Sleeping With His Best Friend

My husband thinks the tears threatening to spill are because of his cruelty, but theyre actually for another man.

Stop pouting, Sebastian mutters, checking his watch. He thinks he breaks me a little more every day. He thinks he holds all the cards.

If only he knew. The vibration in my purse isn't a spam call; it's a plea from the man I just left. A man who would burn the world down for me. I force a swallow, tasting the bitter copper of a lie. Ive spent a lifetime hiding who I really am. First from my parents, and now, from the monster sitting two feet away.

Chapter 1

Sebastian and I might share a marriage license, but we barely share a life. The only time we play house is when were forced tolike our parents' birthdays.

Today was my dad Hughs birthday.

When Sebastian pulled up to the curb, I was already fraying at the edges. Id just hung up the phone after a nasty fight. But the second I saw him, I buried it. I plastered on a smile, opened the door, and slid into the passenger seat. I reminded myself: Showtime. Happy couple. Don't crack. So, I swallowed my pride. I tossed out small talk, trying to bridge the icy gap between us.

Sebastian didn't even look at me. He played deaf or tossed out one-word answers, his eyes glued to the road.

Finally, I snapped my mouth shut.

My secret boyfriend had just dumped me over the phone minutes ago. My chest was hollowed out, aching. Now, dealing with Sebastians stone-cold indifference? It was too much.

Frustration clawed at my throat. I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper, forcing the tears back. But one escaped. A hot, betraying streak down my cheek. I jerked my head toward the window, scrubbing the tear away before he could see.

Thats when Sebastians phone shattered the silence.

It was her. The mistress.

Sebastian didn't even hesitate. He tapped Answer right in front of my face. Speakerphone.

A sickly sweet, whiny voice filled the luxury car.

"Baby I hurt my hand. Theres so much blood. Can you come over? I need you."

Sebastians brow twitched. His voice was ice. "Im busy. Go to the ER."

"Baby, please! You have to come! If you don't come, Im going to die! Im scared!" Her voice cracked, desperate and cloying. "Im sorry about last night, okay? Just please, come see me."

She was spiraling, sobbing now.

Sebastian remained impassive. Then, he sensed me listening. He turned his head, his gaze flat and empty as it swept over me.

I snapped my head toward the window, feigning deafness. Staring at the blurring cityscape.

"Wait downstairs," Sebastian said. "I'm coming."

He hung up. The car swerved as he whipped the steering wheel around. U-turn.

I stared at him, disbelief choking me. "Sebastian. It is my fathers birthday. Don't do this."

"Well make a pit stop. We have time."

I let out a dry, bitter laugh and sank back into the leather seat. Arguing was useless. Once Sebastian made up his mind, I ceased to exist. Id tolerated his flings when he kept them in the shadows. I looked the other way as long as he didn't humiliate me in front of our families.

But this? This was a public slap in the face. He wasn't even pretending to respect me anymore.

"Pull over," I demanded, my voice steel. "Ill Uber the rest of the way."

Sebastian acted like I hadn't spoken. He slammed his foot on the gas, speeding straight toward his mistresss apartment.

Chapter 2

When I saw the "injury," a dark laugh bubbled in my throat.

It was a scratch. Barely visible. Ive done more damage to myself clipping my hangnails.

But Sebastian didn't care. He left me rotting in the car while he walked her to the pharmacy for a band-aid. Through the window, I watched him. He was gentle, wrapping the tiny wound with a focus he never gave me.

"Don't get it wet," he murmured, his voice low enough to carry. "Text me what you want for dinner. I'll DoorDash it to you."

Fawning over another woman. Right in front of his wife. He didn't just not love me; he didn't even respect me enough to hide it.

"Are we done?" I checked my watch, tapping the face. "We're late."

Sebastian ignored me, but the girlMadisonspoke up. Her eyes were wide, innocent.

"I'm so sorry, Genevieve. I didn't mean to hold you up." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Mr. Zhou was just so worried about me. He rushed right over. Please don't be mad at him."

She clearly had no idea Id heard the speakerphone call.

"You know who I am?"

She nodded. "I was an intern at his company. People talked about you."

She looked young. Fresh out of college. Radiating pure stupidity. Her tactics were clumsy. Childish. Compared to the sharks Sebastian usually dated, she was a goldfish.

I smirked. "It's fine."

I leaned out the window, voice sweet. "But honey, if he was actually worried about you, do you really think he would have brought his wife along?"

Taking his wife to meet his mistress. That was a special kind of twisted only Sebastian could pull off.

As we drove away, I glanced at him. "She seems sweet. Young. Fresh. Why break up with her?"

In the side mirror, I saw Madison standing on the curb, shoulders shaking. Crying.

Sebastian shrugged, utterly unbothered. "Too clingy," he scoffed. "And she wouldn't take my money."

A young girl chasing a married man and refusing his cash? That meant she wanted love.

Sebastian had infinite money. He threw houses and cars at his women like confetti. But love? That account was overdrawn. He was the same with them as he was with me.

"So you dragged me there on purpose," I said, the realization settling cold in my stomach. "You used me to dump her."

I glared at him, then looked away. Disgust churned in my gut. Sebastian wasn't interested in dissecting his cruelty. He shifted gears.

"So," he said casually, "when do I get to meet your side piece?"

I froze.

He glanced at me, a smirk playing on his lips. "Don't look so shocked. I know you're seeing someone. Bring him around for a drink sometime. You know I don't care."

And he didn't. That was the tragic truth.

But I could never introduce them. Because the man I was sleeping with wasn't just anyone.

He was Gabriel.

Sebastians best friend.

Chapter 3

Sebastian and I were supposed to be the fairy tale. High school sweethearts. A match made in old-money heaven. Our families were best friends, our fortunes intertwined. Everyone envied us.

Until the day his mistress knocked on my door.

My world didn't just crack; it shattered.

I screamed. I fought. I forced him to end it. And to his credit, Sebastian did. He ran her out of town, exiled her, wiped his hands clean. But days later, he found another one. I fought harder. I threatened suicide. I became a woman I didn't recognize. Hed send one away, only to replace her like a broken toy.

This cycle of torture lasted for years.

Then one day, he just stopped caring. Maybe he got bored. Maybe he actually liked the current girl.

"Genevieve," he said, swirling his whiskey. "Eight years. We know each other too well. I know exactly how youll react when I touch you. I know the exact pitch of your moan. Its boring."

The cruelty took my breath away.

"Let's be free," he proposed, casual as discussing the weather. "You play, I play. As long as we stay married, we don't ask questions."

I refused. He didn't argue. He just stopped hiding. He started bringing them home.

The breaking point came when I returned early from a business trip. I walked into our bedroom and found them. In my bed.

I snapped. "Get out!" I screamed, tearing the sheets off them. "Get the hell out!"

Sebastian looked at me with disdain. "You're hysterical, Genevieve. No man wants a psycho."

He left with her.

It wasn't until the silence settled that I realized my cat was missing.

I searched everywhere. Then I found her. Lying on the concrete below our balcony. Broken. Surrounded by a halo of dark blood. Her body was already stiff.

The woman. Shed gotten scratched. So she threw my cat off the roof.

I called Sebastian, shaking so hard I could barely hold the phone. "How could you? We raised her together! Do you have no heart?"

"I'll buy you another one," he said. Flat. Unfeeling.

That night, a courier delivered a kitten. Identical markings. I sent it back.

That same night, I found myself in a bar. The darkest dive bar I could find.

And there he was. Gabriel.

Sebastians best friend.

Gabriel was everything Sebastian wasn't. Quiet. Intense. The untouchable king of our social circle. I watched him reject thirteen women in a row. Not a word, just a cold look that sent them scurrying.

Revenge is a powerful intoxicant.

I downed my drink, the burn fueling my courage. I walked up to him. "Gabriel," I said, sliding into the booth next to him. "Funny seeing you here."

He turned slowly. His dark eyes locked onto mine. "Is it?"

The rest of the night is a blur of neon lights and bad decisions.

All I know is that the next morning, I woke up in Gabriels bed.

Chapter 4

"Why am I here?" I croaked.

Gabriel stood in the kitchen, wearing gray sweatpants that hung low on his hips and an apron that somehow made him look even more dangerous. His back was broad, tapering down to a narrow waist. He was ripped. Just standing there, cracking eggs, he was a thirst trap come to life.

"You wanted to sleep with me," he said, not looking up from the stove. His movements were precise, controlled.

Heat flooded my cheeks. I looked everywhere but at him. Silence stretched.

"And?" I pushed, my voice small.

Gabriel stopped. He turned, his dark eyes heavy. "And you succeeded."

My brain short-circuited. "Define 'success'."

He met my gaze, dead serious. "Exactly what you think it means."

He slid a plate of eggs onto the counter in front of me. "Eat."

We ate in silence. The only sound was the scrape of forks against porcelain. As I grabbed my purse to leave, his voice stopped me at the door.

"What's the plan?"

I frowned. "Plan?"

He sighed, looking at me like I was a villain in his origin story. "Last night. Are you taking responsibility?"

I paused. "Gabriel. You know I'm married."

A bitter, self-deprecating laugh escaped his lips. "Then why did you come onto me?" He crossed his arms, muscles flexing. "Divorce Sebastian. I don't do 'side piece'."

I bit my lip. "I can't divorce him. Not yet."

I had used him. I knew it. He knew it. So I didn't sugarcoat the rest.

"Be my boyfriend," I said, the words tasting forbidden. "A husband is a husband. A boyfriend is a boyfriend. Separate worlds."

Gabriel looked at me with pure disbelief. He laugheda sharp, angry soundand held the door open.

"Get out."

I thought that was it. Game over.

Two months later, my phone rang. Unknown number.

"Genevieve." His voice was rough, slurring slightly. Drunk. "Why won't you leave him?"

I closed my book. "It's complicated. It's not just a marriage; it's a merger. Our families"

"What about me?" His voice cracked, raw with pain. "You started this. Don't you owe me?"

"If you accept my terms," I said softly, "I will take care of you."

Silence hung heavy on the line. I waited, holding my breath. Finally, a defeated whisper.

"Fine. I accept."

We became a secret. Stolen weekends in Paris, holding hands in dark theaters two towns over, pretending we were normal.

Gabriel was perfect. He was there whenever I called. He never asked about the divorce again.

Until the car crash.

Chapter 5

In my contacts, everyone is listed by their full legal name.

Except Gabriel.

Hes listed as "Boyfriend."

He changed it himself one day when I wasn't looking, a quiet act of rebellion. So when they pulled me from the wreck, the police saw "Boyfriend" and called him first.

At the hospital, they needed a signature. A family member.

"Call Sebastian," I whispered through the pain. "Don't wake my parents. They're too old for this."

But when I opened my eyes again, the first face I saw was my mother, Beatrice. She fussed over me, worry etched into her features.

After she left the room, I turned to Gabriel. "Why is my mom here?"

He was peeling a mandarin orange, his head bowed. He was meticulous, removing every single white string before handing me a slice. "I called Sebastian. Again and again. He didn't pick up."

Gabriels voice was tight. "I had no choice. I had to call Beatrice."

Oh.

I should have known. To Sebastian, I am white noise. He screens my calls like spam. Years of my screaming and crying had trained him to ignore me completely.

The room fell silent. Just as the drugs began to pull me under again, Gabriel spoke.

"Genevieve. Divorce him."

My eyes snapped open. Gabriel wasn't like Sebastians mistresses. He never demanded. He never pushed. He stayed in his lane.

"Where is this coming from?"

He looked up. For the first time, I really saw him. His face was ashen. Dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes. The whites of his eyes were a roadmap of red veins. He hadn't slept. Hed watched me breathe all night.

"Im done being the dirty secret," he said, his voice trembling. "I want to stand next to you in the light."

He clenched his fists. "I was terrified last night. I couldn't sign for your surgery. I had to beg your husband to answer his phone while you were bleeding. I have no rights to you."

A tear tracked through the stubble on his cheek.

"And when your parents asked who I was I had to say 'friend'. But Genevieve, we aren't friends. I don't want to be your friend."

This man, a titan of industry who crushed competitors for sport, was standing by my hospital bed, weeping like a broken child. The rejection died in my throat.

But the reality of my marriage was a fortress I couldn't just walk out of.

"Genevieve. Make a choice. Him or me."

He stood up, wiping his face. "Until you decide I won't bother you."

He handled everything before he left. He hired the best private nurse. He arranged a meal plan. He even stacked my favorite books on the nightstand.

But after he walked out that door, he vanished.

He didn't call. He didn't text.

He was gone.

Chapter 6

Every year for my dads birthday, my mom, Beatrice, gives the staff the night off. She rarely cooks, but for Hugh, she insists on making a feast from scratch.

Sebastian was in the tea room, schmoozing with my dad. I was in the kitchen, playing sous-chef. Dinner conversation drifted to the past. To us.

"Remember high school?" Mom laughed, serving the roast. "You two thought you were so slick. Sneaking around. We all knew, of course. But you denied it to the death."

I let out a small, hollow sigh.

Life is a cruel joke.

Back then, I hid my love from my parents. Now, I hide my love from my husband. A lifetime of hiding. A lifetime of regret. The absurdity of it bubbled up, and I almost laughed out loud.

Later, washing dishes side-by-side with Mom, she nudged me. "Earth to Genevieve? You were smirking to yourself at the table."

I shook my head. "Nothing."

I scrubbed a plate harder than necessary. "Mom if I divorced Sebastian would you and Dad hate me?"

Beatrice stopped drying. She sighed, a sound heavy with knowing. "Weve known for a long time, Genevieve. We see how unhappy you are. We just didn't want to overstep."

She turned to me, her eyes fierce. "You are our only daughter. We just want you to be happy. If that means divorce, then divorce him. Don't set yourself on fire to keep him warm."

Tears pricked my eyes. I sniffled, fighting them back. "But the merger the stocks. Dad's company would take a hit."

Mom leaned her forehead against mine. "That is your fathers problem. Not yours. Hes your father. He will clean up the mess. You just do what you need to do. We have your back. Always."

Her words were a balm, but the fear still rooted me to the spot.

Later that night, Sebastian drove us home. We barely made it out of the gated community when a figure darted in front of the car.

Screech.

Sebastian slammed the brakes. My heart hammered against my ribs. I looked up.

It was her. Madison. The intern.

Sebastian was out of the car in a flash. He stormed over to her, his posture aggressive, radiating fury. He said something sharp. Madison crumbled, sobbing.

I lowered the window. Just a crack.

"divorce her!" Madison wailed. "Either you divorce her, or we are done!"

Watching her red, puffy eyes, a phantom pain hit me.

Gabriel.

I had called him earlier. Hed given me the same ultimatum. "Divorce him, or break up with me."

"It's messy," I had pleaded. "It's not that simple."

"Then dump me," Gabriel had snapped, his voice laced with venom. "I'm just a dog to you anyway, right? Come when called, leave when told. Breaking up with me is easy, Genevieve. Just say the word."

Click.

The silence on the other end of the line had been deafening.

Chapter 7

A sigh escaped me.

Sebastian is different. He doesn't agonize. He executes.

"You want to break up? Fine," Sebastians voice carried through the cool night air. "I'll have my assistant wire the severance package to your account."

Madison panicked. The script wasn't going how she planned. "No! I don't want to break up!" She grabbed his arm. "Just divorce her! Please, Sebastian, I love you. I don't want your money. I just want you."

Sebastian let out a cold, cruel laugh. "If I were broke, would you still want me?"

"Yes!" she cried, nodding frantically.

"Liar," he sneered. "You say yes because you know I'm loaded. But if I lost it all tomorrow? You wouldn't look twice at me. Didn't you dump your ex because he was poor?"

Madisons face crumbled. Humiliation flashed in her eyes.

Slap.

The sound echoed. Shed hit him.

That was the nail in the coffin. Sebastians jaw tightened. "Take the cash and get lost," he growled. "Don't ever come near me again."

He turned to leave. Madison broke. She clung to him, desperate. "No, wait! Baby, don't go! I'm sorry! I won't ask you to divorce her anymore! Just don't leave me!"

Sebastian closed his eyes, exhaling sharply. He shook her off. "Get. Out."

I sat there, frozen, watching my husband discard his mistress. I should have felt triumphant. Instead, a chill settled in my marrow.

This is who Sebastian is. When he wants you, hes a poet. Hes Prince Charming. He used to say those things to me. He promised me forever. I used to believe him. But for Sebastian, love is a currency. He spends it today, prints more tomorrow for someone else.

He is a black hole. He doesn't love anyone. He only loves himself.

Spending the rest of my life with this monster? The thought terrified me.

Sebastian got back in the car, slamming the door. "What now?" he snapped, seeing my face.

"I'm serious, Sebastian," I said, my voice steady. "I want a divorce."

He rolled his eyes. "What is it this time? Because of her?"

I shook my head. "No. Not her."

I looked him in the eye. "My boyfriend wants me to divorce you. He wants to be official. If I don't leave you, hes going to leave me."

Sebastian didn't even blink. "So let him leave. Find a new one."

I scoffed. "We are not the same, Sebastian. I actually like him. I don't want to lose him. So, we are getting a divorce."

He looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. To him, divorcing for love was insanity.

"Genevieve, grow up," he said, lighting a cigarette. The smoke filled the cabin, choking me. He knew I hated it. He didn't care. "Side pieces are for fun. Do you have any idea how much a divorce costs? Our stocks will tank. Were talking hundreds of millions in losses."

He took a drag, blowing the smoke towards the window. "If he's making a fuss, just pay him off," Sebastian said, dismissive. "If you don't know how to handle it, I can do it for you."

"No need," I said. "He doesn't need money. And I don't want to pay him off. I want to be with him."

Silence filled the car. Heavy. Thick.

Sebastian turned to me, the cigarette freezing halfway to his lips. "You caught feelings?"

Chapter 8

"Yeah," I breathed. "I did. The asset split will be a bloodbath, I know. But we have to do it eventually. I'll get the lawyers started. You just review the paperwork."

Sebastian didn't answer. His eyes narrowed. "Who is it?"

My heart stuttered. Did he know?

"That doesn't matter," I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. "You said it yourself: separate lives. No questions asked."

I opened the door, stepping out into the cool night air. "I'll take a cab. I'll email you the draft."

Flash.

High beams blinded me from behind. I shielded my eyes. A car door slammed.

It was Gabriel.

He walked toward me, his stride purposeful. He glanced at Sebastian, then took my purse from my hand. A natural, possessive gesture.

"Was the text real?" he asked, his voice low.

I nodded. I had texted him the moment I made up my mind. I just didn't expect him to show up.

Sebastian stared at Gabriel. Then at me. His face twisted in disbelief. "Don't you fucking tell me," he snarled, "that you're sleeping with Gabriel."

I didn't confirm. I didn't deny. I just turned to Gabriel. "Let's go