Longing Beneath the Ashes

The day she learned Benjamin had been in a car accident, Laura rushed to the hospital to donate blood for him.

When she reached his room, she found Benjamin—who was supposed to be unconscious—locked in a passionate kiss with his widowed sister-in-law.

"Jessica," he murmured against her lips, his voice thick. "I've waited ten years. I *will* make you mine, openly and without shame."

Laura stood frozen in the doorway, staring in disbelief. The man in the hospital bed showed no sign of injury. A string of prayer beads slid through his fingers, a stark contrast to the scene before her.

Beside the bed, Jessica stood with flushed cheeks, her lips swollen and glistening.

"Let her come in," Benjamin said, his voice low. "I'll tell her I've lost my memory. That you were the one who cared for me, that I owe you. I'll take care of you both. I'll make sure you're both provided for."

Jessica nodded, her blush deepening.

From the hallway, Laura felt as if she'd been plunged into an icy lake. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Benjamin—the man everyone saw as an ascetic, serene, with brows like ink strokes and eyes like deep pools, seemingly untouched by worldly desire.

This man had been harboring such a filthy secret for his own brother's wife.

All of it—his devotion to Buddhist practice, his renunciation, his strict discipline, even his marriage to *her*—had been nothing but a smokescreen to hide his forbidden longing.

Inside the room, the two were leaning in for another kiss when the door swung open. Silence fell.

Benjamin's face instantly smoothed into its usual detached mask. Jessica, however, still wore a telltale flush as she stood coyly by the bedside.

"Oh, it's my sister-in-law," Jessica said sweetly. "Benjamin, this is your wife."

Hearing the word "wife," the man in the bed frowned deeply.

"My apologies," he said, his voice cold. "I was under the impression that Jessica was my wife."

Jessica chimed in with a practiced, gentle smile. "Laura, the doctor said the accident caused a head injury. Benjamin has temporary amnesia. He woke up and saw I was the one taking care of him, so he... misunderstood."

Laura listened, feeling as if something sharp had just pierced her chest, stealing her breath.

How very *thorough* of him. Arranging an "accident" and a convenient bout of amnesia, just to erase a decade of marriage and give the woman he'd truly loved all along a legitimate place by his side.

The man in the bed spoke again, his tone icy.

"Miss Laura. I'm told you've been my wife for many years. I understand I have a duty to you. But Jessica cared for me in my time of need. I owe her a debt."

Benjamin's eyes, usually devoid of feeling, were now fixed on Jessica with an unmistakable, melting tenderness.

"You may be my legal wife, but I must also honor my commitment to Jessica. After I'm discharged, she will live with us."

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