Chapter 3 Shattered Dreams

Warmth wrapped her. A solid arm draped over her waist, and a steady heartbeat thrummed against her back. The scent of expensive cologne and musk filled her senses.

Catherine's eyes fluttered open, the unfamiliar ceiling above her bringing reality crashing down like a tidal wave.

Her breath hitched.

'Last night...'

Heat rushed to her cheeks as flashes of tangled sheets, heated kisses, and whispered words replayed in her mind. Her pulse quickened when she felt the firm grip around her waist tighten slightly, as if the man beside her wasn't ready to let go.

A mix of emotions churned inside her. Shame. Regret. A lingering, unwanted thrill.

Her fingers curled into the sheets. 'What have I done?'

A bitter taste coated her tongue. She had become the very thing she despised-someone like her husband. A cheater. A liar. And now a prostitute.

Her throat tightened as she pried his arm off her body, careful not to wake him. The warmth disappeared instantly, replaced by the cold bite of reality.

Slipping out of bed, she moved quickly. The wooden floor was cold beneath her feet as she grabbed her dress and stumbled into the bathroom.

The moment she turned on the shower, icy water cascaded over her skin, making her gasp. She scrubbed her body until her skin burned, as if she could wash away the night's mistakes. But no matter how hard she tried, the ghost of his touch lingered.

She exhaled shakily. 'Get a grip, Catherine. He did it first, and you are no longer married to him. Stop feeling guilty.

Dressing hurriedly, she cast one last glance at the sleeping man. His face was peaceful, his dark hair tousled from sleep. She felt a strange pull in her chest, but she shoved it away.

She had to leave.

Without a sound, she slipped out of the room, her heels clicking against the marble floor as she ran.

---

Catherine barely remembered how she got home. The moment she stepped into the house she once called hers, she froze.

A heavy silence filled the room, broken only by the ticking of the grandfather clock.

Then, her stomach dropped.

Alexis family.

They were all seated in the spacious living room, their judgmental eyes pinning her in place.

Her mother-in-law's sharp gaze flickered over her disheveled state before her nose wrinkled. "What is that stench?" she demanded.

Catherine blinked in confusion.

Alex's cousin sneered. "She reeks of a man."

Panic shot through her veins. "No... no, they can't know."

Her husband-no, ex-husband-sat-sat with his arms crossed, a self-satisfied smirk tugging at his lips.

"She finally decided to show up," Alex drawled. "Tell us, Catherine. Where exactly were you last night?"

His words dripped with mockery, but his eyes held something colder. Something triumphant.

Her hands balled into fists. "I came to pack my things."

His mother scoffed, standing to her full height. "Pack your things? After abandoning your husband? After whoring around?"

His cousin looked at her with venom in her eyes. "I always didn't like her, I knew something was up with her. Finally, you all can see her bad behavior, sleeping around with different men."

Catherine flinched as if struck.

"You dare walk in here smelling like another man?" Alex's uncle spat. "And you wonder why your husband replaced you."

Her chest tightened. Anger flared, fighting against the lump forming in her throat. "Replaced me?" she echoed, her voice shaking.

Alex leaned back lazily. "Of course. I already told my family the truth-you were never a good wife."

Catherine's nails dug into her palms. "The truth?" she bit out.

"Yes," his mother chimed in, her gaze filled with disgust. "You refused to give him children, refused to take care of him like a proper wife. A man has needs, Catherine. And you-" she looked her up and down with disdain "-you were too busy gallivanting to satisfy your husband. You were rebelling against him and making him feel less."

Catherine's breath came in short, sharp gasps. The injustice of it all clawed at her throat.

"I sacrificed everything for this marriage!" she snapped, her voice raw with betrayal. "I supported him, took up a different job so that we could have something to eat, I worked alongside him, and what did he do? He used our savings to wed another woman!"

Silence.

Then, Alex's mother scoffed. "Excuses. A marriage without intimacy is bound to fail."

Catherine's vision blurred. Her heart pounded, her body trembling with rage.

"You never even asked for my side of the story," she whispered.

"You've said enough," Alex's cousin interjected. "We don't need the words of a-"

A sharp slap cut through the tension.

Catherine barely had time to react before Aaron's mother lifted her hand again, fury blazing in her eyes.

"You will not insult my son in front of me!" she shouted.

Catherine stood frozen, her entire body vibrating with suppressed emotion. Her lips parted, but before she could speak-

A deep, commanding voice sliced through the chaos.

"I'd suggest you rethink that."

The room fell into stunned silence.

Catherine turned, her breath catching in her throat.

A tall figure leaned against the doorway, his dark eyes scanning the room with cold amusement. He was dressed in a crisp suit, his presence demanding attention.

Her stomach twisted into knots.

No. It can't be...

Alex's face twisted in shock. "You-"

Catherine's blood ran cold.

The man from last night.

The stranger who had held her, kissed her, and touched her.

And now-

"Your flight was scheduled for tomorrow, you came early, Aaron," Alex's mother greeted him.

He didn't answer her.

I turned to look at him, praying he wouldn't remember my face. The shame curled like a fist hitting me hard. I swallowed as I tried to act normal.

Her husband's outcast stepbrother.

Her pulse roared in her ears as panic took hold.

He turned to Alex's mother, his lips curling into a smirk. "I just arrived. Did I miss something?"

Catherine's heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear anything else.

What was he doing here?

And more importantly-

*Did he know who she was?*