Today is my husband's birthday, and I quietly went to his rented place to surprise him. However, what I saw left me stunned; he gave me a shock first!
I quietly opened the door to my husband Noah Russell's apartment. It was his birthday that day, and I had wanted to surprise him. But what I saw made me stunned. He had startled me first!
On a simple folding table lay a birthday cake with a corner cut off, the candles long extinguished. Takeout boxes were haphazardly piled together, and a few green beer bottles reflected the dim light. Two plastic cups still held some brown liquid, with bubbles lazily floating to the surface.
Clothes belonging to both a man and a woman were strewn carelessly on the floor and chairs. The woman's underwear was tossed on the floor leading to the bedroom.
Through the door, I could hear labored breathing and a woman's voice, breathlessly asking, "Are you sure your wife won't come today?"
"She won't, don't worry. She's busy with her work at the company. It's not the weekend, so she definitely won't come. Are you really that scared?"
"I'm not scared, I have you to back me up!" This was followed by a series of seductive laughter and moans.
I had watched steamy movies and read erotic novels, but I had never imagined I would witness a live performance in real life, starring my very own husband. I knew what was happening, but a terrifying curiosity compelled me to open the bedroom door.
As the door swung open, the woman let out a startled cry and quickly dove under the covers. Noah turned his head to see me. His first reaction was surprise, but by the third second, his face was calm. "What are you doing here?" he asked, sitting on the bed and pulling a corner of the quilt to cover himself slightly.
I didn't say a word. Everything was crystal clear, I'm not naive. I dropped the gift I had brought for him on the floor, turned around, and walked out the door, running down the stairs into the pitch-black night. I wanted the darkness to cover my eyes or help erase the scene that had just burned into my retinas.
Infidelity wasn't anything new, but seeing it enacted by someone so close to me felt like a weight on my chest, felt like I couldn't breathe. I was seeing stars, my legs were weak and I was unable to move.
This industrial district in Houston, factories stood tall, housing some of the world's top 500 companies. Yet at night, it was eerily quiet, with only the streetlights casting a dim glow, preventing complete darkness. Occasionally, cars would speed by, perhaps carrying couples rushing back to their dorms before lights out.
I managed a workshop of 200 people, dealing with workers daily. Communication was simple, but the tasks were tedious, because I was dealing with a group of youngsters who had a relatively low level of education and had started working early to earn a living.
I felt like a fool. All the signs were there, but I chose to ignore them, deceiving myself.
Noah didn't come looking for me, and I didn't want to see him. I didn't know how to face him, whether to resent or despise him. What difference would it make if he came looking for me? Or if he didn't? I stumbled towards the bus station and hoped to catch a taxi on the way back to my dormitory, the only place that could temporarily house my body and give my heart some respite.
The road stretched out before me, and as I looked ahead, it seemed endless. I wished it could be even longer, with no end in sight, giving me enough time to ponder what had happened between us. Tears streamed down my face, but I clenched my fists. I hated that man!
Bailey seems to be never destined to fit in, a little geeky, but under it all, a hidden beauty that so many seem to miss, but still not what her pack Alpha is looking for in a fated mate... so he is determined to reject her and make her life hell. Bailey, knowing her life will likely never be the same focuses on what she can control, her future, and heads off to study; becoming a teacher. Asher is the Beta of Autumn Valley Pack, a neighbouring pack. A broken man having suffered the loss of his mate after a rogue attack, Asher is slowly crumbling. Falling to pieces. A shadow of his former self, and not a man that anyone wants to be around anymore... Until, Autumn Valley Pack require a new teacher, and Bailey finds herself there and pushed together with the Beta. Is there a connection building or is that in their imaginations? And what will happen when Bailey's mate comes back to claim what is his?
"Love is blind!" Lucinda abandoned her beautiful and comfortable life because of a man. She married him and slaved off for him for three long years. One day, the scales finally fell off her eyes. She realized that all her efforts were in vain. Her husband, Nathaniel still treated her like shit. All he cared about was his lover. "Enough is enough! I quit wasting my years with an ungrateful man!" Lucinda's heart was shattered into many pieces, but she summoned up the courage to ask for a divorce. The news caused a stir online! A filthy rich young woman recently got divorced? She was a good catch! Countless CEOs and handsome young men immediately swarmed to her like bees to honey! Nathaniel couldn't take it anymore. He held a press conference and begged with teary eyes, "I love you, Lucinda. I can't live without you. Please come back to me." Would Lucinda give him a second chance? Read to find out!
Kaelyn devoted three years tending to her husband after a terrible accident. But once he was fully recovered, he cast her aside and brought his first love back from abroad. Devastated, Kaelyn decided on a divorce as people mocked her for being discarded. She went on to reinvent herself, becoming a highly sought-after doctor, a champion racer, and an internationally renowned architectural designer. Even then, the traitors sneered in disdain, believing Kaelyn would never find someone. But then the ex-husband’s uncle, a powerful warlord, returned with his army to ask for Kaelyn’s hand in marriage.
There was only one man in Raegan's heart, and it was Mitchel. In the second year of her marriage to him, she got pregnant. Raegan's joy knew no bounds. But before she could break the news to her husband, he served her divorce papers because he wanted to marry his first love. After an accident, Raegan lay in the pool of her own blood and called out to Mitchel for help. Unfortunately, he left with his first love in his arms. Raegan escaped death by the whiskers. Afterward, she decided to get her life back on track. Her name was everywhere years later. Mitchel became very uncomfortable. For some reason, he began to miss her. His heart ached when he saw her all smiles with another man. He crashed her wedding and fell to his knees while she was at the altar. With bloodshot eyes, he queried, "I thought you said your love for me is unbreakable? How come you are getting married to someone else? Come back to me!"
Rosalynn's marriage to Brian wasn't what she envisioned it to be. Her husband, Brian, barely came home. He avoided her like a plague. Worse still, he was always in the news for dating numerous celebrities. Rosalynn persevered until she couldn't take it anymore. She upped and left after filing for a divorce. Everything changed days later. Brian took interest in a designer that worked for his company anonymously. From her profile, he could tell that she was brilliant and dazzling. He pulled the stops to find out her true identity. Little did he know that he was going to receive the greatest shocker of his life. Brian bit his finger with regret when he recalled his past actions and the woman he foolishly let go.
"Sign the divorce papers and get out!" Leanna got married to pay a debt, but she was betrayed by her husband and shunned by her in-laws. Seeing that her efforts were in vain, she agreed to divorce and claimed her half of the properties. With her purse plump from the settlement, Leanna enjoyed her newfound freedom. The constant harassment from her ex's mistress never fazed her. She took back her identities as top hacker, champion racer, medical professor, and renowned jewelry designer. Then someone discovered her secret. Matthew smiled. "Will you have me as your next husband?"