Chapter 3Ditching My Husband for His Rich Younger Brother

I don't even remember how I dragged myself back to the apartment, or how I forced myself to sign those divorce papers.

Julian was incredibly efficient. He had already ordered his assistants to pack my things and throw them out of the house. He was already moving Seraphina into the master bedroom that used to be mine.

I sat in the living room like a ghost, listening to the muffled sounds of their laughter through the closed door.

On the table in front of me sat a cold black credit card.

Half an hour ago, he tried to buy off my three years of devotion with money.

"There's three million dollars on this card. Let's end this cleanly."

"And don't ever bother me again."

My parents died when I was young, and I had lived alone in New York for years. I thought marrying Julian meant I finally had a family.

But my love was misplaced, and now I had no way to take it back.

I wanted to call someone to talk to, but when I opened my phone, my entire contact list was filled with people associated with Julian.

During these three years, to help him secure his position, I had accompanied him to countless business dinners.

The irregular sleep schedule and constant drinking had made me look exhausted, much older than other girls my age.

My stomach burned with a sharp, agonizing pain.

The doorbell rang loudly. I struggled to stand up and opened the door.

Standing there was Julian's younger half-brother, Christian Ryder.

Unlike Julian, Christian grew up surrounded by love. He was an artistic genius with grand dreams in the fine arts.

With no interest in corporate greed, he never cared about the Ryder family inheritance, so Julian never saw him as a threat.

I had only met Christian a few times, so I had no idea how he found my place.

Through my blurry, drunken eyes, I could see the deep worry on his face.

I grabbed his arm and started rambling like a crazy person. I talked about how Julian and I met, how happy we used to be, and how brutally he had abandoned me.

"He promised me a real wedding! He's a liar! A total bastard!"

Terrified that I might hurt myself, Christian gently grabbed my flailing hands.

Three years ago, he was just a high school kid. Now, he had grown into a handsome young man who stood a full head taller than me.

His beautiful, expressive eyes weren't cold like Julian’s. They were filled with a mix of longing and restraint, looking like a startled deer that had accidentally stumbled into my messy, broken life.

"Evie, he's not worth it."

I laughed and cried at the same time, waving my hand dismissively.

"Christian, don't call me that anymore. I don't deserve to be anyone's sister-in-law."

"Come on, have a drink with me!"

My voice was forced, still holding onto the remnants of my love for Julian.

Christian's eyes darkened, and his voice dropped to a whisper.

"I've wanted to stop calling you that for a long time anyway..."

I only saw the worry on his face, failing to notice the deep passion swirling in his eyes.

It wasn't until the next morning, when I woke up and saw Christian lying naked next to me, that I realized how wild last night had been.

Maybe it was because I hadn't been drunk in so long, but I didn't know I could be so reckless...

I had just divorced my ex-husband, and now I was in bed with his younger brother.

The young man's chest was covered in light hickeys, and his muscular back had faint, healing scratch marks.

His breathing was soft and even, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly.

Oh my god. He just turned twenty-one, didn't he?

I tried to slide out of bed quietly to make my escape, but his hand shot out and gripped my wrist firmly.

"Where are you going, Evie?"

Christian flipped over, pinning me beneath him. His deep, raspy morning voice was incredibly sexy: