"Fuck me good," Kaira moaned breathlessly, her voice echoing off the bedroom walls as Blake pounded into her with unrelenting force. The headboard slammed rhythmically against the wall, and the filthy wet slap of skin against skin filled the room.
"Do you like that?" Blake asked, his lips curling into a grin as he drove into her harder, savoring the way her body trembled beneath him. He grabbed her hips with bruising force, dragging her back against him with every thrust.
Outside the door, Hailey stood frozen, tears streaming down her face. Her heart slammed against her ribs like it wanted to escape her chest. Her trembling hands clutched her four-year-old son's small fingers.
"Mom…" Aiden's soft, confused voice cut through the sound of betrayal. He tugged at the hem of her dress, his big eyes full of innocence. "What's happening in there?"
Hailey quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. She took a deep breath, forcing composure over the storm raging inside her. Her lips quivered, but she managed a tight smile.
"It's nothing," she whispered hoarsely. "Why don't you go find Nanny in the kitchen and ask her to give you some cookies?"
At the mention of cookies, Aiden's eyes lit up like Christmas morning. He nodded, already forgetting what he'd heard. His little backpack bounced behind him as he ran off toward the kitchen, his footsteps growing quieter with distance.
Hailey watched him go, her vision blurred. Then she turned back to the door.
Her fingers hovered over the doorknob.
A part of her wanted to turn around and run. Pretend she never heard anything. Pretend she hadn't just listened to her husband and her sister in bed together.
But another part of her—a broken, burning part needed to see it with her own eyes.
With shaky resolve, she opened the door.
The scent hit her first.
The air inside reeked of sweat, sex, and something rotten. Her stomach turned, bile rising to the back of her throat.
On the bed, tangled in sheets and each other, Blake and Kaira didn't flinch at her entrance. Kaira's legs were still wrapped around his waist, her head thrown back in pleasure. Neither of them made any attempt to cover themselves.
"Blake…" Hailey said softly. Her voice trembled. She could barely recognize her own tone.
Blake didn't stop. He didn't even look at her.
"Can't you see we're in the middle of something?" he snapped, his voice sharp with irritation. He rammed into Kaira even harder, clearly trying to spite her with the performance.
Hailey's carefully constructed bravery crumbled in an instant. Her heart cracked like shattered glass as she stared at the man she had called her husband, and the sister she had once loved, once trusted.
The betrayal wasn't just physical. It was spiritual. Deep and Bleeding.
Something inside her snapped.
She surged forward, grabbing his arm and trying to yank him off her sister, but he shoved her back with ease.
She stumbled, barely catching herself against the dresser. Her hand flew to her cheek as a sharp pain flared across her face.
It took a moment to register what had happened.
Blake had hit her.
Again.
Her cheek burned, and she could taste blood on her lip.
She stared at him, wide-eyed and breathless. She shouldn't have been shocked—he had hit her before. Many times. Her body bore the faded marks of his rage. But something about this—him hitting her while caught cheating, without shame—was a new level of cruelty.
"You're such bad luck," Blake hissed, his eyes glinting with cold hatred. "Every time I try to enjoy myself, there you are. Like a curse."
He looked at her like she was something rotting at the bottom of his shoe. Like he despised her very existence.
"What fool interrupts a couple making love?" he sneered.
Kaira rolled her eyes and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sister, can you just go? I was so close to coming. You really know how to ruin a moment."
A dagger to the heart would've been less painful.
Hailey's breathing became shallow, her chest tightening as if a noose had been cinched around her ribs. Her knees buckled, but she forced herself to stand upright.
"What are you still doing here?" Blake snapped. "Are you that slow? Can't you understand what this means?"
His tone was venom. "This marriage has been over for a long time. I've been enduring you. You—your ugly crying face, your pathetic voice, your presence—it disgusts me. You walk around here acting like the perfect wife, but you've always been a burden."
Hailey tried to steel herself against his words. But it was like being whipped repeatedly, and she had no armor left.
Her voice came out cracked. "I married you because… because our parents—"
Blake snorted. "Yeah, your precious adoptive parents. You were their charity case. An orphan girl they tried to polish into a daughter. But even they prefer Kaira. Everyone does."
That truth stung more than anything.
Hailey had spent her entire life trying to be enough—good enough, worthy enough, loved enough. She had married Blake because the Monroes told her to. She had cooked, cleaned, birthed his child, endured his fists, and worst of all, she'd given him her kidney when he fell sick two years ago when she could have easily let him find a doner… for what?
"Blake…" she tried again, voice trembling.
Kaira smirked and leaned lazily against Blake, rubbing her hand down his chest. "Babe, can we wrap this up? She's still here, and it's ruining my mood."
"You're right." Blake pulled away from Kaira and walked to the safe across the room. He typed in the code and pulled out a manila folder.
He turned toward Hailey, completely naked, completely unashamed. He was smiling—grinning—as if this was a celebration.
"Let's just end it," he said casually, like he was canceling a dinner reservation. "Let's get a divorce."
The words sliced her open.
Hailey didn't respond at first. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She blinked at him, unsure if she had heard correctly. After all the abuse, all the neglect, all the nights she cried herself to sleep—he was ending it now? And not even with an ounce of remorse?
"What about Aiden?" she asked, her voice hollow. "He's your son. He's only four. What will this do to him?"
Blake shrugged, emotionless. "That's none of my concern. Hell, I'm not even sure he is mine."
Hailey staggered back a step, nearly choking on air. She was glad Aiden wasn't there to hear this. Thank God for his nanny.
"Babe," Kaira called from the bed, now wrapped in the sheets like a queen in victory. "Give her the papers already. Stop wasting time."
Blake handed Hailey the folder, a satisfied smirk on his face. "Go on. Sign it."