The heir of the wealthy Chandler family, renowned in New York's social circle, gave his life to protect his younger brother, Caesar.
He was thrown off a cliff by their enemies, his body shattered beyond recognition, leaving behind only his pregnant wife.
At the funeral, Caesar knelt before his widowed sister-in-law and vowed, “From now on, I will take care of you and the child for the rest of my life in place of my brother.”
And he kept his word—climbing ten thousand stone steps to pray for her safety, giving her the nursery I had so carefully prepared for my own baby, and even handing over the top-tier maternity nanny my mother had specially hired for me.
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Have you forgotten," I asked through gritted teeth, "that I'm pregnant too?"
But with tears streaming down his face, he said he could never erase the image of his brother dying right in front of him.
Seeing his guilt-ridden expression, I softened, and compromised.
Until one day, after my prenatal check-up, I came home only to find my widowed sister-in-law lying in Caesar's arms, her face flushed with pleasure.
"Caesar, it feels so good when you help relieve my milk pain," she murmured.
"Your brother is gone, but luckily I still have you."
At that moment, I felt Caesar had become filthy.
I wiped away my tears and called Dexter—the crown prince of London's business world, my childhood sweetheart who had just returned to the country.
"You once said you wanted to take care of me," I asked, voice trembling. "Did you mean it?"
His steady voice came through the line. "Of course I meant it. Why? Has that brat Caesar wronged you again?"
A sharp bitterness rose in my chest.
I drew a deep breath and replied, "Three days from now... can you come and take me home?"
He agreed without hesitation, comforting me for a while before hanging up.
Meanwhile, in our bedroom, Caesar was still kneading Arlene's body with deep concentration.
"Sister-in-law, I promised I'd take care of you. I'll never go back on my word. If you feel unwell anywhere else, just tell me."
Pain stabbed through my heart.
He was supposed to accompany me to the hospital today for my check-up.
Instead, he canceled last minute, leaving me to waddle in alone with my swollen belly.
So this was the ‘urgent matter' he spoke of—massaging Arlene's breasts.
And as if that weren't enough, she grabbed his hand and placed it on her thigh.
Her skirt was hiked indecently high, revealing smooth, pale skin.
"Here too," she pouted. "It aches so much. Can I trouble you, little brother?"
His face turned crimson.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he clenched his jaw and agreed.
I couldn't watch anymore.
I stormed in, hurling my handbag straight at Caesar.
"Do you have no shame? On my bed, of all places—you're disgusting!"
He jumped up in a panic, rushing to explain. "Larissa, don't be angry. I didn't do anything—I was just massaging her. You're pregnant too, you know how painful engorgement is. How could I just ignore her?"
Bitter laughter bubbled up in my throat.
I was the one who had taught him those massages to ease my pregnancy pain.
And now he was using the same techniques on Arlene—throwing my own words back at me.
Before I could speak, Arlene scrambled off the bed, straightening her clothes with teary eyes.
"Larissa, if you're upset, take it out on me. Just don't blame Caesar. He only did this to help me. I'll apologize to you, alright? Please don't let this affect your relationship..."
After saying that, she struck her own face hard, red welts blooming instantly.
Caesar's eyes flashed with pity. He grabbed her wrists to stop her.
"Enough! You've done nothing wrong. You don't need to apologize."
Then he turned to me, his voice sharp and accusatory. "So what if you had to go for one check-up alone? Is that really worth causing a scene the moment you get home?"
"You're not half as gentle or virtuous as your sister-in-law. Can't you fix that terrible temper of yours?"
I stood frozen, staring at him. For the first time, he felt like a stranger.
Was this really the same man who once swore I was his world, who vowed to cherish me forever?
It was Arlene who had struck herself.
Yet somehow, the one at fault was me.
"If you think she's so perfect," I said coldly, sliding the wedding ring off my finger, "then why don't you just marry her?"
I dropped the ring into Arlene's smug palm and curved my lips into a mocking smile.
"But sister-in-law, don't get ahead of yourself."
"It's been less than a month since your husband died, and you're already crawling into his younger brother's bed. Aren't you afraid of breaking his heart even in the grave?"
