[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322A01459-494":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},494,1,"Chapter 1: \"I'm Not Your Sister, Desmond\"","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I trekked through the heavy snow to deliver it. Desmond took one look and laughed, his amusement cutting through the freezing air.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"You actually brought it.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He took it from me with practiced ease, dismissing the state of the document without a second glance. \"Used too much force. It ripped.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"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.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I was shivering so hard my teeth rattled, but I forced the words out. \"Desmond. We’re getting a divorce.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He waved me off, utterly indifferent. \"Don't start. The folks wouldn't survive the fallout. Let’s talk about this in three years.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Isn't this arrangement fine as it is? You’re free to see whoever you want.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He leaned back, eyes glinting. \"Vienna knows someone great. She wants to introduce you. Why don’t you meet him?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">***\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I was still standing there, staring into space, when the door swung open again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Vienna left, but I remained rooted to the spot, my chest tightening until I couldn't draw a full breath.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Desmond once told me, \"People only realize what they truly want after they’ve lost everything.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"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?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His palms were burning hot, cocooning my icy fingers.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I looked up at him. \"Why do we have to wait three years?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Desmond paused, his movements stiffening. \"The parents need time to adjust.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Three years is enough for them to accept that our 'marriage fell apart.' Don't worry. I’ll always be your big brother.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">*Brother.* God, I hated that word. It felt like a tether around my neck.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I reached up, hooked my fingers into his collar, and slammed my lips onto his.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He didn't move until I was gasping for air.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"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?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Hot tears blurred my vision, turning his face into a smudge of shadow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Aren't I just your sister?\" I whispered.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He curled his lip into a mocking, predatory smile. \"Let me teach you, then. Save yourself the embarrassment of acting like an amateur.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">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.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The words I had desperately wanted to scream were choked back, swallowed whole by the silence.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272915733]