I trekked through the heavy snow to deliver it. Desmond took one look and laughed, his amusement cutting through the freezing air.

"You actually brought it."

He took it from me with practiced ease, dismissing the state of the document without a second glance. "Used too much force. It ripped."

"Don't worry," he added, his voice devoid of any real concern. "As long as we're legally wed, I won't let Vienna get pregnant."

He smirked, tilting his head. "You were so compliant when you were just my 'little sister.' Why are you still acting that way now that you’re my wife? Hmm?"

I was shivering so hard my teeth rattled, but I forced the words out. "Desmond. We’re getting a divorce."

He waved me off, utterly indifferent. "Don't start. The folks wouldn't survive the fallout. Let’s talk about this in three years."

"Isn't this arrangement fine as it is? You’re free to see whoever you want."

He leaned back, eyes glinting. "Vienna knows someone great. She wants to introduce you. Why don’t you meet him?"

***

I was still standing there, staring into space, when the door swung open again.

Vienna Cruz breezed in, shot me a razor-thin glare, and practically melted into Desmond for a deep, lingering kiss. She coiled her arms around his neck, cooing, "Don't be so rough next time. If I end up pregnant, you’re the one who has to deal with it!"

Desmond’s thumb brushed against her lower lip, his laugh low and honeyed. "It's mine, isn't it? Of course I'll handle it."

Vienna left, but I remained rooted to the spot, my chest tightening until I couldn't draw a full breath.

I didn’t understand him. Back in college, Vienna had confessed her feelings eight times. He had rejected her eight times. Yet, once we were married, he’d started a full-blown affair with her, promising to make her his wife in three years.

Desmond once told me, "People only realize what they truly want after they’ve lost everything."

"Planning on standing there like a statue all night?" He grabbed my arm, yanking me inside. He frowned at my touch. "Your hands are freezing. Didn't I tell you to dress warmer?"

His palms were burning hot, cocooning my icy fingers.

I looked up at him. "Why do we have to wait three years?"

Desmond paused, his movements stiffening. "The parents need time to adjust."

"Three years is enough for them to accept that our 'marriage fell apart.' Don't worry. I’ll always be your big brother."

*Brother.* God, I hated that word. It felt like a tether around my neck.

I reached up, hooked my fingers into his collar, and slammed my lips onto his.

His entire body went rigid. His hands hovered in the air for a heartbeat before dropping to his sides, leaving me to fumble through the kiss with agonizing, clumsy desperation.

He didn't move until I was gasping for air.

Then, he finally snapped. He hooked a hand behind my head and kissed me back, hard—a punishing, possessive crush of lips that demanded everything.

"You don't even know how to breathe," he muttered against my mouth, his voice dark. "Trying to play games when you're this inexperienced?"

Hot tears blurred my vision, turning his face into a smudge of shadow.

"Aren't I just your sister?" I whispered.

He curled his lip into a mocking, predatory smile. "Let me teach you, then. Save yourself the embarrassment of acting like an amateur."

The tears wouldn't stop, hot tracks carving paths through the cold on my cheeks. Everything in my world began to dissolve into a gray, tear-soaked haze.

The words I had desperately wanted to scream were choked back, swallowed whole by the silence.