"Couldn't find the beer? It's at the bottom of the fridge," Neal said casually.

When he noticed my flushed face, he frowned. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so red?"

Lowering my gaze, I avoided his eyes. "Maybe it's just the heat," I replied.

Without missing a beat, Neal thoughtfully turned on the air conditioning and walked off with Daley, who had finally grabbed the beer. As Daley passed me, he brushed against me deliberately, flashing a mischievous smirk right in front of Neal.

My heart skipped a beat at his boldness. How could he act like this in front of his brother? I stole a glance at Neal, relieved to see he hadn't noticed. The two of them left together, chatting as if nothing had happened.

During dinner, I intentionally chose the seat farthest from Daley, hoping to avoid any more of his antics.

But he didn't seem to care. Under the table, I felt his foot brushing against my leg, sliding up the fabric of my skirt. I glared at him, but he just grinned smugly, completely unfazed.

His foot continued its journey upward.

"Ah!" I yelped involuntarily.

Neal looked at me in concern. "What's wrong?"

My cheeks flushed deep red. I stammered, unsure how to explain.

"Could be a mouse," Daley interjected with a teasing grin. "You'd better be careful, Maia. Mice have a knack for crawling up skirts."

I glared at him in disbelief, my face burning hotter.

Neal, oblivious, nodded seriously. "The house looks clean enough, but maybe we should hire someone to check for pests."

"There's no need," Daley said, his tone layered with implication. "I'll take care of it. After all, I'm great at catching mice. I'll help you out, Maia."

His gaze lingered on me meaningfully, making me lower my head to avoid Neal's suspicion. I ate quickly, excused myself, and escaped to the bedroom.

Once inside, I leaned against the door, trying to steady my breathing. My face was burning, my heart racing.

It had been months since Neal and I had been intimate. How was I supposed to resist Daley's relentless teasing?

This couldn't go on.

My lack of physical intimacy was weakening my resolve, and I was determined to make love to Neal before I did anything I would regret.

Sitting at the vanity, I slipped into a sheer, seductive nightgown and carefully applied makeup. As I reached for a bracelet from my jewelry box, I noticed the crystal bracelet Neal had given me years ago was broken. It wasn't expensive, but it was significant—a symbol of our relationship.

I called a friend, asking if it could be repaired.

Neal emerged from the bathroom, toweling off his hair. When he saw my distress over the bracelet, he barely glanced at it before lying down on the bed. "It's just a bracelet," he said indifferently. "If it's broken, we can always buy a new one. It's not that expensive anyway."

His dismissive attitude pierced me. I even lost the mood to dress up and seduce him.

"Don't you remember where this bracelet came from?" I asked accusingly while holding it up.

He blinked, startled, and fumbled for a response. "You have so many things, Maia. How could I possibly remember them all?"

I couldn't believe it. He had really forgotten.

Grabbing a pillow, I hurled it at him. "This was the gift that marked the start of our relationship, Neal! How could you forget? Do you even care anymore? Is there someone else?"

His eyes flickered briefly before he sighed and pulled me into his arms. "I'm sorry, Maia. Work has been overwhelming. I didn't mean to forget. But I swear, there's no one else."

He comforted me for a long time, apologizing and promising to have the bracelet repaired. Slowly, my anger subsided.

But when I leaned closer, hoping for more, he gently pushed me away, claiming exhaustion from work.

I lay there, staring at the ceiling, frustrated. It felt like ages since we'd shared any intimacy. Was it me? Had I lost my allure?

Yet Daley's fiery gaze told a different story.

Images of our earlier encounter flashed in my mind, sending a shiver down my spine. Shaking off the thought, I decided to step outside for air.

Pouring myself a glass of red wine, I settled onto the balcony, letting the moonlight cool my skin.

"You're drinking alone? That's no fun," came Daley's voice. He appeared with another glass of wine and sat beside me.

Raising his glass, he clinked it against mine, his smile playful. For reasons I couldn't explain, I didn't push him away.

Daley and I drank in silence for a while. After a few glasses, I started feeling lightheaded. When I tried to get up and head to bed, my head spun, and I ended up leaning against Daley.

Before I could steady myself, Daley wrapped his arm around my waist.

"Let go of me! Neal is sleeping next door," I protested, struggling against him.

Daley smirked. "Relax. He's a heavy sleeper. He won't wake up."

I opened my mouth to argue further, but Daley silenced me by pressing his lips against mine. His kiss was firm and demanding, swallowing the rest of my words. As his lips trailed across my skin, his hands moved with purpose, igniting something within me that I hadn't felt in a long time.

Despite my better judgment, I found myself responding to him. My hands instinctively wound around his neck, and I pulled him closer, matching the fervor of his kisses. My body betrayed me, succumbing to the forbidden allure of the moment.

The weight of guilt gnawed at me, knowing Neal was just a wall away. I tried to suppress any sound, biting down on my lip to avoid making a noise that could give us away.

Daley seemed to find my restraint amusing, his actions growing bolder as if daring me to lose control.

I felt ashamed to be doing such a thing with my brother-in-law when my husband was asleep, separated by a thin wall. But I had to admit that it was exhilarating. The sensation numbed my mind as I gave in to my desires.

Eventually, I couldn't hold back. A gasp escaped my lips, loud enough to make me blush with embarrassment, and my body and soul were soon overwhelmed with pleasure that I had never felt before.

Two hours later, I lay in Daley's arms, utterly spent and covered in a sheen of sweat. He toyed with a lock of my damp hair, his voice teasing. "Maia, you're incredible. I can't get enough of you."

I pushed his hand away, my cheeks flushing. "You'd better be careful. If Neal finds out, he'll kill you."

Daley chuckled, his tone playful and carefree. "As long as we're careful, no one will ever know. It'll be our little secret." He leaned in to kiss me again.

After a night of entanglement with Daley, I experienced euphoria. I then took a quick shower and slipped back into bed beside Neal.

I couldn't help but compare the two brothers. Neal was always composed and respectful, almost routine in bed. Daley, on the other hand, was wild and unrestrained, bringing out feelings I didn't know I had. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. I even felt addicted as my mind kept wandering back to the burning desire and sensation I felt from last night.

Although I knew it was wrong and felt a deep sense of guilt toward Neal, I couldn't stop myself from liking and being drawn to that feeling.

I sighed, picked up the white bottle on the nightstand, and shook out two vitamins to take. Neal had bought them for me, insisting I take them daily. He said they would help improve my sleep and overall health.

But even with the vitamins, sleep continued to elude me. Resigned, I decided to get up and make breakfast instead.

Neal's internal clock was remarkably precise; he always woke up at 8:00 AM. By the time he entered the kitchen, I had already toasted the bread, spread peanut butter on it, and prepared a cup of black coffee, setting everything neatly on the table.

He ate his toast while reading the newspaper, the picture of a calm routine.

After a short while, though, I noticed small red spots beginning to appear on his neck.

"What are those red spots on your neck? I don't remember you being allergic to peanut butter," I stated with a frown.

Neal quickly covered his neck, as if he wanted to hide the rash. His eyes darted away briefly before he replied with a forced chuckle, "It's nothing. Probably just the heat."

Without giving me a chance to inspect further, he grabbed his jacket and left for work. He even rejected my offer to apply ointment on him. We kept some rash ointment handy because Daley was allergic to peanut butter. I wasn't sure when Neal had started developing the same allergy.

For some reason, I felt like the brothers were merging into one; I used to think they only looked similar, but they seemed more and more alike now, and sometimes I couldn't even tell them apart.

Moments after Neal left, Daley strolled into the kitchen, shirtless and unapologetic. His toned physique was impossible to ignore as he made himself comfortable.

He held me and forced me to sit on his lap as he settled into the chair. I had to admit I was extremely attracted to Daley, but I would never divorce Neal to be with him.

I shoved him away and stood up, fixing my clothes. "Daley, last night was a mistake. We both had too much to drink. Let's forget it happened."

His expression turned mischievous. "A mistake? Maia, you're breaking my heart. How could you ditch me after the fun we had last night?"

"Daley," I said firmly, "I'm your sister-in-law. Whatever this is, it ends now. Let's go back to the way things were."

I left him sitting there, refusing to engage further as I cleared the dishes and entered the kitchen.

That evening, Neal came home earlier than usual and suggested we go out for a date. I agreed, seeing as it had been so long since we'd spent any time together. He had always been busy for the past year.

I dressed carefully, opting for a simple white dress reminiscent of the one I wore when we first met. We walked hand in hand as we went window shopping and even had a nice, romantic dinner. We drank wine and clinked glasses. It was amazing.

We ended the night at an outdoor cinema. It seemed romantic at first until I realized the screen was playing something far more risqué than I expected. Around us, other cars began to sway in time with the heated scenes on the screen, their entanglement vaguely visible through the windows as muffled sounds of passion filled the air.