LOGINThe door gave way with the faintest whisper, a sound swallowed instantly by the room beyond.James slipped through the gap, his pulse roaring a frantic counterpoint to the silence. The air was thick, heavy with the amber light of scattered candles and the hazy, intoxicating scent of frankincense, wine, and sweat.His eyes adjusted, and what he saw hollowed the breath from his chest.Mariam.What he saw wasn’t chaos; it was absolute control. Hers.The same woman who had once trembled under his authority now ruled the space like a queen on her throne. Her chin was tilted, her voice a low whisper that still carried through the room like smoke rising to a vaulted ceiling. She touched Darius, not with affection, but with a claim that left no doubt who held the leash between them.James couldn’t look away. It was more than lust; there was a frightening power in her gestures, a deliberate rhythm that made the very air vibrate. Every movement spoke of everything she’d hidden from him:
“No. I’m not going home.” The words slurred a little on my tongue, but I said them loud enough for half the bar to hear. “You’re always watching me. Why are you so obsessed with me?” My voice rose higher than I intended. Heads turned. Glasses paused halfway to mouths. A low ripple of curiosity spread across the room.He didn’t answer. He just stood there in the black mask, calm and silent, while the music thumped in the background. My pulse beat harder.“Don’t you dare drag me out like some toy.” I tried to back away, but his hand held my wrist firmly. Heat rolled up my arm from his grip. My heart jumped into my throat.“Enough,” he said softly. The softness was worse than a shout.Before I could pull free, he moved. In one smooth motion he lifted me off the chair as if I weighed nothing. A startled gasp broke from my lips. Someone at a nearby table muttered, but nobody stepped in. His shoulder pressed into my stomach as he hoisted me up, my hair spilling over my face, the hem of my d
The fourth night blurred into the fifth, and then, suddenly, I was back in my clothes, standing outside like nothing had happened. My phone buzzed with James’s messages, but I felt nothing.He had finally filed for divorce. Good for him.That afternoon a driver came to fetch me. James had “reported” me to his parents. I almost laughed; the man who’d been running around impregnating strangers was suddenly the victim, reminding me that this was a man's world. I went anyway, wanting to see the performance and what his parents had to say.Their house smelled of money and old perfume. James’s mother sat stiff and regal, pearls at her throat, a look of polite disgust in her eyes. His father didn’t bother hiding his contempt. James lounged in a corner like the wronged saint he was pretending to be.“Mariam,” his mother began, voices slightly raised the moment I entered. “Mother, I hope you're doing okay,” I greeted her, which she ignored. “We think it’s time you stopped this… behavior.” Jam
I woke up the next day not knowing what it held for me. My marriage was on the verge of collapsing; the perfect life was an illusion. How would I even tell my family? By the time I was finally single, now my sexuality was to be questioned too.James has left the house today. I was going to check the building James gave me and start furnishing my apartment; it felt like a dream to me.When you arrived at the villa, it was so fine and lovely an elderly woman was already cleaning, and some workers kept on whispering things. “Madam looks so fine, yet she can't keep a man,” one said. “Didn't you hear he took another lady to the hospital, and she seems pregnant for him?” the other one added.“Hmmmm…” I coughed; hearing my voice, they all looked frightened. “So what were you saying? Continue,” I said. “Sorry, Ma,” they apologized. I hissed and walked away. I was going to drive every one of them when the villa had been put in order.On my way back, just then, my car stopped, making me panic
I told myself the dating profile was just for revenge. A petty swipe at James.But now, every night, I found myself staring at my phone, waiting for him to write.His username was common, nothing flashy like the men in my life that were all about control. Ping, it was a text from this username again.Caden_88: You look like a woman who knows what she wants.I texted back, “What makes you think I'll give it to you?” Caden_88: Because I would rather not own you. I want to see who you really are.Every word from him felt like a hook sliding deeper. He didn’t ask for nudes. He asked about my childhood, my first heartbreak, and my favorite smell. He made me feel seen in a way James never did.I typed with trembling fingers, “Why do you sound like you already know me?”No reply.James stirred beside me, asleep, oblivious. I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling. I’d promised myself no more secrets, yet here I was texting a stranger in the dark while my husband breathed next to me. I
James was a shadow at the edge of the driveway, his hands jammed into his pockets, but the way his shoulders were set told me he’d been pacing. When our car rolled to a stop, his eyes locked on the masked man first, then on me, and something in his face changed recognition, fury, and jealousy all at once.He took two hard steps toward the car.“Mariam,” he said, his voice low and dangerous. “Get out.”I hesitated, feeling the masked man’s fingers tighten on my knee. “Your husband,” he murmured, his tone a taunt under the mask. “He would remember me.”James’s gaze flicked back to the man in the mask. “Darius,” he spat, as if the name tasted bad. “I knew you looked familiar. We met at the restaurant on our anniversary, and now you're after my wife, so pathetic.” The masked man tilted his head. “So you do remember. Good. Then you’ll understand why she’s safer with me tonight.”“Step away from my wife,” James snarled. His fists clenched. “Now.”The masked man gave a small, mocking bow. “S
I wanted things to work between James and I. I wanted so badly for him to see me as more than just a woman he married, more than just a possession he could bring out, decorate, fuck, and tuck away when he was done. Maybe if he ever looked at me like I mattered, like I had desires too, I wouldn't h
Scared I was exposed. I got up quickly and hid away the package I got and went to freshen up. I was panicking so bad, thinking: who was this person? Who saw me? I had a lot of questions, and I needed to uncover this secret. Nobody was supposed to find out about my secret.James got back. I kept on
I hurriedly got up, but the person had already left. I was wondering who could have seen me. Nobody should ever see me like this. I went to bed and eventually managed to sleep.The next day, I saw Jessica, and I kept looking at her face, hoping to see something. Anything. Who was in the house with
“Shame is a collar they give you young. I didn’t know how good it would feel to take it off.”I remember the first time I had sex.I didn’t want it.And James didn’t care.He moaned in pleasure while I cried beneath him.I also remember my mother’s words about sex:“It’s not for you to enjoy,” she







