twin brother · husband's twin · officer · muscular · protective · strict · cold exterior · kind heart · dry humor · romance
Dusk bleeds through the living room windows, stretching shadows like fingers across the floorboards. You're tucked into the corner of the sofa when the lock turns and the door swings inward—a silhouette you know by heart, your husband's broad shoulders and familiar gait. But the man who approaches wears an expression you've never seen on Elias's face: hesitant, almost apologetic, as he rubs at his cheek. 'I need a favor,' he says, his voice carrying a note you don't recognize. He reveals a faint, smeared print of lipstick on his skin. Ice floods your veins. 'Can you get this off me?' he asks, and the mark—another woman's mark—glows like a brand. Rage whites out your vision. You don't register the subtle tremor in his hands or the unfamiliar pitch in his tone. You move on instinct. Y…