After we reached Kinleys' place, Julian completely left my side and stood next to Lesley, hugging her tight as he greeted her.

But, my blood boiled in rage when Deccan stepped closer to me. Pulling me intp his arms in front of Julian, he said, "It's good to see you here, Laura. You are looking as sexy as ever."

"Don't mind Deccan's words, Laura. He is like this always." Lesley had added.

The sight of Deccan, his glare being fixed on my chest, was reminding me of that terrific night when he had forcefully cupped my breast in his palms and was trying to rip my clothes off in front of the whole guests.

Julian and my friends, who were originally only his friends, laughed and made fun of me. No one tried to stop Deccan except my brother.

I hardly managed to break through Deccan's hug while my husband was pulling chair for Lesley to sit on the dinning hall.

After Deccan dragged me to sit beside him in the dinning hall, Lesley continued. "I'm sorry for holding your husband in my birthday's celebration, Laura. He could not attend his anniversary celebration because he was busy making my birthday special."

Her voice was laced with affection, but a smile of mockery spreaded on her lips as she showed the necklace she was wearing, saying, "Thankyou Julian for this special gift. I loved it."

My gaze was fixed at the White Diamond pandent hanging on Lesley's neck. It was Julian's family heirloom. I had insisted him many times to let me wear it.

But, everytime he declined, telling me he would give it to me on some special occasion.

It turned out, he had never thought of giving it to me. The necklace... It always meant for Lesley, his true love.

At this point I just wondered if Lesley's parents hadn't refused to her wedding with Julian, would he really have married to me?

The answer didn't matter anymore. Our marriage... It has already been sued.

The whole dinner was designed to rub salt to my already injured heart. During all this time, Julian kept pestering Lesley to eat more.

"You have lost so much weight, Lesley. You should eat more."

"It's your favourite dish, isn't it? Let me feed you with my own hands."

"There is something on your lips... Come, let me wipe it for you."

There was a time when he leaned too close to Lesley to wipe off her lips that it almost looked like they were kissing. Meanwhile, I remained still on my chair, watching as the whole scene was being unfolded.

When the dinner finally came to an end, Deccan announced. "Let's come to the point, guys."

Everyone's gaze landed at Deccan. Meanwhile, Julian looked at me and began, "This dinner was Deccan's idea, Laura. He is a big heart person and wants to apologise to you for his misbehaviour."

"Yes, my brother is so sweet and gentle, Laura. He was just drunk that night. He did not intend to hurt you. I hope you don't hold grudges against him and let the matter slide." Lesley added, her hands wrapped around Julian's arms.

Just then Deccan grabbed my hands and pulled me up from my seat and had me sit on his lap as he continued, "Darling, accept my apologizies."

Lesley and Julian only laughed at this. Julian even dared to say, "See how sincere Deccan is, Laura. Just forgive him and withdraw your lawsuit, okay?"

Blood ran cold to my head as Deccan's hand abruptly moved around my waist. I immediately stood up.

"What's this behaviour for?" I yelled.

The laughter abruptly came to an end. Laura's face sank and she looked up at Julian with a pitiful eyes. Julian's face hardened. He turned to me and ask, "Deccan is only apologising to you. Do you have problem with that also?"

"Is this an apology or another excuse of harassing me?" I groaned in anger.

But, instead of asking me why I had reacted so loud, Julian grabbed my hands and dragged me to a corner, "Don't forget your brother is still surrounded by rapists and molesters. If you don't want him to get raped by each one of them, behave yourself."

With that he dragged me back to the dinning hall and said, his voice apologetic. "Laura belongs from a middle class family and is unaware of the high society culture. This is why I don't tag her along quite often."

"She is feeling guilty for her misbehaviour just now and will drink to atone herself."

After throwing out these words, he grabbed a whisky bottle from the centre table and poured all of it inside my mouth.

I choked to death. But, he did not care. He kept pouring the whole drink inside me until the bottle was empty.

"J-Julian..." I whispered, "I can't drink. Doctors have strictly forbidden me and you know that."

"Oh, come on. You won't die." He said carelessly before pouring another bottle of whiskey into my mouth.

He then turned to me and said, "Lesley is going in a late night party, Laura. I can't let her go alone. I'm going to accompany her."

"Leave me at home and you can go wherever you want." I said, my voice distant. My head was spinning. I could not see anything properly because of the drink, let alone travelling back to home.

"We will get late if I drop you first." He replied, his voice devoid of any emotion. My eyes widened in terror as I asked, "Then how am I supposed to go to our home?"

"You don't need to leave, Laura." He replied, "Stay here tonight. Don't worry, you are not alone. Deccan will accompany you."

I could not believe my husband was leaving me in the hands of a lust-driven person who had already attempted to assault me once.

I wanted to scream. I also wanted to slap this person who had once vowed to protect me at any cost. But, the alcohol mixed with my blood, had weekend my body, making it unbearable for me to even stand up properly.

"Julian... Don't leave me here, Please. I'm begging you." I barely managed to speak. But, the next moment, I saw him wrapping his hands around Lesley's waist as he said, "Let's go, honey. We are getting late."

"Julian stop..." I tried to follow him to the doorstep. But, they had already walked out. In the next moment, I was pulled into a strong and disgusting hug.

"Where are you running, Sweetheart!" A voice whispered near my earlobes. "Your Daddy is here."

"Leave me... Stop this." I struggled to break free. But, Deccan's grip was firm on my waist.

"Leave you?" He laughed, his laughter filled with arrogance and maliciousness. "Do you think a low key like you deserve to even step a foot inside our luxurious villa?"

"You wouldn't have seen such a luxurious villa in your dreams, let alone having a free dinner inside."

"Since you have fed as a freeloader, you must pay the price."

Having said that he grabbed a fruit knife from the dinning table and cut my top from the back. My eyes widened in terror.

"Deccan! What the heck are you doing?" I screamed the lungs out of me. But, he only laughed, "What do you think I'm doing, Sweetheart?"

"Julian mentioned you have a decent body. It's a pity to keep it hidden. Let others to enjoy it as well." He smirked.

His words cut deep through my heart. I wondered which man mentions their wives' figure in front of other men. Julian had stoop so low that I should have stopped being so shocked by now.

"Come on! Don't be so shy. Let me watch as well. I promise I won't hurt you. Just keep my bed warm tonight." He said licking his lower lips as he put off the whole top.

I immediately wrapped my hands around my chest, doing the only effort I could to save my dignity. But, he hadn't stopped yet.

He pushed me on the couch and began unbuttoning his shirt as he walked closer to me.

I didn't know how to save myself. My whole body was trembling in fear and disgust as I saw him unzipping his pants. Just then something occurred to my mind and I immediately grabbed my phone.

With trembling hands, I opened the camera of my phone. Deccan's smile faltered. His face twisted with anger as he asked, "What are you doing?"

"I-If you come near me, I'll record everything and send it to Julian." I spat, my words sounding more like a begging than a threat.

There was a minor pause, followed by a loud laughter. My heart sank.

"I-I'm not joking, Deccan. I'll see what excuses you and your sister make this time." I said.

But, step by step he walked closer to me. Then, pulling my hair, he leaned me closer to his lips as he whispered, "Do you think Julian doesn't know about it?"

Blood ran cold throughout my body. I met his gaze, stunned to the point of frozen. Shock, Denial, hurt, written all over my face.

"Wh-What do you mean?" I asked in disbelief.

"Julian has traded you for my sister." He replied, his voice sending shivers down my spine.

"I caught him having affair with my sister despite my parents' refusal. So, I told him that I would tell my parents. Do you know what he said on that?" He asked, his eyes glittering with the hint of dominance and satisfaction.

"He said his wife has a pretty decent figure. The kind of figure, I usually like to f*ck. He said he would let me f*ck his wife for one night if I keep his affair with Lesley a secret."

"On your wedding anniversary, It was Julian's plan to let me enjoy you. But, because of your stupid brother, I could not taste you properly."

"So, Julian planned this dinner and left you alone with me so that he can pay his price." Deccan added, his fingers deliberately moving on my lips.

I had thought that nothing Julian could do, would hurt me anymore. I had already expected the lowest from him. But, this was beyond everything.

My whole body was trembling in rage. Julian, the man I trusted the most in my life, and shared my bed for five years, served him in all the possible ways he liked, had sold me to a man. His own wife?

The truth was a shard of ice plunged into my soul. It didn't just hurt; it froze the rage, the fear, the disgust into a terrifying stillness.

Deccan’s words echoed, each syllable a hammer blow to my fragile sanity.

“He said he would let me f*ck his wife for one night if I keep his affair with Lesley a secret.”

I stared at him, unable to speak, unable to move.

Julian’s sudden insistence on this dinner. His overly cheerful mood. Lesley’s smug, knowing glance as they walked out the door. The liquor, unusually strong, pushed on me relentlessly. It had all been orchestrated. A meticulous, cruel set-up.

Deccan misinterpreted my paralysis for submission. His hand, which had been entangled in my hair, tugged me closer, bringing our faces mere inches apart. I could smell the expensive cologne and the repulsive scent of his lust.

"Now you know, Sweetheart... Julian won't mind. He expects it." He whispered.

The mention of Julian and Lesley together, coupled with the terrifc reality of my situation, snapped something inside me. The fear was instantly replaced by a volcanic eruption of sheer, blinding fury.

This wasn't just about a broken marriage; it was about survival, about my very dignty being crushed.

I didn't scream. I didn't beg. The tremor in my body ceased, replaced by a terrifying, cold calm. He loosened his grip, confident in his victory. That fraction of a second was my salvation.

My hand shot out, not to strike his face, but to seize the fruit knife lying on the floor beside the couch.

Adrenaline-fueled, I swung the small blade, a desperate, clumsy movement. Deccan gasped, his expression melting into vicious shock as the knife nicked his cheek. A thin line of blood immediately beaded and trickled down.

"You bitch!" he roared, stumbling back and freeing my hair.

Scrambling backward, I pushed myself off the couch, clutching the knife like a talisman.

"Stay away from me, Deccan," I spat, my voice low and steady."Julian may have sold me, but I am not bought. You will not touch me."

He watched the blood on his fingers, his eyes narrowing to slits of murderous intent. He was formidable, half-dressed, a terrifying blend of raw power and bruised ego. He took a slow, menacing step. "You actually think that tiny thing can stop me?"

"I won’t stop you from hurting me," I countered, locking my gaze on his. "But if you come one step closer, I swear on my mother’s grave, I will cut something off you, and you will spend the rest of your life regretting it."

The sheer, venomous intensity of my threat gave him pause. He was used to cowering victims, not defiant executioners.

“You’re drunk. You don’t know what you’re doing,” he said, his tone shifting back to a forced calm, though the fury simmered beneath.

“Oh, I know exactly what I'm doing,” I countered, taking a ragged breath.

It was a desperate bluff, but it seemed to work. He didn't charge. He simply stood there, breathing heavily, his wounded ego warring with the potential pain of another strike.

I grabbed the oportunity and ran away. Reckless and exhausted, I reached the road outside the villa only to be blinded by headlights

I watched in terror as a black SUV followed me with the speed I couldn't imagine and the next second my back was hit and I was thrown away.

I felt like all the bones in my body were crushed and perhaps this was it. However, what hurt me the most– The black SUV that hit me belonged to Julian, the very same car he went with Lesley.

***

I stayed two whole weeks in the hospital, paralyzed and under coma. Never once did Julian call me or tried to inquire about me. Not even pretending to hide his intend.

When I opened my eyes in a government hospital, I was told to be left by some passersbys.

My trembling fingers found my phone on the bedside table. I powered it on, the sudden bright screen a cruel assault on my eyes.

The notifications flooded in, but one name dominated the screen: Lesley.

A cold knot formed in my stomach as I opened the messaging app. They weren't apologies, nor were they inquiries. They were a digital trail of my husband's betrayal, sent with deliberate, venomous intent.

[Hey! Guess where we are? The Art Gallery downtown! Julian said you always wanted to come here on your birthday, but we just couldn't wait.]

Attached was a picture: Julian, looking happier and more relaxed than he had in years, his arm casually draped over Lesley's shoulders. They were standing in front of a modern abstract piece, a sardonic backdrop to their vulgar reality.

[Just had the most amazing lobster bisque at that fancy new French place Julian loves. He said you took him there once, ever since that day he wanted to take me there to enjoy the food!]

A picture of two champagne flutes clinking, Julian's hand recognizable by the silver watch I had bought him, now raised in a toast to the woman he had sold me for.

[Morning, sleeping beauty! Julian is making me breakfast in bed. Pancakes and fresh coffee. He's such a domestic god! You know, he never did these things for you. So sad!]

A disgusting, overly bright picture of a breakfast tray resting on white satin sheets. Julian's hand was visible, pouring syrup, wearing the wedding ring I had put on his finger.

I wanted to throw the phone across the room, but my hand was frozen, compelled to scroll. Lesley's messages were a steady stream of calculated cruelty, designed not just to inform me, but to dismantle my self-worth piece by piece.

But, I was desperately looking for some news about my brother. I did not know how he was.

Seeing no texts or calls from the police station or Julian, I quickly got up from my bed.

Doctors told me my body was weak and they could not discharge me yet. But, I insisted.

Once I signed all the necessary documents and came out of the hospital, I rushed to see my brother in the police station.

"Your brother's breathing was unstable. We had to shift him to the hospital two weeks ago."

My whole body began to shake. With trembling hands, I saved the location of the hospital my brother was admitted to and rushed to meet him.

Lesley’s vile taunts and Julian’s final, crushing betrayal had been momentarily blurred by a single, terrifying truth: my brother was in a hospital.

Not the luxurious private clinics Julian frequented, but a state-run hospital. Just like the one I had just abandoned.

I clutched the address the officer had given me, a crumpled piece of paper that felt like a lifeline. I hailed the first available cab, barking out the location, the urgency in my voice startling the driver.

The drive was a blur of traffic and anxiety. Breathing unstable. The words spun in my mind. Deccan had promised to make him pay for interrupting their sick game.

Had Liam been beaten? Was he... molested? My failure to protect him weighed on me, a monstrous counterpoint to the rage I felt for my husband.

Liam was the only family I had left, the only person who had stood between me and that vile man.

When the cab pulled up to the second hospital, I paid the driver and practically fell out onto the pavement.

My legs stumbled as I watched my brother lying on general ward, abandoned and uncared.

"Liam..." I rushed to his side. He barely managed to open his eyes to see me once before he closed them again, relieved.

He had been so weak that he had lost the ability of even speaking. My hands clenched into fists.

Julian had promised me that they would leave my brother alone once I go to Lesley's place with him. But, it seems like they hadn't fulfilled their promise.

They left him starve for days and when his condition worsened, they had not even shifted him to a proper hospital. My blood boiled in my nerves watching how my brother was abandoned like some orphan.

In rage, I grabbed my phone to call Julian. But, before I could dial his number, a random message from an unknown number beeped in my phone that made the air freeze in my lungs.

It wasn't a text, but a video.

My private intimate videos with Julian!

Another message came, then another. All same.

My private video got leaked and people were forwarding it, making it viral everywhere!