Chapter 2 One - night Stand with Husband's Elder Brother

Ruby's POV

Austin must have noticed the way my face shifted the moment I recognized him.

I hadn't seen him in years, but there was no mistaking those sharp features, the unruly dark hair, the confident lean of his shoulders.

He looked even more dangerous in person than he did on the front page of tabloids. For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

He handed me a napkin without a word. I blinked and took it, wiping under my eyes. The streak of makeup that came away on the paper was almost black.

"You look better without it," he said, not teasing, just stating it like a fact.

I looked at him, unsure how to respond.

Everyone knew about Austin. Even before he left the country, he had a reputation that trailed behind him like smoke. A playboy. A rebel.

He never cared what anyone thought, least of all his family. And our acquaintance? Shallow at best. A few short conversations years ago. That was it.

I should have told him goodnight and left.

Instead, I just sat there, staring into my drink. I hated how I felt, fexposed, raw, almost pathetic. But Austin didn't mock me.

He just ordered another round, and when the bartender set the drinks down, he gestured toward one.

"Drink with me," he said.

I hesitated, then shook my head. "I shouldn't."

His eyes held mine for a long moment. He didn't argue. He just nodded and took a sip of his own. Maybe Austin saw the answer in my eyes.

He stood and left a few bills on the counter, then started walking toward the back exit.

I stood up and followed him when he left. I didn't even know why. I just knew that for the first time all night, I wasn't suffocating.

I didn't say a word. Neither did he. We just walked together, until we reached a hidden place, by the bar with private rooms.

He unlocked the door with a key card and let me in first.

The room was dim, quiet. Just a low lamp in the corner and the soft hum of something electrical. The windows were covered. It felt completely cut off from the world.

Austin poured us water instead of more alcohol. He handed me a glass and said nothing while I drank it.

Then, slowly, he stepped close. His hand brushed my waist, not possessive, just gentle.

"You don't have to explain," he said quietly. "But if you want to leave, you should tell me now."

I didn't answer.

I just stood there, glass still in my hand, heart pounding harder than it should.

This wasn't me. I wasn't the kind of woman who ran to another man-especially not her husband's brother-just because she was hurt.

But I wasn't just hurt. I was wrecked.

I kept seeing Lisa's hands on John. His mouth on her neck. The back seat of that car. The cheapness of it. The betrayal.

I'd waited years for my wedding night. For something sacred. And he gave it away without a second thought.

So no, this wasn't about revenge. It wasn't about making him pay.

It was about choosing myself-just once. About taking control of something when everything else had been ripped out from under me.

I looked at Austin.

He was still watching me. Waiting. Not pushing.

Something in his eyes didn't just see me-it saw through me. And for once, I didn't feel like I had to lie or pretend.

I set the glass down. Took a breath.

Then I stepped in and kissed him.

We ended up on the couch, tangled in shadows and heat. It was nothing like I imagined, not rushed, not rough. When I told him I was a virgin, I expected a reaction. Maybe surprise, maybe disbelief.

He didn't flinch.

He leaned in closer and whispered, "I'll be gentle."

And he was. At first, everything felt deliberate. Thoughtful. Like he was giving me the space to change my mind, like he didn't want to scare me.

But something shifted halfway through.

His breathing changed. It grew deeper, rougher. His body language sharpened, became more assertive.

He hovered over me with intensity in his eyes, a gaze that pinned me in place. It was still Austin, but it was also something more.

His touch became more possessive. His hands moved like they wanted to mark me, claim me. And when I looked up at his face in the low light, I paused.

His teeth looked sharp. His eyes, darker. The air around him felt... off. He was still Austin, but something inside him had changed.

I felt it in the way he gripped my thigh. In the way he leaned in and sniffed my neck, almost like

Almost like a wolf.

I shivered. My heart raced out of pleasure. But the shift in him was undeniable. Wild. Dominant. Animalistic.

I didn't understand what I was seeing.

Was it the alcohol? The adrenaline? A trick of the shadows?

Even though we were finished, his breathing remained uneven, his body still tense. He looked at me like he hadn't had enough. Like something inside him was still holding back.

His gaze unsettled me. His teeth, his posture, even the energy in the room, it all felt... different. My skin prickled as he leaned in, brushing his lips against my shoulder again, slower this time.

When we finished, I sat up, reaching for my clothes with shaky hands.

"I should go," I said, keeping my voice steady.

He didn't try to stop me.

He just leaned back against the couch, chest still rising and falling like he was trying to calm something inside him. His eyes followed me, unreadable.

I dressed in silence, my hands trembling slightly as I avoided his gaze.

"Thanks," I murmured. "For... earlier."

He nodded slowly, saying nothing.

I hurriedly walked out of the room.

The streets were still quiet as I made my way home. My heels clicked faintly against the pavement, and for the first time all night, the cold touched me.

I pulled my coat tighter and stared straight ahead, trying not to replay the last hour in my mind.

But it was impossible to shake.

I originally planned to focus on the divorce. It couldn't happen overnight, not with how tangled my finances were with John's. But I could start preparing. Quietly. Carefully.

I'd start gathering evidence of his infidelity. I'd set up consultations, move funds into a separate account, and contact a lawyer through a private channel. There were steps I could take.

But as I thought about it, Austin's breath in my ear. The way he held me. The way his body felt against mine. The way his eyes looked. I didn't know what it meant.

I didn't want to think about it.

Back at my apartment, I stepped inside and locked the door behind me. The entire night came crashing down on me like a wave. My wedding. The betrayal. The parking lot. Lisa's laugh. John's body against hers.

And now... this.

I needed to wash it off.

I went straight to the bathroom and turned the water on cold. Not cool. Freezing. I stepped into the tub, still wearing my underwear and bra, and sat down as the water poured over me.

It hit me like a slap, shocking and numbing.

I hugged my knees to my chest and leaned back, letting the water rush over my head. My ears filled, muffling the world. My skin stung.

But it helped.

It helped shut out the sound of Austin's husky voice in my ear. Helped drown the memory of his teeth grazing my skin.

Helped push back the way he had looked at me, like I was something more than a woman to him. Like I was prey.

When I couldn't take it anymore, I sat up, gasping for air. My teeth chattered. My hands shook. But at least I could think again.

There was a sound. I heard footsteps.

John must have come back.