me. I don't deserve her. I have never told her that out loud. But I feel it every night when the house goes quiet and my thoughts turn black. I met her four years ago at a charity gala I did not want to attend. She was wearing a green dress and laughing at something stupid. I walked up to her and said the first lie that came to mind: I am not usually this nervous. She smiled. She believed me. That was the beginning of every lie I have told her since. Because the truth is ugly. The truth is that I built my company on broken promises and buried competition. Marcus was my partner. He trusted me. I took everything from him. His share. His reputation. His will to fight. He sends me texts now, late at night, from numb

Chapter 2 After Derek said those words, maybe we need help – I waited for him to explain. He did not. He went to bed. He pulled the covers to his chin. He turned his back at me. The conversation was over. I lay beside him, staring at the ceiling, running through every possible meaning of help. A therapist. A physical rehabilitation specialist. A couples counselor. Those were the kinds of help I understood. I did not understand why he had looked at the guest bedroom. Weeks passed. Derek did not bring it up again. He went back to his routines. Physical therapy in the mornings. A nap in the afternoon. Television at night. The same hollow rhythm, day after day. I stopped asking questions. I stopped hoping for answers. The first year after the accident had been a slow drowning. The second year was worse, because hope died slowly. I became a ghost in my own house. I moved from room to room, cleaning surfaces that were already clean, cooking meals that went mostly uneaten. I

Chapter 4The stairs creaked under my bare feet. Each step felt like a countdown.The red dress moved against my thighs. Silk. Cool. Derek had chosen well. The neckline plunged. The back was open. My wet hair left dark marks on the fabric.Luca saw me first.He was standing by the dining table, a wine glass in his hand. His eyes went to the dress. Then to my face. Then back to the dress. His smirk faded into something else. Something hungrier.He said nothing. He just pulled out a chair.Derek was already seated at the head of the table. His cane rested against the wall. His face was pale but his eyes were bright. He looked at me the way he used to look at me before the accident. Like I was something precious. Something he could not believe was his.Eli stood by the window, looking out at the dark backyard. He did not turn when I entered. His shoulders were tense. His hands were in his pockets.I sat in the chair Luca had pulled out. He sat to my left. Derek at the head. The empty cha

I stood in the guest room, the crumpled note in my hand. Luca was watching me, his chest still bare, his eyes hard.He asked if I was going to do it.I asked what he meant.He said Derek wanted Eli to have a turn. Was I going to give it to him?I did not answer.Luca pulled on his shirt. He walked to the door. He stopped with his hand on the frame. He said he would not be jealous. He had no right. But he wanted me to know something.I asked what.He said Eli would not push. Eli would not take. Eli would wait forever if that was what I wanted. And that was the danger. Because waiting felt safe. But waiting was not living.Then he left.I sat on the edge of the bed. The sheets were still warm from where we had lain. The red dress was wrinkled. My lips were swollen.I read the note again.I watched. Thank you. Now it is Eli's turn.Derek had watched. He had seen Luca kiss me. He had seen Luca's hand on my skin. And instead of anger, he felt gratitude.My husband was a stranger.I stood u

I said yes.Derek exhaled. A small, shaky sound. He stepped back. He leaned against the wall across from the guest room door. His cane was in one hand. His eyes were fixed on me.I turned back to the room.Luca was still on the bed. His shirt was unbuttoned. His chest was bare. He was watching me with dark eyes.Eli was still in the chair. His book was closed. His hands were gripping the arms of the chair.I stood in the doorway. The red dress was still on me. The silk felt heavy.Luca spoke first. His voice was low. He asked if I was sure.I said yes.He said once Derek watched, there was no going back.I said I knew.Eli stood up. He walked to me. He stopped inches away. He looked at Derek in the hallway. Then back at me.He said he would not touch me if I was doing this for Derek.I said I was doing this for myself.He searched my face. Then he nodded.He took my hand. He led me to the bed. Luca moved aside. Eli sat on the edge. He pulled me down next to him.Luca knelt on the bed