My Perfect Wife, My Brother's Secret Lover

When I'm 14, my father beats me until my ears ring. It's my brother, Gideon West, and Kate Calloway who step in front of me, shielding me with a knife in hand. When I turn 18, the two of them fight their way into the legal world, all so they can put my father behind bars and take me away from him. At 21, on my wedding day, Gideon forces Kate to swear an oath in front of me. "You will never betray my brother. If you do, I'll make sure you leave the marriage with nothing. And if that isn't enough, I'll kill you myself." For the next eight years, Kate becomes the model wife everyone admires. She never fools around. She never comes home late. Even her phone password is always my birthday. Our daughter, Sadie West, used to say that she loves me more than anyone in this world. On the day Sadie turns seven, she makes a birthday wish with her eyes squeezed shut. "I wish Mommy would stop going to her other home. Every time Daddy falls asleep, she sneaks out. I don't want to lie for her anymore." I assume Sadie is just joking. "Who lives at Mommy's other home?" I ask, crouching down beside her. Sadie slips behind me and points into the distance. I follow her gaze, and the cake knife slips from my hand and clatters to the floor. Standing there is the person I trust most in the world—Gideon. But beneath the table, I can clearly see his hand intertwined with Kate's, their fingers tightly laced together. Chapter 1 Sadie West's voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone to hear. The moment Gideon West and Kate Calloway noticed me watching, they hurriedly pulled apart. Kate walked over and scooped Sadie into her arms, gently pinching her cheek. "What are you talking about?" she chided. "I was just going to work. I didn't want to wake Daddy." Gideon followed behind her, giving her arm a hard tug as he shot her a warning look. "If you ever dare cheat on my brother with another man, I'll kill you." The familiar chaos at home eased the doubts creeping into my mind. How could that be possible? Gideon and Kate had never gotten along. One was obsessed with his little brother, and the other was obsessed with her husband. They'd been fighting over who got more of my time and attention since we were kids, and practically every time they met, they ended up bickering. These were two people who valued me more than their own lives. How could they possibly betray me together? And yet, when I looked at Sadie's serious expression and remembered what I'd seen under the table just moments ago, the chill inside me only grew. Almost instinctively, I stepped forward and smoothed out the wrinkles in Kate's skirt. My fingers froze. There was the faintest trace of cologne lingering on her—the same scent I'd given Gideon yesterday. Then I noticed a small hickey peeking out from the back of her neck. My hand shifted, and I reached into her bag and pulled out a lighter instead. "Whose is this?" Kate's face went pale, and she glanced at Gideon from the corner of her eye. Gideon took the lighter from me and slipped it into his pocket. "It's mine," he said calmly. "I asked her to hold onto it for me and forgot to take it back." He sounded perfectly natural, just like all the times he'd come up with an explanation for Kate in the past. Whenever I'd asked who the gifts she'd brought back from business trips were for, Gideon would say he asked her to pick them up for him while she was there. Whenever I'd asked where the bruises on her thigh came from, he'd say he must've left those marks after getting into a fight with her. I'd always believed him without question. Once, I'd even joked, "If it weren't for you, I'd think my wife was cheating on me behind my back." Gideon had simply shot Kate a cold look and said, "As if she'd have the guts." But what if the man she was cheating with was Gideon? What if all those explanations had really been nothing more than cover for their affair? A chill ran down my spine, numbing my entire body. I stared at Gideon in a daze. He looked startled, and there was a trace of unease in his voice. "Gavin, you don't believe me?" I didn't nod or shake my head. Instead, I picked Sadie up and said, "I'll take Sadie upstairs and get her changed." Behind me, I could feel two pairs of eyes following my every move. Neither Gideon nor Kate knew the truth—that lighter was mine. I'd slipped it into Kate's bag last night and forgotten to take it back out. And now, it had become the evidence that could expose their betrayal and all their lies. Chapter 2 I hurried off from the living room with Sadie in my arms, as though I were running for my life. Every step felt unsteady, and my legs seemed too weak to support me. Almost instinctively, I reached for my ring finger, seeking the familiar comfort of my wedding band—only to find it gone. I settled Sadie in her room, then went back into the hallway to look for it. That was when I heard two familiar voices approaching. I ducked into the nearest room and watched through the crack in the door as Kate wrapped her arms around Gideon's waist and kissed him with unmatched fervor. He surrendered to her for a moment and lost himself in her kisses, but then seemed to come back to his senses. "Are you crazy?" he hissed, pushing her away. "What if Gavin sees us?" "So what if he does? You're the one I love anyway!" Tears streamed down Kate's red-rimmed eyes as she threw herself back into his arms. "Today, I've been dying to tell him the truth," she sobbed. "If he'd just been willing to let us be together, I'd have done anything…" Gideon closed his eyes, struggling to hold himself together. "Kate, we can't do this to Gavin," he ground out in a trembling voice. "When I was a kid and got kidnapped, he was the one who found me and carried me out of that pit. "I swore I'd protect him for the rest of my life, and yet I ended up sleeping with his wife. "Even the money you used to start your business—Gavin got it for you by drinking until he suffered a stomach rupture. How could we be so cruel to him?" "And what about you?" Kate countered. "What about everything you've had to endure?" She rose onto her toes, trembling as she pressed a kiss to his cheek. "How many nights have you spent alone all these years? How many times have you pushed me away even though it broke your heart? "Like the night he was in that car accident. You'd been up all night with me and ended up with a fever, but you still rushed me to the hospital and forced yourself to stay behind and take care of him." "Stop…" Gideon's entire body was shaking as he silenced her with a kiss. She returned an even more passionate kiss instead. I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, clamping a hand over my mouth in disbelief. So on the night I nearly died in that car accident, my own brother and my wife had been in bed together. Then what had brought them rushing to my side afterward, fighting each other for the chance to take care of me? Had they been worried about me—or were they simply drowning in guilt over what they'd done? The footsteps outside eventually faded into the distance. I staggered to my feet, and only then realized that I'd dug my fingernails into my palms so hard that they'd drawn blood. But I couldn't feel the pain anymore. I picked up the wedding ring lying on the floor, its surface catching the light. Only then did I notice two initials engraved on the inside—"K and G". It was Kate and Gideon. I smiled bitterly, tears spilling from my eyes. Kate had had this ring custom-made. It turned out even my wedding ring had been stolen from me. I remembered the day I proposed. Kate's eyes had turned red with tears, while Gideon had cried so hard he could barely speak. Back then, what exactly were they thinking? Were they celebrating my happiness, or mourning the love they could never have? Sadie came looking for me after changing her clothes. She reached out with her chubby hands and clumsily wiped away my tears. "Daddy, don't cry. I'll always stay with you." I pulled her tightly into my arms. "Sadie, did Mommy ever tell you anything?" I asked. She fell silent for a few seconds before finally answering. "At that house, Mommy touched her belly and asked me if I'd rather have a little brother or a little sister… "She said that if I told Daddy about it, Daddy wouldn't love me anymore. But I don't want to lie to you, Daddy." Her arms tightened around me as I stroked her back, tears continuing to roll down my cheeks. "Tell me. Where is that house?" Chapter 3 Sadie couldn't remember the address, but I found it through the GPS in Kate's car. It was a villa in the southern part of the city. She drove more than 50 miles each way, making the trip twice a day. I entered Gideon's birthday into the keypad, and the door unlocked. The first thing I saw was a pair of matching slippers. Then came matching mugs, matching gloves, matching hats… Almost everything in the house came in pairs. I dug my nails into my palms as a dull ache spread through my chest. I'd once suggested buying matching things for us too, but Kate had dismissed the idea as childish. She'd said we'd been married for years and didn't need all those little romantic gestures. So it wasn't that she didn't like them. She'd simply been saving all that romance and tenderness for Gideon. I walked farther inside. The walls were covered with photographs of them together, taken throughout the year. Last March, when I'd been in a car accident and broken my leg, they'd been in Gonga, admiring the snow-covered mountains. In July, when Sadie had come down with the flu and was receiving an IV at the hospital, they'd been by the sea, wrapped in each other's arms. On New Year's Eve that year, the two of them had claimed they couldn't make it back to the country in time. Instead, they'd stayed here, cooking and watching fireworks together. I gripped one of the photo frames so tightly that my hands began to shake. I stumbled backward and knocked over a vase on the table. Pollen scattered into the air, and within seconds, my chest began to tighten. I was allergic to pollen, yet fresh flowers were everywhere in the house. Fighting through the pain, I made my way outside and drove straight to the hospital. After buying my medication, I called Kate 12 times, but she didn't even answer once. I put my phone away, almost laughing at myself for how ridiculous my instinctive dependence on her had become. Then I looked up, and there she was. The woman who had ignored all 12 of my calls was now standing outside the obstetrics and gynecology department. She nestled tenderly against a man's chest, one hand resting over her lower abdomen as she whispered something in his ear. Our eyes met across the corridor. For half a second, my heart seemed to stop. Panic flashed across Kate's face. She immediately stepped in front of Gideon, trying to shield him from my view. "Kate!" I chased after them. I grabbed Gideon by the shirt, but I couldn't bring myself to pull hard. Tears spilled uncontrollably down my face. "What are you two doing here?" I choked. Kate pressed her lips together. "You've misunderstood," she quickly said, avoiding my eyes. "He's an important client of mine." Gideon cowered behind her, refusing to look up. I seized his collar and forced him to turn toward me. "Gideon, how much longer are you two planning to keep this from me?" I demanded. "Is Kate pregnant with your child? Tell me! "Gavin…" Gideon's eyes were bloodshot as he shook his head frantically, unable to get a word out. "Gavin, if you have something to say, say it to me," Kate cut in, shoving me away. "Leave him alone!" I threw her arm off me with all the strength I had. "Kate, how could you be this disgusting?" I barked. "You could've cheated with anyone, but you chose my own brother!" My hysterical accusation echoed through the entire corridor. People immediately gathered around us, pointing and whispering as they watched the two of them. "Oh my God! She's sleeping with her own husband's brother? That's disgusting. What a shameless woman!" "She got pregnant by him, too. If they hadn't run into each other at the hospital, her husband might never have found out…" "People like that deserve to be sent straight to hell!" "I didn't!" Gideon shouted. "It's not like that!" He covered his ears, then collapsed to the floor in agony. "Gideon!" Kate's eyes reddened as she crouched beside him. She reached out to hold him, but he shoved her away. She fell hard against the floor, and blood immediately began running down her thigh. The color drained from Gideon's face. He scooped Kate up in his arms and rushed toward the emergency room like a madman. "Where's the doctor? Someone, help her!" As I watched Kate writhe in pain, concern and resentment churned violently inside me. In the end, I gritted my teeth and followed them, unable to stop myself from wanting to stay by her side. But the moment I reached for her arm, Gideon turned around and kicked me hard in the stomach. "Get away!" He glared at me through clenched teeth, resentment burning in his eyes. "I won't let you touch her again." I went tumbling down the staircase beside me. Pain exploded through my arm, then came the sickening crack of breaking bone. My arm was broken. … When I found Kate again, she was forcing herself to stay awake, gently wiping Gideon's body. She merely shot me a cold glance when she learned that I'd broken my arm. "You brought this on yourself," she spat. "Who told you to kill my child? You drove Gideon into such a rage that he ended up with a fever all night." I stared at her in stunned disbelief, tears welling up despite everything I could do to hold them back. This wasn't the first time I'd broken an arm for her. Eight years ago, one of her investors had tried to take advantage of her. I'd stepped in to protect her, only to have someone smash my arm with a brick. Kate had been so frantic as she rushed me to the hospital. She'd sat beside my bed, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. Back then, she'd told me how much it hurt seeing me suffer and swore she'd never let me go through that kind of pain again. Now, she was telling me I deserved it. It took me a long moment before I could finally find my voice. "Kate, let's get divorced," I croaked. "I'll take Sadie and leave. I'll give the two of you what you want." Chapter 4 Kate's expression darkened, and she opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something. But Gideon stirred, his fingers twitching weakly. Kate immediately looked away from me and turned her attention back to him, gently wiping the sweat from his forehead with a tenderness I no longer recognized. Then she tossed me one cold remark. "Whatever." I took the hint and left the room, quietly closing the door behind me. Outside, I wandered the streets like a ghost. It was nearly 104 degrees, yet I couldn't stop shivering. Later, I found a lawyer and had the divorce papers drawn up. Then I packed my belongings as quickly as I could and picked Sadie up from her after-school class. "Sadie, Daddy and Mommy are going to live apart soon," I said. "Would you like to live with me from now on?" She wrapped her arms tightly around me and nodded. "Wherever Daddy goes, I'll go!" For the first time in what felt like forever, warmth seeped into my battered heart. Whatever happened, at least I hadn't lost everything. I had just walked out of the villa with Sadie when a car pulled up in front of us, blocking our path. Gideon jumped out, still wearing his hospital clothes. His face was pale, his eyes bloodshot, and before I could say a word, he punched me hard. "Gavin, the entire internet is attacking me now. Are you happy?" He pulled out his phone and slammed it against my face. Only then did I realize someone had uploaded a video of our argument at the hospital. It had immediately gone viral and shot to the top of the trending searches. "It's all because of you!" he snarled. "My law firm was trashed, and my business partners have backed out of their deals! "You didn't just kill my child with Kate, but you also got him labeled a bastard. I hate you!" He grabbed me by the collar, driving punch after punch into my body. I staggered backward, staring at him in disbelief. The eyes that had always looked at me with such warmth were now filled with nothing but hatred. "Aren't all of these consequences the result of what you two did?" I shot back almost instinctively. "If there's anyone to blame, blame yourself!" "Shut up!" He grabbed me by the throat. "All I did was fall in love with Kate. What did I do wrong? "Gavin, I loved her before you did. I'm better-looking and more capable than you, so why the hell were you the one who got to marry her? "You really think I studied law for you? I did it for Kate. I wanted to stand beside her for the rest of our lives. You were the one who destroyed my happiness!" His words hit me like a blow to the head. I stood there, numb from head to toe, unable even to breathe as his fingers tightened around my throat. So this was the truth. My marriage wasn't just a lie. Even the family I'd once been so proud of had been a lie. "Don't hurt my daddy!" Sadie came running over in tears, raising her little fists and pounding them against Gideon's thigh. "Get away from me!" He turned and shoved her with all his strength, sending her stumbling into the middle of the road. A sharp horn suddenly pierced the air, followed by a deafening impact. Sadie was thrown into the air before the truck's wheels rolled over her, blood spreading across the crosswalk. My heart shattered. "Sadie!" I cried, collapsing to the ground. "Gideon!" Kate came rushing over. But instead of going to Sadie, she threw herself into Gideon's arms, frantic with concern. He immediately let his body go limp, resting his chin against her shoulder as though he'd passed out. I crawled toward Kate in desperation and grabbed her pant leg, pointing toward the road. But I was so hysterical that the words barely came out. "Sadie was hit by a car!" I wheezed. "Please, take our daughter to the hospital!" But Kate wouldn't even look at me. "Stop pretending, Gavin," she said dismissively, holding Gideon tight in her arms. "I thought you genuinely wanted a divorce. "So this was your plan all along—using public opinion to force us apart? And now you're even using our daughter as a tool? "If I'd known you'd turn out like this, I would've rather watched you die at your father's hands back then." I tried to explain through tears, but she wouldn't listen. She didn't believe a word I said. The driver who hit Sadie had already fled. I stumbled to the side of the road, dropping to my knees beside her. Blood gushed out of her mouth, and her thigh was twisted at an unnatural angle. "Sadie, stay with me," I sobbed. "Daddy's here. I'll save you, I promise!" Desperate, I called for help and dropped to my knees, begging the people around us. But no one was willing to take us to the hospital. Kate had warned them that anyone who helped me would be making an enemy of the entire legal community. I forced myself to my feet, gathered Sadie into my arms, and ran toward the hospital. Somewhere along the way, I lost my shoes. My bare feet rubbed raw against the pavement until they bled, leaving bloody footprints behind me. When I finally reached the hospital, I fell to my knees before the doctor and begged again and again. "Please, save my daughter! Please…" But the doctor only shook his head with a weary sigh. "It's too late," he said. "There's nothing we can do." A roar filled my ears. The world seemed to lose all its color, leaving nothing inside me but boiling resentment. I'd lost everything in a single day. I forced my worn-down body to keep moving until I reached Gideon's hospital room. The moment Kate saw me, she sprang to her feet and shielded him with her body. "What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Are you trying to hurt him again?" I laughed, tears sliding down my cheeks. I rushed forward, grabbed the fruit knife from the bedside table, and raised it. "Gavin!" Kate looked as though she were facing a fatal threat, throwing herself in front of Gideon to protect him. But I wasn't trying to hurt either of them. I pulled Sadie into my arms, pressed the tip of the knife to my chest, and drove it into my heart. "You saved me once," I forced out through gritted teeth. "Now I'm giving you two lives in return, so you can have each other. "Isn't that enough?"