DOMINATED THE IN-LAW

ROWANNE'S POV

Who thought that a small box would lead to the discovery of the husband I thought he wasn't? To me, he was my world, but was I his?

I wanted the water from the shower to burn. I wanted it to peel away the ache, the memories and the name that still lived in my bones.

Jett. Even in death, he still owned me.

I pressed my forehead against the tile, the sob breaking from me in a soundless shudder. The world outside the shower no longer made sense. People had moved on. But me? I was still here shackled to a ghost.

By the time I dragged myself out, steam clung to me and the water drops traced down my bare skin as I walked to the closet. Our closet.

The moment I opened the door, the familiar scent hit me. His cologne. His soap. Him. My chest caved inward as my gaze travelled over the space we once shared.

His side though. It looked untouched yet somehow alive with his suits hung in order.

I reached for one of his jackets. My fingers were trembling as I slid it from the hanger. The fabric was smooth but all I cared about was the faint trace of him that still lingered. His scent. My knees weakened as I pulled it to my chest, burying my face in it, sobbing into the silence.

"God, I miss you," I whispered into the clothes. "I miss you, Jett!"

The tears blurred my vision and for a moment, all I knew was the ache of grief. Until something pressed hard against my ribs and I froze.

My breath caught as I shifted the jacket, my fingers quickly fumbling along the lining. I felt it again. It was small yet solid, and definitely not fabric.

It was a box.

My stomach dropped. My fingers shook as I dug deeper, panic thrumming in my veins until I pulled it free. A velvet square and it felt heavy in my palm. An engagement ring box?

I stared at it, the world narrowing to the soft black velvet and the way my trembling hands barely managed to hold it steady. My chest rose and fell in jagged bursts. Jett never gave me this.

I had my ring. The one he slipped on my finger seven months ago, the one I kissed every night before bed, the one I still wore like a chain of loyalty. This was different, it was new and untouched.

I pushed open the lid.

The diamond glared back at me from its bed of satin. A design he would never choose for me.

Something inside me cracked open, and it wasn't grief this time, but something more aching.

The tears slowed. My hand tightened around the box until I saw a logo I recognised. The store.

For days, the ring had bothered me so much even when I refused to look into it. I lingered in my mind. There's no way Jett could have bought that for me. I had mine, I had my engagement ring and wedding ring.

Two days later, I grabbed my phone and dialled my assistant. Rita. "Rita, could you look into the Glamour store for me. I want to know if my husband purchased a ring."

"Yes, ma," she said, and the line died.

Days later.

I sat behind the desk as the silence pressed in, suffocating, and only the ticking of the clock on my desk tingled in my brain.

My fingers lingered over the papers in front of me, but I wasn't reading. No, I couldn't. Every time I tried to focus, my mind drifted back to that night in the closet.

The knock on the door startled me. I quickly wiped under my eyes. I straightened and schooled my expression immediately.

"Come in."

Rita stepped inside. She gave me a small and polite smile, though I could see the flicker of worry in her eyes. I hadn't exactly been myself these past few days.

"Ma'am," she began softly, setting a file on the desk. "I've arranged your schedule for the week. Board meeting with the Carter executives on Wednesday. A charity dinner on Thursday evening. And Friday, your lunch with the foundation trustees has been confirmed."

I nodded, half-listening as my fingers curled into my palm to keep steady. My gaze flicked to her hands, to the neat stack of papers she placed before me.

She hesitated then, her voice lowering. "And... there's something else."

My heart clenched like I knew what she was about to say. No, I knew what she was about to say.

Rita's eyes flickered down to the page in her hand before lifting to meet mine, cautious but steady.

"I looked into the store, ma'am." Her tone was careful, as though each word was glass she was afraid to shatter. "The ring was indeed purchased by your husband... to a woman named Juliet Rogidgro."

The name sliced through my chest like a knife.

My throat tightened, but Rita didn't stop.

"The same ring was purchased twice. He came back twice claiming the ring had gone missing." She hesitated, lowering her gaze before delivering the final blow. "I also looked into Juliet. She lives in New York, just a few blocks away... but-" Rita exhaled softly. "She's a single mother."

My fingers clenched the armrests of my chair. My breath stuttered in my chest.

"What?" My voice broke. "What did you say?"

The walls seemed to tilt, the office shrinking around me. Single mother. Purchased twice. Juliet. My mind spun, grasping for sense in a world that suddenly didn't have any.

Now. I was driving.

The city blurred around me. My hands gripped the steering wheel too tightly, as Rita's words replayed over and over in my head.

Juliet Rogidgro. Single mother. A few blocks away.

Each word pressed harder into me, echoing until they drowned out the sound of the wipers smearing away the rain.

I could still feel the goosebumps when Rita dropped the photo of Juliet and left it on my desk. She was a real woman and a real living being. Not a rumour, but someone who had existed alongside my marriage all these months.

My marriage. My goddamned marriage.

"How dare you! How dare you cheat on me?"

ROWANNE'S POV

My marriage. My marriage. "How dare you! How dare you cheat on me?"

I slammed the accelerator harder. The hum of the engine rises under the pounding of the rain. My chest ached as though my ribs could no longer contain the storm inside me.

How long had she been there? Did she know about me? About us?

The wipers beat in time with the hammering of my pulse, smearing water away just to let more fall.

I couldn't think. All I knew was the address Rita had circled in red ink. Just a few blocks away.

Close enough for Jett to visit her and close enough for him to live two lives without me ever knowing.

The turn came too quickly, and my hands jerked the wheel, guiding the car into a different street. The tyres hissed as thfromrain poured harder. I shouldn't have checked, but it was too late. I was already heading toward her.

I was just a few blocks away when I saw a familiar umbrella, a purple one. It had my initials on it. Jett didn't know it, but I had that umbrella custom-made.

I saw it. S. S.

"Sweetheart! Be careful," I heard a female voice, and I watched. The umbrella was raised, and it was the woman in the picture.

She was yelling at two boys who played in the rain. They looked like twins. Twins!

My chest pounded so hard, tears burning in my eyes. I can't believe this. I didn't want to believe this. Jett. Jett, he wouldn't cheat on me. He told me he loved me. We both loved each other. Everything was perfect, calm and... my mind trailed. No!

My throat burned as I forced my gaze back to the road, the image of the purple umbrella seared into my mind. My umbrella. My initials. In her hands.

That woman laughed as she pulled the twins closer, shielding them from the downpour. My heart twisted. They looked so much alike. No!

I shook my head hard, blinking through the blur of rain and tears.

My marriage was unravelling before my eyes, and I couldn't even confront him. The betrayal drummed in my ears, louder than the storm.

I pressed my foot against the accelerator again, swallowing the lump in my throat. I couldn't bear to look again. If I looked, I might see the truth written in those boys' faces.

I turned down another street, tyres splashing through puddles. By the time I pulled into the underground garage of Carter's tallest building. My hands trembled. I slammed the door shut and moved toward the elevators.

My chest rose and fell unevenly as I pressed the button for the top floor.

The elevator hummed, carrying me upward. Higher. Higher. By the time the ding announced my arrival, I could barely feel my own legs.

My hand hovered over the bell before I pressed it, and my heartbeat was roaring in my ears. And then the door opened.

Eli Carter stood there in a black suit, clinging to his broad frame, though his tie was gone, his belt almost undone, and five buttons hung loose down his chest. His styled hair with his dark curls fighting to break free.

My eyes locked with his. His piercing blue gaze held mine. "Ro?" His voice was low, startled.

My voice shook, torn between rage and despair. "Did you know Jett was cheating on me?"

Eli's brows snapped together, his hand still gripping the edge of the door. "What? Jett cheated on you?"

The disbelief in his voice only made my chest cave harder. My stomach dropped cold and hollow. He didn't know? No, he had to know. They were brothers. They shared everything.

"You know, Eli," I hissed. "Stop lying!"

His jaw flexed, a muscle twitching in his cheek. For a moment, he said nothing, just stared at me with those sharp blue eyes, the kind that cut straight through. My tears burned, but I refused to let them fall.

"Rowanne." His tone dropped. "If Jett did something to you, I didn't know. I swear it."

I let out a bitter laugh. "Of course you didn't. Because no one ever knows, right? Everyone protects him. Perfect Jett Carter."

The name cracked off my lips like glass shattering. My knees wavered beneath me, and I pressed my palm against the doorframe to steady myself.

Eli's expression softened, the rigid lines of his face easing. He took a step closer, one hand lifting slightly as though to touch me but stopping short. "Ro..."

"Don't." My voice fractured. "Don't act like you care. He was your brother. If he cheated, you of all people... you would've known."

The silence between us was deafening.

"I didn't know," he repeated quietly, almost pained now. "Why don't you come in?"

His words hit me like a strike to the ribs, unexpected.

My breath caught. I hadn't come here to find comfort, yet his presence pulled me in.

My lips trembled as I whispered, "I don't even know what's real anymore."

Eli's hand finally moved, brushing a wet strand of hair from my cheek. The heat of his touch seared through the chill of my rain-soaked skin.

"Ro, it's gonna be fine," he murmured, eyes holding mine as if he could make me believe him. "Now, breathe... and tell me what happened."

Before I knew it, I was inside his apartment.

Two glasses of wine later, the words split out of me. I told him everything. The jacket, the ring box, the picture, the woman, the umbrella, the twins. By the time I finished, I felt hollowed out, as if my grief and fury had been poured into the air between us.

And yet, lighter.

I found myself smiling faintly through swollen eyes. Eli had always been different, more grounded, more real, unlike the cold glances of his mother or the calculating silences of his father. He'd been my comfort since I married into the Carters, the one person I could breathe around.

Now, with the wine softening the edges of my pain, it felt good, dangerously good to talk to him.

"Do you want me to investigate this Juliet Rogidgro?" Eli asked in a low voice.

I shook my head, forcing a smile. "No. I think I'll let it go. I can't believe I only found out after his death. What's the use? I can't even confront him."

His gaze hardened. "What if she comes asking for her part... You know because of those twins?"

I smiled again with a shy smile as I tucked the damp strands of hair behind my ear. "I don't think she would."

The room fell quiet. Too quiet. I lifted my glass to my lips, sipping carefully, but I could feel his gaze burning over me.

So I set it down and shrugged lightly with a chuckle. "Was I interrupting something here?"

His brows knit. "Like what?"

I pushed my hair back and unknowingly tugged softly at my bottom lip. My voice came out in a whisper. "I don't know... You tell me."

His eyes burned into me. My throat tightened for a moment.

"I'm not seeing anyone," he said finally with a quiet chuckle following as his gaze dropped to the rim of his glass. His fingertips traced the edge absently before he sighed, lifting his eyes back to me. "Not sleeping with anyone. I just got back from work."

I hummed, tilting my head. I wasn't sure why I asked the next question, but I guess my curiosity took over. My gaze met his as the next word slipped out.

"Why?"

Unlike Jett, who had many ladies around him, but had work and a personal life. Eli wasn't, ever since I knew him. No scandal, no women, even his assistant was a man. Once, there was a rumour that he was gay, and that had my mother-in-law panicking.

"Maybe because I haven't seen anyone I want."

My breath hitched and I shifted on the couch, turning toward him fully and facing him. "So what's your type, then?"

Eli's lips curved into a smile I'd never seen on him before. Not his polite smile. Not his business smile. This was softer and almost boyish. And in that moment, he looked like a sixteen-year-old being asked who his first crush was.

My heart ached at the sight. I reached out without thinking, taking his chin gently in my hand, turning his face toward me. I just needed to see it again. I needed it imprinted in my mind.

He was beautiful. God, dangerously beautiful. Jett was handsome, but Eli. He was different. I remembered the first time I saw him was at my wedding. He was different.

ROWANNE'S POV.

He was beautiful. God, dangerously beautiful. Jett was handsome, but Eli. He was different. I remembered the first time I saw him was at my wedding. He was different.

Then the smile faded. His eyes dropped to my hand. I realised what I was doing and jerked back. "Oh. I'm sorry-"

Eli caught my hand, placing it right back where it had been.

"My type?" he said, his voice lowered now, almost like a growl. His gaze trailed from my hand to my lips to the neckline of my dress. My skin burned everywhere his eyes touched.

"Blue eyes. Five foot seven. Smooth skin. Long. Wavy. Sandy blond hair. Red lips. Soft hands..."

My heart stopped. It was almost as if he wasn't describing a type. He was describing me.

I forced a smile. "Quite detailed."

Then I snatched up my glass, downing it too quickly, desperate to drown the heat rising in my chest. But even as the wine slid down my throat, his eyes never left me.

As I looked back at him, he was still staring. That gaze left me breathless with my chest rising and falling too quickly.

"Eli?" My voice cracked, almost a whisper.

His eyes dropped to my lips before finding mine again. "Yes, Ro."

I swallowed, my pulse hammering. And then, almost like a pull, I couldn't resist. I wrapped my hands around his neck, crushing my lips against his.

Shit. No.

He should've pushed me away. He should've reminded me that I was Jett's wife. That I was still in mourning. That this was wrong.

But he didn't.

Instead, his hand slid against my waist, dragging me closer until I was straddling him, my legs clinging to his body. The heat of him bled through his undone shirt, and the scent of wine mixed with his cologne. It was so dizzying.

My gasp was swallowed when his hands climbed my spine, fingers splaying, gripping me tighter, desperate like he had been starving and I was air.

"Eli," I breathed against his mouth, trembling, "this is-"

"Wrong?" he rasped, his forehead pressing against mine, his lips brushing mine again. His blue eyes burned into me.

My heart slammed against my ribs as guilt and desire waged war inside me, but God help me. I didn't move.

His hand cupped the back of my neck, holding me there, like he was afraid I'd vanish if he let go.

I kissed him again. Harder, this time. My tears wet his lips, but he kissed me like he didn't care. Like he'd been waiting for this or for me.

And for one reckless and aching moment, I let myself believe it.

Oh, God. My pussy stung with the ache of want. The heat spread as I got wetter beneath the press of him. It was unbearable. The need to be touched, to be taken, to be used in the most reckless way.

Eli's lips left mine only to trail higher, brushing across my cheek before settling at the shell of my ear. My body shivered at the husk of his breath there and a low groan vibrating from his chest into mine.

His hand slid up until he cupped my breast through the thin fabric of my blouse. My nipples tightened instantly against his palm, aching for more.

His fingers flexed, squeezing.

"Eli-" I gasped, but the word melted into a moan as his mouth moved to my neck. The way his teeth grazed my skin and his lips lingered at the hollow of my throat.

I threw my head back, arching into his touch, into his heat, and surrendering to it. His tongue traced the sensitive curve of my skin, setting fire in every nerve. And then I saw it.

The glint of gold at the edge of my vision. My ring. Jett's ring. The one he had slipped on my finger. The one that should have been sacred.

Goosebumps erupted across my skin, cold and sharp, cutting through the haze of desire. My stomach lurched. What the fuck was I doing?

"Eli. Wait!" My voice cracked as I pushed against his chest, slipping out of his hold. My feet hit the floor almost unsteadily, but I forced myself back, putting space between us. His gaze stayed on me so damned searing as if they demanded answers I didn't have.

"I-" I licked my lips, eyes darting anywhere but him. "I... I have to leave." The words stumbled out shaky.

I snatched my bag and phone from the table with my shaky hands. I didn't dare glance back, because I knew if I did, I'd fold, and the next step would be his bedroom.

"Thank you for the wine," I forced out, my voice brittle, foreign even to me. And then I walked fast, though my legs almost betrayed me, heavy with everything I was leaving behind.

"Ro," His voice followed me.

I didn't look back. My focus was on the door, the only salvation I had left. My pulse hammered so hard it hurt as I yanked it open and slipped out, shutting it behind me like a shield.

"Wait, Rowanne."

Hearing my full name in his mouth almost undid me. My heart clenched and my lungs stilled but I kept moving.

I rushed down the hall, my heels striking against the floor, the sound too loud in the silence. The elevator loomed ahead like a lifeline. I pressed the button with trembling fingers as my breath ragged. When the doors slid open, I nearly fell inside.

I froze. But then, I heard him. The door to his apartment opened behind me.

My body jolted, panic and longing collided. I stabbed the button again, watching the doors inch closed, achingly slow.

And then my gaze locked on his as Eli was walking toward me with each step burning straight through me. My chest rose and fell with the steps he took.

And then the doors sealed shut.

I exhaled, a heavy and shaking breath I didn't even know I'd been holding. My knees nearly buckled, my heart slamming like I had escaped something dangerous. When in truth, a part of me had wanted to be caught.

Two days later.

"Mrs Carter, your mother-in-law is around."

The sound of Nana's voice pulled me back to reality, shattering what I had been wrapped in. My fork clattered against the plate.

"What?" My throat went dry. "My mother-in-law? What is she doing here?"

Nana's expression shifted uneasily, and her lips parted as if to explain, but nothing came out. That damned silence made my stomach twist.

I pushed back from the dining table, my pulse quickening. The only reason my body jolted with panic was Eli. My mind leapt back to that night, to his hands on me and my heart thrashed. Did he tell her?

The thought speared through me as I rose to my feet to see Jennifer Carter, Jett and Eli's mother.

Facing her now felt like standing on the edge of a sinkhole, like she could see my sins before I even spoke.

I tried to breathe, but my chest was too tight. Did I regret it? No. That wasn't what haunted me. I wasn't drowning in regret. Because when I thought of Eli's mouth on mine, the heat of his body against me. I didn't feel sorry.

And that terrified me.

Because it was wrong. So wrong that the memory made my chest clench every time it flickered behind my eyes. Wrong, because the moment I spotted Jennifer Carter in my living room, I thought of him.

Was that some kind of test? A line I shouldn't cross and almost did, but I didn't?

We hadn't made love. I had stopped it. I had pulled away before we went too far. That was supposed to be enough to save me. Right?

Jennifer turned at the sound of my footsteps. Her eyes were red-rimmed and glistening from tears. Her composure frayed as soon as she saw me. She moved quickly until she was clutching my hands like a lifeline.

"Oh, Rowanne," she whispered, her voice breaking as her other hand cupped my face and her thumb brushing along my cheek. "You didn't have to go through any of this."

I froze, my breath catching as confusion clawed up my throat. "Any of... what?"

Her tears split freely now. Her grip was trembling as she pulled back slightly, freeing one of my hands. She wiped at her cheeks, drawing in a shaking breath before she forced the words out.

"They are saying-" her voice cracked with disbelief. "The police say Jett's death wasn't a... wasn't a casual accident."

My stomach dropped, the floor tilting beneath me.

Jennifer's lips trembled, her eyes searching mine. And then she gave a long pause before her mouth parted again.

"It was murder." Her voice was a hollow whisper. "Someone murdered my son. Your husband."