Chapter 5 She Needs Another Man

Neither flinched. Aurelia ducked out of the way and lunged forward. Casper moved aside reflexively, expecting her counter-attack. Yet there was a hint of surprise at her agile movements. The wall stopped him from evading her completely, and her chest was flushed with his in an instant.

His hand waved over his head, the gun hanging limply from one finger. At five feet five inches, she was a foot shorter than he, and with his long arms over his head, she couldn’t reach him even if she had a ladder.

He wove his arm around her slender waist. “I’m thoroughly confused; did you want to kill me or seduce me?” he questioned.

Aurelia huffed angrily. “If your aim wasn’t so bad, would I have to?” she mumbled under her breath.

She shoved against his chest, and he let her go immediately. Aurelia cleared her throat guiltily as she peered around the door and found Luther standing over Kevin’s prone form, his watchful eyes zoomed in on the room in front of him. His body was angled in a way she couldn’t see Casper and her exchange.

He was so angry that he ignored them altogether.

Mathew rummaged through the room and found a lump of bedsheet in the corner of the balcony. He had half a mind to pull the covers off and expose the woman, but then the gentlemanly side of him didn’t allow for the woman to lose her dignity altogether.

“Found the woman!” Mathew called out loud.

Luther kicked Kevin aside and sauntered into the room. His eyes scanned the room, noticing the messy sheets and the very same lump in the corner.

Kevin scrambled, trying to get inside the room again. “Don’t touch her!” he yelled.

Casper pushed the gun back into the holster and stepped outside, intending to watch the scene unhindered. He raised a hand, stopping Aurelia from stepping out and exposing herself to the people in the hallway.

She narrowed her eyes, and instantly, she knew he was playing along.

She leaned against the door, watching the drama unfold.

“You’ve done nothing but ignore her since the wedding. Did you think she would wait around for you to come and get her? She needs someone who loves her!” Kevin yelled.

Aurelia scoffed, but as she heard the words, she realized how stupid she had been. In an attempt to win Luther over, Aurelia had never considered the possibility of leaving him and finding someone else. She still couldn’t imagine being with someone else.

What a joke.

“He isn’t wrong,” Casper added slyly.

Luther stiffened inside the room, his eyes filling with hate as he noticed the puddle of water slowly leaking into the room and wetting the carpet.

He crouched in front of the bundle of bed sheets and ripped the top, allowing Sarah to breathe. Her hair was ruffled from the force, and she looked bewildered at the stony-eyed man in front of her with bated breath.

“Lu—Luther…” she crumbled into a sob when she realized it was him. “Trust me… please.”

She couldn’t come up with a story immediately.

Kevin rushed into the room and towards Luther, fully intending to slam into him. Mathew stepped between them. He quickly twisted his hand behind his back and pushed him down to the floor, not allowing him to look around.

“I fucked her. I fucked your wife, and she loved it. So, get the hint and leave while you can,” he screamed.

His voice wafted into the hallway, and the crowd gasped. So, this man’s wife really did cheat, and he caught her with the other man. Some of them took their cameras out in an attempt to capture it all.

Aurelia pinched the bridge of her nose, knowing the scene had grown bigger than in her last life. No matter what, once Luther’s identity was revealed, the wife who had cheated would still be her in the rumors.

“Shut up!” Luther growled. He stared at Sarah, his gaze so intense that Sarah was sure he was peering into her soul. “Explain,” he commanded.

One wrong word and Sarah knew she would be doomed.

She gulped, her throat dry and aching.

She eyed the bathroom where the water still ran, and the idea popped into her mind. Yes, hadn’t she planned it out already? She revealed her bare arm and tremblingly pointed at the door.

“Mrs. Beckett… she told me to book the room, and I thought it was for you. I saw someone go inside the room and rushed to call you… But I was too worried, so I rushed inside.” Her head dropped, and tears rolled down her cheeks. “I thought she was unwell and wanted to take her out of the bathroom, but some man pounced on me!”

She wanted to throw herself in Luther’s arms, hoping he would buy her story.

Luther glanced at the bathroom, and his expression darkened further. Sarah saw the change from the corner of her eyes, and relief washed over her. Luther believed her story.

“Are you saying she is still in the bathroom?” he questioned.

Sarah nodded vehemently.

Kevin stiffened on the floor as the words sank in. It wasn’t Aurelia? Then who was it? He struggled to free himself just enough so he could turn his head and stare in horror at the familiar but unwanted face.

Sarah McLaughlin. The nanny’s daughter, whom he had never paid any attention to.

“Don’t lie! I never slept with you. Clearly, it was Mrs. Beckett!” He panicked and thought of an explanation. He had wanted to threaten Aurelia into keeping silent. Weren’t most women embarrassed at being taken advantage of? But now that it was another girl, he didn’t have the confidence that he could go unreported.

“This girl sneaked in after… Mrs. Beckett is in the bathroom!” The bright idea came to his mind.

Aurelia pushed off the door, finally unable to take more of the nonsense. She brushed past Casper in the hallway, her shoes sinking into the wet carpet. She looked at the scene in front of her, and bile rose in her throat.

She could still feel the sting in her scalp as Luther woke her up. She was still groggy as he gripped her hair and pulled her out of the bed and to the floor. The sheets tangled into her limbs, and she curled into the corner, her hair a mess.

Kevin was pinned to the ground, that time by Luther’s assistant, Dane.

The words were quite similar that time around. And she had no way to refute when her mind wasn’t working. She could only cry in bewilderment as her reputation was torn to bits.

Aurelia squared her shoulders, the scene in front of her disappearing as resolve took over.

“Are you sure I’m the one you slept with?”