An Ineffable Temptation

Zoe Sanders wasn’t sure if every cheating man had two phones. Mason’s lover sent a picture to him while he was in the bathroom. She was a delicate young lady, but she was dressed in elegant attire that didn’t exactly fit her age. So, she looked a little out of place.

“Thank you for the birthday present, Mason.”

Zoe stared at his phone for a long time. Then, her eyes welled up. She knew Mason had kept a lover on the side, but she didn’t think she’d look like this. Aside from the obvious heartache, Zoe was surprised at her husband’s taste in women as well.

She felt sorry that she saw his secret. Then, she heard the bathroom door opening. Mason wrapped a towel over his defined muscle and sturdy chest. He was tall and sensual.

“How long are you going to look at it?” He took the phone away, glanced at her, and started getting dressed. He wasn’t the least bit embarrassed over the fact that she caught him cheating.

Zoe knew very well that he was able to act this way because he was the breadwinner in their family. It didn’t matter that she used to be a renowned violinist. She was a homemaker now.

Zoe didn’t press him about the picture. She couldn’t afford to do it. She said hurriedly when she saw that he was heading out, “I’ve something I need to say to you, Mason.”

He took his sweet time fastening his belt and looked at her. He probably thought about how meek and submissive she was on the bed earlier, “Up for another round?”

It might’ve sounded like they were intimate, but he was just toying with her. He had never cared about her. He had to marry her because of an accident.

He took his Patek Philippe watch from the night table and said nonchalantly, “You have five minutes. The chauffeur’s waiting for me downstairs.”

Zoe could just guess where he was headed. She said tentatively, “I want to go back to work, Mason.”

Go back to work?

Mason finished fastening his watch and looked sideways at her. Then, he took out a checkbook, wrote a figure on it, and tore it off, “Isn’t it nice being a homemaker? You’re not suited for work.”

With that, he got ready to leave. Zoe chased after him and said humbly, “I’m not afraid of hardships! I want to go back to work. I can play the violin…”

He didn’t have the patience to let her finish. The way he saw it, Zoe was like a vine that grew on a plant. She was used to relying on him. So, there was no way she could take on any hardships.

He checked his watch and said, “That’s all the time you have!”

Mason left without any hesitation. Zoe knew she couldn’t stop him. All she could do was talk to him when he gripped the doorknob, “My dad’s birthday is this Saturday. Can you come by?”

He halted for a second, “No promises!”

The door closed. Zoe could hear the car leaving as it veered off into the distance. The servants came upstairs in a few seconds. They were aware that the mister and the missus weren’t close. So, it was their duty to pass on messages.

“Mr. Mason said he’s going to Hucksburgh for a few days. It was an important matter, he said. Also, the company had sent over his laundry. Do you want to send them to the laundry service or take care of them yourself, Ms. Zoe?”

Zoe slumped onto the couch. She paused for a while and said softly, “I’ll do it myself.” Mason didn’t like the fragrance from dry cleaning. That was why Zoe hand-washed and ironed all his attires, including his suit jackets.

Aside from this, Mason was hard to please in other aspects as well. He didn’t like eating outside and he couldn’t tolerate the slightest messiness in his bedroom. Zoe went on to learn how to cook, tidy up their home, and floral arrangements. She was almost a perfect homemaker.

Her life revolved around Mason. Be that as it may, he didn’t love her. Zoe lowered her head and stared at the cheque.

Disasters befell her family last year. Someone pressed charges against her older brother and he was detained. The sudden onset of her father’s illness meant they were bleeding more than a hundred thousand dollars every month. Her stepmom, Mia, grumbled about how she should’ve gotten more money from Mason every time she went back.

“Mason’s the director of Lockwood Pharmaceutical Group. His net worth is more than hundreds of billions of dollars. You’re his wife. Doesn’t that mean his money’s as good as yours?”

Zoe smiled bitterly. Why would it be hers? Mason didn’t love her. He treated her coldly. There was only sex in their marriage life. He wouldn’t even allow her to carry his baby. She had to take a pill every time they had sex.

That’s right. She had to take a pill now. She opened a drawer after she was done eating the pill. A thick diary was in there. She opened it and started reading. She loved him so much back when she was eighteen years old…