The Other Woman

Shanna's POV

I stirred at the sound of a slight cough. Abruptly, sleep raced from me. Sitting up, the sheets slipped from my body, and I grabbed them, quickly discovering that I was only wearing my lacy pants.

Jaime sat bare chested, his face covered by the black and white newspaper which he was reading.

"Did we really do it?" I asked, ignoring the way my heart pumped aggressively.

"What do you think?" Jaime wrangled his brows, placing the paper aside.

My mouth dropped open.

No way that happened! My mind screamed. Glancing down at my body once more, memories from last night drifted towards me.

"And for the record, you were terrible at it," he said, standing up to show me the scratches I'd rendered on his back.

Had I done that to him at the spun of the moment? It shouldn't have happened. I should hate Jaime; he placed me in this mess. But why was my heart saying something else?

Jaime was laughing at me, tilting the corner of his lip as he enjoyed the look of shock on my face.

I gathered the sheet around my body, rolling out of the bed in a frantic attempt to find my dress.

"You should have stopped me. Do you know what people would say?"

He seemed bruised by my question. Then a scowl replaced the surprise on his face. "Why do you care what people will say?"

"Where are my clothes?" I mumbled to myself, "I am your brother's wife for crying out loud." I responded to him.

"So? Richard is free to cheat on you, but what are you doing feels worse?come on, you aren't even his wife,"He scoffed, grabbed my dress from where he stood and threw it at me.

What was he insinuating? Luckily for me, I managed to catch it. "That is different. That must have been a mistake." I defended Richard, believing that perhaps he must have been kind, sweet and everything to Marilyn. He was different from Jaime.

Why should I be in this mess in the first place?

"Dress up. Your driver will soon be here." His jaw clenched. Grabbing his shirt, he turned to leave.

Was he pissed?

Didn't he realize that if Richard got wind of this, it could mean something bad for me, for him....

Why did I care about Jaime, what was he to me? Yes, my heart did jump in circular dances whenever he was around me - probably because he was damn fine. But he was my brother-in-law. Fake brother-in-law.

"Hold up, hold up, Jaime!" I called to him.

He placed his shirt to his shoulder once he faced me.

"No one must know about this. No one, please." I pleaded.

He scoffed, "as if I care," he smirked and left.

The sound of his footsteps receded, and I finally forced myself to wear my dress.

I had been under the influence of a strong liquor. How could I not remember anything about last night?

My eyes shut for a second before I rushed to adjust myself. Richard's driver, Dane, was just in time to take me to the car.

"Jaime informed me of your presence here," his eyes read to my surprise.

Shame engulfed me. "And have you informed Richard?" I had to ask.

What would people say when news got out that I had spent the previous night with my husband's brother? No, we could have possibly made love. And paparazzi would dine with such juicy news.

If words got out.

My stomach clenched tightly. "I made sure to put his mind at ease," came Dane's reply.

Should I be grateful to Dane? Even though my husband had hurt me, he was my husband. And we could have been the best of lovers if only I open up to him.

Did that thought just sprout from me?

Immediately the engine died, I got out of the car and strode to the house. "Need I remind you that you are a married woman, and it is unwise to let no one know about your whereabouts?" Richard's voice cut across to me the moment I walked in.

He was eating breakfast with his nieces and nephew, including Eucharia, who shot me a cold stare. I inhaled deeply and turned to start up the stairs.

It was better to ignore him. We had company, and he repulsed me enough for me to waste words with him.

"At least, an acknowledgment will do. We are not sticks, are we?" Eucharia's words stopped me short.

I tried a smile. "My apologies. Good morning, I was in a haste to get out of this dress."

"I've always known you to be audacious, but your lack of manners has gone overboard _"

A slice of what I read from Marilyn's journal surfaced as Eucharia rambled on. Marilyn had wrote that Eucharia had stepped in front of her on her wedding day and uttered these words:

Eucharia: "You think you're worth being the mistress of this house? Let's see how long you will last."

I staggered, holding my head whilst pretending that a slight migraine erupted.

In the distance, a chair scraped across the ground like metal scraping metal. Footsteps raced towards me. As soon as Richard's hands touched me, I realized where I was.

"Are you okay, Marilyn?" Richard's hands cupped my face. My eyes took in his concern and shifted to Eucharia.

"Do you remember something?" Richard put in, studying me.

Eucharia!

My mind screamed. I'd felt her aura ever since she had walked into that hall. She knew something about Marilyn. It would be senseless to accuse her with no proper evidence.

For as long as she was in this house, I would find ways to make her confess why she hated her missing sister-in-law.

I slowed my breath. Shook off Richard's hands from me. "I am alright," I told him.

Despite his rigid expression, he remained calm. "Wash up and join us for breakfast."

Just as I made an attempt to reply to him, the door opened. In walked Derek, Richard's other effeminate brother and a woman I loathe to see again.

The pregnant woman who had caused me great humiliation was standing at the entrance with her luggage. She was dressed in a pleated, drop waist gown, wrapping a hand around her stomach.

"What is she doing here?" I snapped my face to Richard.