My Husband Chose My Sister Over Me

Beckham Washington reeled from Kayden Sanchez's punch, momentarily seeing stars. As he steadied himself, his eyes narrowed on Kayden. Their gazes locked, and a flicker of regret crossed Kayden's face—he knew he'd gone too far. "Eliana's been a mess because of your constant fighting with Naya," Kayden rushed out. "I'm here for her."

"That so?" Beckham's voice dripped with sarcasm. "Brother-in-law, I've been wondering—why hasn't Naya's sister shown her face lately?" He pinned Kayden with a hard stare, and for a split second, panic flashed in Kayden's eyes. He swallowed, then stammered, "She's... she's under the weather. That's all."

"My birthday's the day after tomorrow," Beckham pressed, suspicion coiling in his gut. "Make sure she's there."

Backed into a corner, Kayden agreed. The moment he got home, he barked at his assistant, "Still nothing?"

The assistant let out a tired sigh. "Mr. Sanchez, the last trace I found was on an abandoned hill on the city's south side. Since then... it's like she vanished into thin air."

Kayden's heart lurched. "She never left that hill?"

"No, sir."

The realization hit him like a freight train. He nearly lost his footing. Without a second thought, he grabbed his phone and dialed my parents. "Has Eliana come home?"

"No," my father Leon answered, his voice already tight. "Isn't she supposed to be with you?"

Kayden's throat closed up. "No. She hasn't been back since that day."

A heavy silence hung on the line. Then, clear as day, I heard Naya's dismissive voice cut through. "She's probably hiding—ducking responsibility like she always does. Of course she'd run. You're all falling for her act."

Her words cast a spell on my parents and Kayden, unraveling the knot of worry. "You're right," Kayden murmured. "I'll turn up the heat. If she doesn't show at Beckham's birthday... it'll look ten times worse."

"Do whatever you have to," Leon replied.

The next few days, Kayden turned desperate, pulling out every stop. He even texted me a cold threat: "Fine, you won't show your face? Then Ariana Boyd takes the fall for you."

Just like that, Ariana lost her job.

That afternoon, she stormed up to Kayden, fire in her eyes. "You're going to pay for this."

Kayden didn't even blink. "Once Eliana crawls out of hiding, this all gets sorted. For both of us."

"Eliana is dead." Ariana's voice cracked, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Kayden let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, really? Should I send flowers?"

Speechless, Ariana thrust her phone in front of his face. On the screen was a missing person post. "If you have a single shred of decency left, go identify the body."

The day before, police had uncovered a badly decomposed body. They couldn't ID it, so they'd released details—clothing, belongings—hoping someone would come forward.

Her voice broke into a sob. "I saw it on my way here. If there's any humanity left in you, go. Just... confirm if it's her."

She left him there, shaking his head. "This is insane. Eliana's too damn stubborn to die that easy."

The next day was Beckham's birthday, and I was still a ghost. Kayden's anxiety spiraled until he finally called the police.

As the party kicked off and my absence hung in the air, Beckham shot Kayden a look. "What's the deal? Eliana thinks she's too good for her brother-in-law's birthday? Couldn't even bother to show?"

Kayden opened his mouth, but the words never came. The doors swung open, and in walked two police officers. They made a beeline for Kayden. "Are you Mr. Sanchez?"

"I am," he managed, his voice barely a whisper.

"We need your assistance with an investigation," one officer said, his tone grave.

A collective gasp swept through the room. Ice crawled down Kayden's spine, his face draining of color. "Who... who's the deceased?" he stammered.

"We have confirmed the deceased is your wife, Eliana Gardner."

"No. That can't be. She... she can't be dead."