My Husband's Twin Brother

To welcome my husband Sullivan back from his business trip, I planned to dazzle him with a stunning surprise.

But that night, his twin brother Nicholas wrapped his arms around me from behind with a mischievous grin.

1

Sullivan texted that he landed.

I didn't have time to reply and rushed to hide in the closet.

I slipped into the outfit I bought for the occasion while scrambling to the bathroom to put on makeup.

The living room was mostly ready, so I had time to focus on myself.

I admired my reflection, my curves accentuated perfectly, my gaze sultry.

I felt satisfied. My figure looked so flawless that even I couldn't resist, and imagining Sullivan's reaction-pouncing on me like a hungry wolf-made me blush.

My body already felt warm. A glance in the mirror showed my cheeks flushed, making me even more alluring.

Finally, I spritzed some breath freshener in my mouth, my little secret.

Sullivan left for his trip shortly after our wedding, gone for over a month. Newlyweds, we barely started before I had to abstain. Video calls with him were our only comfort, but they just teased me, leaving me restless.

When I learned his return date, I dragged my bestie to the mall, determined to make him fall for me all over again with one look.

The doorbell rang.

Why didn't Sullivan just come in?

Was he planning a surprise for me?

With a thrilled smile, I opened the door, expecting him to sweep me into his arms. I feigned shyness for a moment, but he didn't move.

"What's wrong?" I felt annoyed. Did he think I wasn't beautiful?

But his eyes burned with intensity.

When our gazes met, I caught a flicker of hesitation in his.

I felt smug. My beauty clearly overwhelmed him.

Yet Sullivan stammered, "Is this all for me?"

His question seemed pointless, but I chalked it up to him being dazed from travel. I grabbed his hand and led him to the living room.

His hand felt as broad as ever, the calluses on his fingertips rough, but it only made me imagine how much fun we'd have later. I blushed again.

Maybe I rushed too much, but then I thought he must be exhausted from his trip and should eat first.

I pushed Sullivan, still distracted, into a chair and sat on his lap, feeling excited.

He clearly enjoyed the physical contact.

Worried he'd skip dinner, I shyly tried to stand.

But I didn't expect him to be so bold-he tugged the tie behind my outfit loose.

We barely started, and he already played so daringly. Where did he learn these new tricks?

A stray thought hit me, wondering if he found someone else while away.

But soon, my mind went blank.

He lifted me effortlessly, showering me with affection, yet he held back, focusing on something else, never quite giving me what I craved.

I couldn't stand it anymore and pleaded with him to give me what I wanted. "Honey, let's go to the bedroom. Please, can we go to the bedroom?"

In the past, those words always got me what I craved, but no matter how I begged this time, Sullivan didn't make a move.

Finally, he seemed unable to hold back, lifting me as if to stand.

"Your honey is calling, your honey is calling..." The cheerful ringtone jolted me out of my haze, my mind spinning.

It didn't stop me from thinking. Honey? Who was honey? Wasn't Sullivan right here with me?

Confusion gripped me, and I wanted to ask what was going on.

But behind me, "Sullivan" chuckled softly. "Phoebe, it's my brother calling. Aren't you going to answer?"

What? His words hit me like a lightning bolt. I looked closely-didn't this man look exactly like Sullivan?

Before I could speak, memories flooded back. Sullivan once mentioned he had a twin brother.

But why was his brother here?

"Phoebe, should we keep going?" Nicholas smirked, grabbing my hand as I fumbled for the phone.

The call ended, and a text from Sullivan popped up. He got into a car accident on his way and needed to go to the hospital for bandages, so he'd be late.

What? I stared at Sullivan's message, then shoved the man in front of me away, desperate to call Sullivan and check on him.

But Nicholas spoke, his voice dripping with mock hurt. "Phoebe, don't you want me anymore?"

The two shocks already drained the color from my face. Hearing him now, I grabbed a blanket to cover myself.

I demanded to know why he didn't say anything earlier and dared to deceive me.

"Phoebe, did I do something wrong? I just didn't want you to feel lonely, stepping in for my brother. Besides, you made the first move." He spoke calmly, as if he had every right, and it made my blood boil.

Before I could argue, he threatened to tell Sullivan, claiming he suspected his sister-in-law of cheating, giving his brother a reason to feel betrayed because it happened today.

Furious, I shot back that I mistook him for Sullivan.

But he just smirked, his dependable facade gone, replaced by a shameless grin.

I realized then how vile he was. He knew I didn't recognize him but still pretended to be Sullivan.

2

I hardened my expression and asked what he wanted.

He replied, "Why would you think that? I'm just here to help."

I didn't believe a word.

He dropped the act and demanded two hundred thousand dollars to keep quiet.

Shock and anger surged through me. What an outrageous demand!

He shrugged, unfazed. "What? My brother's a big-shot company boss. You're his wife. You can't scrape that together?"

I told him I didn't have the money-it was all with Sullivan.

No matter how I explained, he thought I lied, and truthfully, I didn't have that kind of cash.

"Then how about we settle it physically? Help each other out?"

His gaze roamed over me, licking his lips, his eyes repulsive.

Furious but aware of my awkward situation, I knew I needed to get to the hospital to see Sullivan. I compromised.

"I can give you ten thousand." I braced for rejection, thinking I might need to sign an IOU.

But he agreed quickly, telling me to transfer the money. After getting it, he swore no one else would hear about this.

Despite my anger, I admitted my mistake in not seeing through him and had to accept the loss.

As I prepared to head to the hospital, Sullivan texted that he was on his way back.

After checking on Sullivan's injuries, I couldn't resist asking about his brother.

"Him? A lazy good-for-nothing." Sullivan didn't hide his disgust.

Curiosity sparked. Why did Sullivan have such a low opinion of his twin?

He sighed and shared the story.

Their parents divorced when they were young, each taking one child, so they grew up apart with little bond. As adults, Sullivan felt no connection to this brother who came to him for help.

Worse, Nicholas was a liability at the company, useless, treated like a figurehead.

He also borrowed money from Sullivan repeatedly, never mentioning repayment.

Because of this deadbeat brother, Sullivan never considered him family, which explained why I never met him.

Relieved that I'd likely avoid Nicholas in the future, I got hit with a bombshell from Sullivan.

"I'm thinking of letting him stay at our place for a while. What do you think?"

"What? For real?" I couldn't grasp what Sullivan meant.

His hand rested outside the blanket, his voice hollow as he explained that the company needed to expand to a new region. He'd be traveling for a while, spending little time at home, and worried about me being alone, thinking it unsafe.

I felt hurt. If he worried about my safety, why not take me along?

"Phoebe, the conditions there are too rough for you."

I insisted I wasn't afraid, but he described the terrible living and working conditions, bad food, and poor sleep.

In short, I couldn't go.

Under the cover of darkness, I rolled my eyes.

If Nicholas stayed in our home, I'd feel even less safe.