Forbidden: My Husband's Brother

Reyna’s POV.

“You're under arrest ma'am.”

Those words hit my chest like stray bullets, threatening to crush my heart.

I stared in shock at the police officer clad in a crisp white shirt, black pants and a baton in hand.

“Arrest? Why? What's my crime?” I asked all questions at once, slowly letting go of the polished mansion door.

“You're under arrest for the murder of Jeremy Hall,” His next words ignited panic inside of me.

The walls of the mansion have been silent because of him, no one dared spoke his name during the period of mourning as it was still shocking to the family.

And now, I was being arrested for his death?

I shook my head softly, swallowing the lump formed in my throat, “I'm sorry, this has to be a mistake. My husband was involved in an accident. I didn't murder him.”

The policeman shot me a scrutinizing gaze, hitting the baton on his hand with caution.

“Well ma'am, evidence has been provided against you. It'd be better to be quiet as whatever you say right now would be used against you.” He said, his voice firm and final.

My heart skipped a beat, how was there evidence when he was involved in an accident?

Without thinking, I called out to his family, forgetting they never cared about me in the first place.

“If there's evidence, then you surely did it!” Jeremy's aunt sneered.

“I warned Jeremy not to get married to a gold digging woman, look where it landed him!” My mother in-law hissed.

“She must have done this because he stopped giving her money,” His cousin added.

I felt my stomach twisting into hard knots as I realized I had no one on my side.

I turned to the policemen, wanting to speak but no words came forth. My eyes moistened but I had no tears to shed.

I had cried my eyes out after Jeremy's death and now I was being accused.

“I promise I didn't kill Jeremy,” I said, my voice trembling from the tension within me.

But no one cared to listen.. They believed the policemen.

And just like that, I was handcuffed out of the Hall mansion, for a crime I knew nothing about.

As I reluctantly walked with the officer, I racked my head in search of the person behind this.

The Hall family despised me but they'd never stoop low enough as to get me into trouble.

This was an outsider but who?

********************

The air in the prison was a mix of fatigue, sweat and helplessness.

The dark walls of the room complimented the darkness I felt inside, the darkness that came from being alone.

It was stuffy and uncomfortable. I felt like rolling my eyes to the back of my head as the foul smell in the room made me feel dizzy.

But I held on to the cold bars, my sweaty fingers barely hanging on to them.

Although I was feeling dizzy, I didn't feel weak. I was still wondering who presented the evidence against me.

The clicking of heels against the rough marble floor distracted me from my thoughts. My eyes stayed fixed to the figure approaching the prison.

The flickering bulb in the passageway shone on the figure's face in a flash.

Those eyes were too familiar to miss.

My step sister.

As she walked towards the prison, her lips curled up into a coy smirk, her green eyes glistening with feigned pity.

“What are you doing here?” I asked the moment she got closer.

She clicked her tongue, stretching her hands forward as she admired her nails.

“Well, I heard my step sister got jailed for her husband's death. So I came to check up on her,” She said, her voice sounding too nice.

Growing up, we never got along. My father favored her over me after getting married to her mother and even then, she was still jealous of me.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that she had something up her sleeves.

“Since when did you start caring?” I asked, tightening my grip on the bars.

“Well, I got you here so I might as well ensure you're enjoying your new home.” She grinned first, before scowling at me.

I clutched my chest in a fit to numb the pain.

“You presented the evidence? You knew it was an accident. Why would you do that?!” I snapped at her.

“That's what you get for stealing Jeremy from me. Since you succeeded in killing him, I'll make sure you lose face in front of his family too!” She hissed, placing her hands on her waist.

A soft gasp escaped my lips, the turmoil inside of me doubling but I stayed calm. It felt like my body was fighting to stay strong.

“You'll regret this Jessica,” I gritted out as the feeling of betrayal stung.

“Yeah, that'd be if you manage to get out of here.” She said, her lips breaking into a mocking laughter.

“Bye, sis.” Jessica said, waving a hand as she walked away.

My eyes trailed her figure, watching her until she disappeared into the darkness.

Sure, we didn't get along but the last thing I had expected was to be framed by her.

I felt the dizziness increased, I placed a hand on my head trying to steady myself.

I took long drags of air but they did little to pacify the nausea.

With every attempt to fight against the dizzy feeling, the weaker I became.

“Wha-what’s going on?” I muttered softly, exhaling as fast as I inhaled.

My vision blurred and I lost resistance, my body hitting the ground with a loud thud.

I felt my head throb with pain before everything went black.

When I later opened my eyes, I found myself in a white-painted room. The smell of antiseptics filled my nostrils as I regained consciousness.

I tried lifting my head but the throbbing of pain came back stronger. I laid down on the bed.

My eyes scanned the room and I noticed a doctor and a policeman talking.

“She's three weeks pregnant. How will she manage being in the prison?” I heard the doctor ask the policeman.

“We'll figure that out doc, thank you so much.” The policeman replied.

My heart stopped for a second. I was pregnant?

How would I take care of a child amidst this trouble?