She Saved Her Brother, And Lost Her Husband Forever

"Alright, I'll go take a shower. Wait for me, okay?"

I watched as Isabella happily walked toward the bathroom, the smile on my face slowly fading away.

Sorry, Isabella. This would be the last time I waited for you.

When she returned, fresh from the shower, she found me already deep in sleep. She muttered something under her breath, then, as always, wrapped her arms around my waist and drifted off beside me.

What had once been a position that filled me with warmth now felt stifling, even suffocating.

The next morning, before we were fully awake, a loud knock at the bedroom door startled us.

Isabella frowned, then, with a tenderness I didn't deserve, she tucked the blanket around me and went to open the door.

Outside, Dash Moore pushed past her, his eyes immediately locking on me. His expression twisted with both fury and pain.

He gritted his teeth, glaring at Isabella with barely contained resentment before letting out a cold snort and turning to leave.

"Brother?"

Isabella lifted her foot, eager to chase after Dash, but then her eyes softened and she pulled it back. She turned to me, her gaze filled with something unreadable.

"Darling, my brother's probably upset. You should rest a little longer. I'll go check on him."

Before I could say a word, she was already rushing out, a little too eager to leave.

With all the commotion, sleep was a distant thought. I rose, made breakfast and tidied up the kitchen, the movements almost mechanical.

When I headed downstairs with the trash, a thought crossed my mind. I decided to take the fire escape, seeking a bit of fresh air to clear my mind.

But the moment my fingers grazed the doorknob, Dash's voice stopped me. His words were heavy, laden with frustration.

"Isabella, you're such a liar. Just yesterday, you told me you've stayed pure for me and now today, you're sharing a bed with him?"

Isabella's sigh was soft, almost like a laugh tinged with helplessness.

"Brother, don't be ridiculous. River and I are legally married. If we slept in separate beds, people would talk."

"But believe me, I've never let him touch me. We only sleep beside each other," she added, her voice laced with a false sense of innocence.

Dash let out a cold, dismissive snort. "I don't care. Even lying beside each other is unacceptable. I'm not happy about it."

Isabella's voice trembled as she responded, "Alright, alright. Then what do you want me to do, hmm?"

His response was sharp, his tone possessive. "I want Isabella to stay with me for a whole month. You can only sleep next to your brother."

Isabella hesitated, her lips parting with a soft "hmm" before his aggressive, demanding kisses pulled her under his control.

"Come on, say it. Yes or no? If you don't agree, I'll kiss your lips until they're swollen."

"Okay, okay, I'll figure something out. Don't be so rough; your sister still has to face people, you know."

The tension in the room tightened and unable to bear their lovey-dovey exchange any longer, I released the door handle and silently retreated to the elevator.

Upstairs, Isabella was already sitting at the dining table, eating the breakfast I had made. She glanced up when I entered, her face filled with guilt.

"Darling, there's a business trip out of town. The client is really difficult and Briar and the others can't handle it. I have to go; it might take a month."

I froze for a moment, taken aback by her excuse.

In the first year of our marriage, she had gone on a three-day business trip. I ended up hospitalized with a gastric bleed, left alone, with no one there to care for me.

When she came back and found out, she immediately declared to the company that she'd never go on another business trip. She would rather give up on out-of-town clients than be away from me for even a day.

That was the moment she became famous for having a "love brain."

Now, with her true love back, it was no surprise that she had conveniently forgotten all those things she once pretended to care about.

I nodded at her, the weight of the situation settling over me. "Then I'll pack your luggage."

As I opened the suitcase that hadn't been seen in a long time, a sketch slipped out.

I picked it up; it was the draft of the ring I was currently wearing. Inside the setting of the diamond, two letters were hidden: DI.

The designer of that ring? Dash.

A chill ran through me and my fingers trembled uncontrollably.