While My Husband Cheated, I Married His Powerful Brother

?The bedroom was quiet and dim.

?Veyra had just clicked off the main overhead lights a few minutes ago. She had left a small nightlight plugged into the wall near the corner and she was lying down beneath the covers with her eyes closed, but her mind was still racing with thoughts about everything that had happened.

?Then she heard it.

?A soft knock came against the door. It was tentative and uncertain.

?She opened her eyes right away. She sat up straight in bed, staring across the room at the bedroom door.

?Who on earth would be knocking at this time of night?

?She swung her bare legs off the side of the bed, stood up, and walked across the room. She reached out and pulled the door open.

?Kaelen was standing out in the hallway.

?His face looked deeply apologetic and tired. Both of his arms were wrapped tightly around Dorian, supporting his frame. Dorian was completely slumped against him, his eyes shut tight and his breathing sounding slow and uneven.

?"I am so sorry to disturb you, Mrs. Thorne," Kaelen said in a low, troubled voice. "He is not feeling well tonight."

?Veyra stared at Dorian with wide eyes. His face was drained of color, his dress shirt was thoroughly wrinkled, and his black hair was a messy disaster.

?"He is drunk," she noted, her voice flat.

𝑓𝙧𝔢𝚎𝙬ⅇ𝓫𝒏𝗼𝔳𝖊𝐥.𝖼𝓸𝓶

?"Yes, very much so."

??Veyra hesitated for a long second, her chest tightening with mixed feelings. Then she slowly stepped aside to clear the way.

?"Bring him inside."

?Kaelen carefully guided Dorian into the room, holding him steady.

?He laid him gently down on the bed. Dorian did not stir at all from the movement, his head lolling limply to the side and his arms flopping uselessly onto the sheets.

?Kaelen straightened his posture and looked back at Veyra.

𝚏𝑟𝘦𝗲𝘸𝔢𝘣𝖓ℴ𝒗ⅇ𝑙.𝘤𝖔𝗆

?"I am really sorry about dumping this on you."

?"It is fine, Kaelen."

?"I will come back and check on him first thing in the morning."

?"Thank you for bringing him up."

?Kaelen nodded, turned around, and walked out. The door clicked shut softly behind him, leaving them alone in the room.

?Veyra stood quietly at the foot of the bed, watching him.

?She noticed that he looked thinner than she remembered him being. His cheekbones looked sharper, his jawline was more pronounced, and the purple shadows underneath his eyes looked deeper than ever before.

?He looked completely exhausted, worn out, and utterly broken.

?A sharp tug squeezed her chest.

?She felt a strange mix of pity and guilt wash over her. For days, she had actively avoided him and kept her distance because she thought it was the smartest and safest thing to do. But looking at him lying there like this, she suddenly wondered if her absence had only made things worse for him.

?She walked slowly around to the side of the bed.

?She knelt down on the floor beside him. She reached for his shoes, untying the laces of one and pulling it off, then doing the same for the other. She set them neatly on the floor.

?Next, she reached for his jacket, trying to slip it off his shoulders. It was a difficult task because he was completely limp and offered no help. She managed to slide one arm out of the sleeve, and then the other.

?She picked up the jacket and draped it over the back of a chair nearby.

?Just as she turned back, Dorian suddenly moved.

?His hand shot out with surprising speed. His long fingers closed tightly around her wrist before she could pull away.

?Veyra froze in place, her breath catching in her throat.

?His eyes were wide open now. They were sharp, intense, and hyper-focused. He did not look drunk in this exact second. He looked like someone possessed by a completely different drive.

?"Dorian," she started to say.

?Before she could finish, he yanked her forward.

?She lost her balance and fell right onto the bed. In a flash, he rolled over on top of her, pinning her down. His body pressed firmly against hers, and his face hovered just inches away from her own. Without giving her a single second to think, he leaned down and kissed her right on the lips.

?Veyra’s eyes widened in sheer shock.

?She immediately brought her hands up to push against his chest. She turned her face away to the side, trying desperately to break free from his grip.

?"Dorian, stop this right now," she protested.

?He did not listen and did not stop.

?She pushed harder against him with all her might. "Dorian, look at me. It is just me. It is Veyra."

?He caught her face and kissed her again, this time much deeper and with a desperate hunger that frightened her.

?She struggled beneath him, twisting her body and trying to yank her arms free. "Dorian, please stop doing this."

?He ignored every single word she said.

?His hands began to move.

?They slid down the sides of her waist, searching until they found the soft shirt of her nightgown. His fingers slipped underneath the fabric, sliding up against her skin.

?She gasped out loud.

?To her absolute horror, her body reacted instantly before her logical mind could catch up. A sudden wave of warmth spread all through her veins, stirring a secret desire she desperately wished she did not feel.

?She tried once more to push him away from her. Her hands were trembling badly, and her voice came out thin and weak.

?"Dorian, please."

?He refused to stop, pressing his advantage.

?She had no way of knowing how much time actually passed while she lay there. It could have been a few minutes, or it could have felt like hours. Her sense of time completely vanished.

?Gradually, her initial resistance began to fade away. Her tense body relaxed against her will, and her racing mind grew cloudy and confused.

?She stopped pushing. She stopped fighting back entirely.

?Then his hand shifted toward the front buttons of her nightgown, and his fingers started fumbling to undo them one by one.

?That motion snapped her right back to reality.

?A spike of pure panic flooded her chest. She reached out, grabbed his wrist in a tight grip, and shoved him back with a burst of renewed strength.

?"No. Dorian, stop. No."

?Even then, he did not completely stop.

?He leaned down and kissed her neck and her sensitive collarbone, while his hands continued moving restlessly.

?Veyra’s heart hammered wildly against her ribs. Her eyes burned with hot tears, and her throat tightened so much she could barely breathe.

?She felt completely trapped because she could not move away, she could not find the voice to argue, and she had no strength left to fight him off anymore.