They Called Me Insane, Then I Took Back My Empire

"I'm telling you, Mark, Isaac has been acting strange lately," I said, gripping my steering wheel as I pulled into my driveway.

"Strange how, Crystal?" Mark's voice crackled through the car's Bluetooth.

"He's distant. He avoids talking about the merger. And he keeps asking about my father's shares."

"They are your shares now," Mark reminded me. "You hold fifty-one percent of Dawson Enterprises. Don't sign anything without letting me read it first."

"I wouldn't do that," I said, frowning at the dashboard. "But he’s my husband. He runs the daily operations. He says consolidating the shares under his name will make the board respect him more."

"The board respects profit," Mark countered sharply. "Keep your equity. If he loves you, he won't pressure you."

"I know, I know. I'll talk to him tonight. I just want a quiet evening with him."

"Call me tomorrow," Mark said. "We have the quarterly review at ten."

"Will do. Bye."

I ended the call and grabbed my purse. The evening air felt unusually cold as I walked up the steps to my front door.

I pressed my thumb against the biometric scanner.

A red light flashed. *Access denied.*

"What?" I muttered.

I wiped my thumb on my skirt and pressed it against the glass panel again.

*Access denied.*

"Stupid machine." I punched in the numerical passcode. Four, seven, nine, two.

*Error. Passcode incorrect.*

"You have got to be kidding me." I pounded the heel of my hand against the door frame. "Isaac!"

No answer.

I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. It rang three times before going straight to voicemail.

"Hey, it's me," I said to his recording. "The door won't open. The code isn't working. Are you inside?"

I hung up and shoved the phone into my pocket. I pressed my ear against the heavy oak door.

A faint sound vibrated through the wood. A thud. A high-pitched squeal.

"Isaac?" I called out, louder this time. "Open the door!"

Still nothing.

I stepped off the porch and walked around the side of the house. The gravel crunched under my flats. Our living room featured massive floor-to-ceiling windows. Usually, the smart-blinds closed automatically at sunset, but tonight, they remained open just a fraction.

One of the sliding glass panels sat slightly ajar.

I approached the gap, raising my hand to knock. "Isaac, I'm locked out—"

The words died in my throat.

My hand froze in mid-air.

Isaac sat on the edge of the beige leather sofa. His pants were bunched around his ankles.

A woman straddled him. Her back faced the window, but I instantly recognized the birthmark on her left shoulder blade.

Tina. My half-sister.

"Fuck, Isaac," Tina moaned, her voice carrying perfectly through the cracked window. "Right there. Don't stop."

My stomach violently twisted.

Isaac’s large hands gripped Tina’s bare hips. His knuckles turned white as he pulled her down onto his thick cock, thrusting upward with brutal force.

"You like that?" he grunted. He buried his face in her neck, biting down on her skin.

"Yes! Fuck, yes!" Tina shrieked. She threw her head back, her blonde hair whipping wildly.

I couldn't move. My feet felt glued to the patio stones.

Isaac pushed her up slightly, pulling his cock almost completely out before slamming it back deep inside her cunt. The wet, slapping sound of their bodies colliding echoed into the night air.

"You're so fucking wet for me," Isaac growled, his voice thick with lust.

"Only for you," she panted, grinding her hips in a circular motion. "I want you so bad."

My chest constricted. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Tina slowed her frantic bouncing. She leaned her chest against his, her bare breasts pressing into his shirt. She wrapped her arms around his neck, tracing his jawline with her manicured nails.

"Crystal won't be mad, will she?" Tina asked.

Isaac stopped moving. "Mad about what?"

"That I changed the front door passcode." Tina giggled. It was the same innocent giggle she used at family dinners. "I just wanted to be with you. I couldn't risk her walking in on us. What should we do if she finds out?"

He grabbed her right breast, squeezing the nipple hard between his fingers. "Don't worry about it."

"But she's your wife," Tina whined, feigning guilt.

"It's fine," Isaac said, kissing her collarbone. "I'll tell her the old code got leaked. I'll say I changed it for our safety."

Tina purred. She leaned down and bit his bottom lip. "You’re always so fucking smart."

She pushed herself up and down on his cock again. The pace started slow, then ramped up into a frantic rhythm.

"Isaac," Tina gasped, her eyes fluttering shut. "When are you going to talk to her?"

"Talk to her about what?" he asked. His breathing grew heavy. He grabbed her waist, forcing her to take deeper thrusts.

"The shares," Tina managed to say between moans. "When are you going to make her hand over her shares in the company?"

"Soon," Isaac grunted. "She trusts me completely."

"She's so stupid," Tina laughed.

"Just let me handle my stupid wife," Isaac said. "Focus on this. Focus on me."

"Fuck me harder," Tina begged.

"I'm going to ruin you," he sneered, pounding into her.

My stupid wife.

The phrase repeated in my head. Over and over.

The sounds of their fucking faded into static. The world tilted on its axis.

I backed away from the window. My shoe caught the edge of a planter box. I stumbled, barely catching myself before I hit the ground.

"Did you hear something?" Tina asked inside.

I didn't wait to see if Isaac looked out the window. I spun around and bolted.

I sprinted across the lawn, my shoes tearing up the manicured grass. I reached the sidewalk and kept running.

"Crystal! Wait!" a voice yelled from down the street. It was Mrs. Gable, holding her poodle's leash.

"Leave me alone!" I screamed at her, not breaking my stride.

"Are you okay?" she called out.

I ignored her. I ran past the streetlights, past the rows of identical suburban mansions. I didn't know where I was going. I just needed to put as much distance between me and that house as possible.

My chest burned. My throat felt raw.

"Stupid wife," I sobbed out loud. "You stupid, stupid idiot."

I ran until my legs turned to lead. I ran until the massive silhouette of our villa disappeared completely behind the tree line.

I stopped at a bus stop bench, gripping the metal armrest.

My vision blurred. The streetlights stretched into long, blinding yellow lines.

A sharp pain shot through my temples.

"Isaac," I whispered.

My knees gave out. The concrete rushed up to meet me.

Everything went completely black.

But right before I lost consciousness, I heard the screech of tires and a car door slamming shut.