Chapter 8: Already ruined

Braelyn’s pov

Every alarm blared at once under his looming presence, caged against the wall. I badly wanted to scream how much of a bloody mistake this was but it was best not to freak out and play along.

“If I can recall clearly you were the one who kissed me twice without my permission. That counts as sexual assault Mr Volkov.” I replied. My eyes stared back boldly at him trying to take control.

He smirked at me, his hold on my chin tightened. Lucien leaned forward, his ears next to my ears.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t like every moment of it. If you hated it you would have kicked me in the balls.” He taunted.

I was taken aback by his words,

“You are just delusional. Why the hell will I enjoy kissing my husband’s uncle?” I brought it up again. It was as if I was reminding myself he was a dangerous mistake.

Lucien laughed off, then backed away. His eyes still held that amusement as our gaze was still locked. The intensity of his gaze was suffocating and almost had me on my knees. How can a man’s presence have this kind of effect?!

” And she finally remembered, I didn’t know what I would have done if you didn’t remember our little night Lynn. It was truly heartbreaking, you know.” He sighed with relief. The way he spoke ambiguously made it seem like there was something between us. More than it meets the eye.

I finally straightened, being able to relax due to the little personal space he gave me.

“It wasn’t a big deal. Stop making it seem like that night was something great. It was just a random karaoke night.” I reminded him.

His smile didn’t fade, he acted like he didn’t hear me.

“To me, it can never be a random karaoke night. It was the day I met the girl who hides her pain behind those emerald eyes. It was a night I would never forget.” He paused then continued.

“Time will tell, Lynn, just know you owe me one, and I will never forget a debt.” He said, bowing slightly to grab my hand. His cold lips placed a soft kiss against the skin of my back hand.

For a split moment, he didn’t seem like the menace of society he was praised to be, but a rather charming gentleman. My heart had this feeling that made my stomach churn as my green eyes locked with those eerily similar hazel eyes Raphael also possessed.

Lucien reminded me of Raphael but a psycho version that craves excitement in chaos.

“I could make you beg for me but we still have time,” his lips were still burning against my skin.

“But I’ll wait until you come to me.” He lingered, as if he wanted to say more before reluctantly letting go. His emotions were fleeting.

And then he was gone, like a nightmare that promised to return.

A tired sigh left my lips. How long could I keep up with this? Acting like everything was fine when it truly wasn’t.

I made my way from the kitchen towards the living quarters. I needed to take a break. On the way, I came across some maids who showed their respect by greeting me. They all held polite smiles but I knew deep down they were also probably talking.

Everyone was seeing what was going on between Raphael and Amelia but acted blind. Only God knew what they thought of me.

The paired bedroom with Raphael was opposite his parents’ room. I wondered how we were going to handle the sleeping arrangements with Amelia being in the picture.

The opposite bedroom was slightly ajar, and an incoherent voice could be heard. I wasn’t a nosy person and wanted to go straight into my room.

“I’m always right. Raphael should have listened, and he would not have wasted four years.” My feet stopped, they were talking about me.

I walked closer to the door to eavesdrop.

“Come on Olivia. Things are already pretty unfortunate for the poor girl. It isn’t her fault.” A male voice groaned. It was Ronan, my father-in-law, and the female voice was none other than his sister Olivia.

“Oh please, it is her fault. Her mother couldn’t bear a child until her fifties. Is that the life you want Raphael to raise his children in when he is grey?” Olivia sneered.

My heart squeezed uncomfortably. The disdain in her tone was something I never imagined from Olivia. She was one of the most welcoming people in this family.

She was even nicer than my mother-in-law, Natalia.

“Because her mother had issues doesn’t mean Braelyn will be the same. She already had a rough childhood growing up without a mother. What Raphael is doing is wrong, he should not treat his wife that way.” Ronan defended me. His voice was firm and it gave me a sense of warmth.

I never knew my father-in-law had a high opinion of me. He always has this cold unreadable exterior.

Olivia snorted, “I never expected someone as cold as you to care about the girl. It makes me wonder if it is genuine care or because of her late father’s will. In my opinion, Raphael should have married Amelia from the start and not that daughter of a barren bitch. I am sure she has the same dried-out womb.”

Never knew words could hurt that much. It seemed my world froze with my eyes stinging. Tears threatened to fall, and I had never met my mother. She died during childbirth because of her age, but those words were vicious.

Ronan seemed to have gotten into a disagreement with Olivia. Her heels clicked angrily against the floor as she marched towards the door. I knew she was coming but my feet were heavy.

The door was pulled open, and Amelia appeared at the entrance. Her eyes fell on me. It was wide with shock initially, but immediately narrowed with a condescending look that matched her earlier tone.

She didn’t say anything to acknowledge my presence directly and only scoffed muttering under her breath before walking away.

“I guess you didn’t have a mother to teach you that eavesdropping is a bad habit.”

They all knew.

After a few seconds, my legs finally managed to drag my body to my bedroom. I walked towards the bed and just collapsed on the sheets too mentally drained to pull off my shoes.

I curled into a ball, a soft whimper left my lips as I silently broke down. I wasn’t strong, everything was eating me up. This mansion was caving in on me. How long was I going to pretend that I was okay when I wasn’t?

I hated seeing the man I loved with everything with another woman. I hated being seen as the reason for our childlessness, but what could I do?

******

The sounds of running water from the bathroom stirred me awake. I turned to the side, and my eyes fluttered open. It was already dark outside the window.

“How long did I sleep?” I groaned and struggled to sit up, resting my back against the headboard. That’s when I realised I was tucked under the sheets. My shoes were already taken off.

The running water stopped, and shortly after, the bathroom door opened, and Raphael stepped out. He has just a towel around his waist. His caramel hair was drenched with water droplets clinging to his body.

He was gorgeous, too good-looking for his own good. My lips pursed into a thin line and I averted my gaze from him. I didn’t want to think why he was having a shower at an odd hour like this.

“You are finally up. You were so fast asleep I feared you were not going to wake up.” He casually mentioned. Raphael was acting like things were still the same between us. Like he hadn’t ruined everything himself.

“You were probably secretly elated that the troublesome wife is dead.” I scoffed at him. Raphael walked towards the bed and sat by my side.

“Why will I be happy at your death?” He asked me a ridiculous question like he wasn’t killing me himself.

“I am not in the mood for your mind games. If you are bored Amelia will be more than happy to entertain you.” I sighed, then tried to move away from him. I didn’t like the proximity between us. Raphael grabbed my wrist and pulled me close colliding with his wet chest

“The only one playing games here is you Braelyn. I am still your husband Braelyn.” He stated. His eyes were cold with his jaw clenched.

“Unfortunately, you are, but you don’t act the role.” I snapped at him. Then yanked my hand from his hold before rushing off the bed. I grabbed my shoes that were at the foot of the bed and marched to the door.

“Is he really your lover? Are you truly dating Lucien?” Raphael asked. His question made me stop in my tracks just before opening the door.

I didn’t turn back, but I replied to him. “What I do is none of your concern? You were the one who suggested the open marriage. Dear husband.”

.

A bitter laugh left his lips. “Is this some type of revenge? Of all the men it had to be my uncle.”

“You think he cares about you? He’ll ruin you. That’s what he does. That’s all he knows how to do. End this game before it is too late.”

“Oh Raphael, “I laughed, unable to hold it in anymore, then glanced at him. “He can’t ruin what is already destroyed. No damage can compare to what you did.” I scoffed at his hypocrisy before I left the god forsaken room.

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