Contracted to My Ex's Cold Brother

Rain poured down in sheets when Eloise’s car suddenly shuddered and died in the middle of the road.

“Damn, no!" She slammed on the steering wheel out of patience.

She turned the key twice, then a third time.

Nothing.

Her heart lurched as she grabbed her phone and called her husband. It rang repeatedly, yet no answer.

She called again immediately. Still nothing.

“Pick up,” she whispered, gripping the phone tighter. “Damian, please pick up the damn phone!"

But this time it went straight to voicemail.

Having no choice left, she stepped outisde, only to be soaked in rain.

Freezing water drenched her hair, her clothes, her skin as she stood helplessly beside the dead car in the middle of nowhere.

Eloise called her husband a few more times. And still, no response.

By the time she finally managed to get home in a cab nearly two hours later, she was shivering so violently she could barely get the key into the front door.

The house was completely dark and empty.

Damien wasn’t home.

Eloise stood in the foyer dripping rainwater onto the floor, her whole body was trembling.

She was about to step in, when suddenly, her phone buzzed. A notification popped up in her social media account.

It was a post was from Selene. Her elder sister.

For some unknown reason, her stomach twisted just by seeing the name. She wanted to avoid, but on a second thought, she opened it.

And when she did, the phone nearly slipped her hand.

*Family comes first ❤️*

Selene had tagged her which felt more like a taunt to Eloise.

Her fingers tightened around the phone as she stared at the photos in a daze.

Damien, Selene and her four year old son, Diego in the same photo. All smiling.

The three of them huddled together under warm lights, wrapped around each other like a perfect little family.

In one photo, Damien had his arm around Selene’s shoulders. In another, Diego was clinging to her side, grinning happily.

The caption beneath the post was the last straw that shattered Eloise’s world at that moment, completely.

*So grateful for the people who always show up when I need them most.*

Her vision blurred as she stared at the screen, unable to breathe.

That was where he had been. While she stood stranded in the rain calling for her husband...

He had been with her. The only woman he could ever see.

It was supposed to be the night when Eloise melted into the arms of her husband, Damien Snatos, on their fifth wedding anniversary.

But the joke was on her; his arms were clinging to another woman, and worse, to her forever bully, Selene Ricardo …

Eloise waited until well past midnight, but Damien never came home.

Just as she slipped into bed, her phone rang sharply from the nightstand.

For a split second, a flicker of hope surged. She thought it might finally be Damien, checking on his wife. But the number was foreign, unfamiliar.

“Hello?” Eloise received the call, thinking it was an emergency in the office. That's just how her work was.

“Miss Eloise?” The voice on the other end, however, was completely unfamiliar.

"Yes?"

“This is St. Lucian General Hospital. We have found your number in the emergency dial list of Mr Damien Snatos.”

“He has been in a car accident. ”

Eloise froze. Her stomach clenched so tightly she couldn’t breathe properly.

"A-A car accident?!" The words barely left her lips.

“Yes, ma’am. His situation is a bit critical. And there was another passenger."

Her fingers tightened. “Another passenger!?” Her heart shuddered, thinking if it was Diego.

“A woman.”

As soon as the words rang in her ear, her heart dropped. Even without asking who. A part of her already knew…

“We believe her name is Selene Ricardo.” And the woman said it.

The phone nearly slipped from Eloise’s hand as a sharp twist coiled in her stomach. So, it was always her…

And now, standing before the emergency ward, Eloise gazed at them.

Her husband was lying unconscious on the white bed, his tanned face now pale, his lips devoid of colour, with tubes already attached to his arms.

His chest rose shallowly and unevenly, as if each breath was more difficult than the last.

Beside him, lay Selene, his first and forever love. Except, she was also Eloise’s elder sister, and her only contribution to Eloise’s life had been... to cause her distress.

Selene had left everything five years ago, leaving Eloise in the midst of the business alliance, only to return and ruin it all…

Her dress was torn, her arms were bleeding, and her face was contorted with immense anguish.

“Ma'am?” An urgent tone cut through Eloise’s thoughts, shifting her attention.

A nurse was standing beside her, holding a clipboard.

“And you are?” the nurse asked briskly. “Family?”

“Yes,” Eloise said automatically. “I’m family.”

The words left her mouth before she could think.

Not wife. She couldn’t bring herself to say that word aloud. Not when even after five years of marriage, it still felt like a lie.

“They need an urgent operation. Please fill the forms.” The nurse held the pen and paper out to her.

Eloise’s gaze didn’t move from them.

At the moment, she could just leave… The thought crossed her mind sharp and quiet.

But then, she didn't. Unlike them, she couldn't walk over her modesty.

Eloise never even let a stray dog pass her without care, and these were human beings, after all.

She exhaled once, then reached for the pen.

“Start the operation,” she said, her voice rolled out colder than intended. “And make sure they live."

Her fingers stilled for a fraction of a second.

The nurse blinked, perhaps caught off guard. “Oh—we will try our best. Please wait in the lounge…”

Eloise didn’t respond, and simply walked straight to the waiting area, letting the weight of everything press against her knees before she finally sank onto the couch.

She had wanted tonight to be theirs. A small surprise she had prepared for Damien on their fifth anniversary.

But hours ago, when she had called him repeatedly, he was with Selene... His first love. The one who had always occupied the place that was never hers to begin with.

A soft cough broke the haze. “Ma'am?”

Eloise forced herself to look up.

The same nurse now stood with a tray. She set it down gently.

“These are all the belongings we recovered. Please check and if anything seems missing, please inform the police.”

“Thanks.” Eloise nodded slowly.

Placing the tray down, the nurse walked away, leaving Eloise alone in the lounge, alone.

She glanced at the tray.

The items were scattered… Two crushed phones, Damien’s wallet, his cracked watch, his cards.

Then, a female purse, surely Selene's. And—a diamond bracelet that caught Eloise’s attention more than it should.

She picked it up as her fingers trembled, and immediately her heart shuddered. A shard of memory stabbed right into her soul…

‘Isn’t this bracelet beautiful, Damien?’

Eloise had asked with admiration while they were in a jewelry store, selecting a present for her mother-in-law's 50th birthday.

‘Hmm,’ Damien hummed, casting a glance at it before his attention reverted to his phone screen.

Eloise gave him a dissatisfied pout before turning her gaze back to the beautiful piece.

‘This is the rare Swarovski piece, only one had been crafted, no second piece.’ The salesgirl said softly.

‘It'll look good on you, ma'am. The charms are polite, quite like you.’

A heat crept up Eloise’s neck, and her ears burned at her words.

‘Do you want me to pack this for you as well?’ The salesgirl asked.

Eloise had every intention of getting the bracelet. During their two years of marriage, she had not received any extravagant gifts, which she genuinely did not mind or desire.

However, this particular bracelet was exceptionally beautiful and truly captivating.

She looked expectantly at her husband, who was in the process of purchasing the necklace they, or more accurately, he had selected for his mother.

Damien paused, then gave Eloise a questioning look before glancing at the bracelet.

‘These salesgirls would say anything to sell the product. Don't be deluded, Eloise, this isn't for your wrist.’ He had said.

‘Come now, don't waste time. We're getting late.’ And walked out…

Three years had passed after that; the topic was never raised. Damien had long forgotten, but the charm of the bracelet had always remained in Eloise’s heart.

She had a strong desire to buy it, but by the time she had achieved the financial means to do so, it was no longer available.

It was rumored that a billionaire had purchased it as a token of his eternal love... Now, after three years, it had reappeared before Eloise, with blood clots all over it.

And it belonged to her husband’s forever love…

Tears finally broke, spilling down her face.

In five years, Damien had never once hesitated to express that Eloise was never his choice, even though she chose him earnestly.

She had harbored a deep admiration for him since her school years, after he saved her from drowning in water, risking his own life.

Eloise never realized the depth of her admiration, which had evolved into love, until their families strategically allied their marriage for business reasons.

She believed she was safeguarding her honour, and perhaps, protecting her heart which held affection for him. Yet, she had only chained herself to a man who never truly chose her…

Five years of living under the same roof, yet no wedding, hostile in-laws, and bound by a flashy promise and legalities that only a few people were aware of.

Still, Eloise served without a complaint.

And—in the end, he was being recognised in public with his first love.

Her lips only twitched to a bitter smile, curving a sharp scar within her soul…

“Ma'am?” A voice broke her thoughts again.

This time a doctor had finally approached.

“Mr Snatos is stable for now. His injuries will take time to heal, but he’s no longer in immediate danger.”

“And for his wife— she’s out of danger as well.”

“Wife!?” Eloise couldn't hold back the gasp that tore through her chest as she stared at the man.

“Yes?” The doctor frowned slightly. “Mr Snatos kept chanting her name ‘Selene’ until he lost consciousness. So, we thought…”

Eloise let out a short, bitter laugh. “Yeah… maybe you’re right,” Her tone rolled out, harsh and cracked. “His wife... his forever love.” Every word dripped with venom.

The doctor blinked, seeming uncertain, before cautiously nodding. “You can take a look at them, if you want...”

“No need.” Eloise cut him off sharply, her fingers tightened around her phone as if it could shield her from the humiliation.

“I’ll take leave. They can survive with each other.” She turned toward the door, then paused, and glanced over her shoulder.

“And if anything happens, please don't disturb me again.” Then, Eloise left, leaving the baffled doctor…

With a heavy, shattered heart, she stepped out of the hospital and sank into her car, letting the tears finally slip.

It wasn't pain, but humiliation that had resided deeper within her chest.

Wiping her face, Eloise fumbled in her bag and pulled out her phone.

Her grip on the device was uncertain for a moment, but then her fingers clenched around it.

The screen lit up, and with a swipe, she opened the document folder.

A half-prepared divorce draft glared back at her. Words she had written weeks ago during long nights of suspicion and quiet despair.

It was during the time of Damien's parents' twenty-ninth anniversary, where memories were full of unkind words and emotional detachment from them, from her own parents, and from Damien himself.

It had been the moment Eloise first decided to walk away.

But then, her eyes had fallen on the small, beaming face... Their son, Diego.

She had never opened the draft again, never dared, fearing the chaos it might bring to his little world.

She also feared the disappointment of her parents, of becoming completely unfilial. Until now…

She began to type, and with each word, a sharp clarity cut through the fog of her ache.

The hum of the hospital, the weight of betrayal, the nausea of humiliation... All of it faded into a singular, cold resolve.

With each passing second, the decision solidified further.

No more hanging on, no more waiting for scraps of love that were never meant for her.

When Damien opened his eyes the next day, he would not find a loyal wife waiting at his side.

He would see the letter of liberty spelled out in black and white, signed by the woman he had never cared about…