Chapter 2

Driven wild by the sudden rush of lust, I wasn't ready to let it go.

Soft whispers turned into gentle shaking.

"Babe, wake up."

Just as dark, uneasy thoughts began creeping into my mind, Serena finally stirred, murmuring in a raspy voice, "Just sleep..."

I wasn't taking no for an answer. Pressing closer, I whispered against her ear, "It's been so long since we've done anything. Come on, let's just make love tonight, okay?"

My hands began to wander.

She didn't push me away, so I took that as a green light, growing bolder.

Yet, beneath my palms, her skin felt cold—not like the soft, warm body I was used to holding.

Even her perfume smelled unfamiliar, which gave me an unexpected jolt of novelty.

Just as my hand reached for her chest, she suddenly grabbed my wrist tightly.

"No... wait. I need to take a shower first."

Before I could even process what happened, she scrambled out of bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and hurried out of the room into the dark hallway.

Her reaction caught me completely off guard.

Still, if she wanted to shower, I had no choice but to wait, hoping she'd be quick about it.

After waiting in the bedroom for what felt like forever, drowsiness began creeping in. I decided to get up and check on her.

Suddenly, voices drifted in from the living room.

To my shock, Serena wasn't alone. There was another woman standing there.

It was her best friend, Rachel. I had met her a few times. Honestly, Rachel's looks and figure easily rivaled my wife's.

Tonight, she was wearing only a thin, fitted tee that hugged her curves and a pair of tiny denim shorts that showed off endless pale legs.

She was the kind of woman who effortlessly turned heads wherever she went.

For some reason, Rachel looked pale, almost panicked.

"When did your friend get here?"

Serena quickly looped an arm through Rachel's, looking at me. "She just arrived! Rachel's downstairs neighbors have been making a huge racket late at night, and she couldn't take it anymore. She asked if she could crash on our couch."

I nodded slowly.

Just as I turned to head back to bed, another detail struck me as completely bizarre.

"Wait, didn't you say you were taking a shower? Why are you fully dressed?"

Serena hadn't put on pajamas or a robe. Instead, she was wearing a tight, black bodycon dress meant for a night out.

She even had high heels on.

Serena shot me an annoyed look. "Well, Rachel called me from outside asking me to come down and let her into the building. I couldn't exactly go downstairs in a towel, could I?"

I didn't think much of it and headed back into the bedroom.

The mood was completely gone, and it was late. I had a big morning meeting at the office. In the end, we didn't finish what we started, and I drifted off to sleep.

What I never could have imagined was that Rachel's presence in our house that night was far darker than Serena's little story.