LOGINCaroline I sat on the couch with a glass of wine in my hand, watching three men talk. My husband, David, was laughing at something Marcus said. Marcus was taller, with broad shoulders and dark eyes that seemed to stare at people for too long. Ryan stood beside him. He was quieter, with strong tattooed arms. He didnโt need to say much to make you feel like he was watching you. It was just the four of us that night, hanging out at our place. Nothing special. At least, that was what I kept telling myself. David checked his phone and sighed. โI have to leave. I just got an emergency alert from the hospital. You guys can stay and finish the bottle. I truly apologize.โ I looked at him. โAre you sure?โ He kissed my cheek. โYeah. Donโt wait up.โ The door closed behind him, and the house suddenly felt different. Marcus leaned back on the couch and looked at me. โYour husband trusts us a lot.โ I took a sip of wine. โHe should. You two are his best friends.โ Ryan spoke in a
Kimberly I stared at him after the last word left his mouth.Silence hung between us. His chest was still rising and falling heavily. Tears sat in his eyes but he looked ready to walk out if I told him to.I stood up.โSit down,โ I ordered.He blinked. โWhat?โโI said sit the fuck down.โHe sat.I walked around the table and stopped right in front of him. โYou donโt get to tell me to divorce you. Thatโs my decision, not yours. And Iโm not going anywhere.โHis jaw tightened.I kept my voice steady.โYouโre right about the money. I spent it. I lived off it. I let you pay my motherโs bills and help me with my loans without asking where the money came from. Thatโs on me. But you donโt get to stand there and act like youโre the only one whoโs been hurting in this marriage.โHe opened his mouth, but I raised my hand to stop him.He closed it.โI walked in on you fucking another woman in our bed. That shit still hurts. But I also see what you did. You became someone you never planned to be
Kimberly I lay on the guest bed until the light in the room began to change. The sun sank lower, and the shadows stretched across the wall.I sat up.My phone still displayed the contract page, open to the section about partners. I closed it.I walked out to the hall. The bedroom door was open. My husband was inside. He had put clean sheets on the bed. The windows were open. Fresh air came in. He was folding the old sheets into a bag.He looked up when he heard me. โHey. Did you rest?โโA little. โThe silence helped,โ I answered.He tied the bag shut.โI can take these to the laundry room or wash them now, if you like,โ he said.When did you start asking my permission before doing the laundry?,โ I snapped, face tight.He set the bag by the door. โAre you hungry? It is past lunch.โโNot really. But we should go through the bank stuff. You said we would.โHe nodded. โOkay. Let me get my laptop.โWe returned to the kitchen table and sat in the same chairs as we had that morning. He open
KimberlyWe sat there for a while, neither of us saying anything.I finally broke the silence. โI need a break from talking. My head is full.โHe nodded right away. โOkay. What do you want to do?โโI want to go for a walk. Get some air. You can come, but please, no talking.โHe got up like heโd been waiting for me to say it.โI can do that.โWe put on our shoes and left the house. The street was quiet, with only a few cars passing by. Across the road, a woman walked her dog. It barked once, and she waved at us. We waved back.We walked side by side, keeping a little distance between us. Ten minutes later, he glanced at me.โCan I talk now?โโYeah.โโAre you still mad at me?โโYes. But not as angry as I was last night.โโWhat can I do to make things better?โ he asked.I watched a leaf roll across the sidewalk in the wind.โI want you to always be honest with me. No more secrets.โHe nodded. โOkay. No more secrets. I promise.โAs we turned the corner, we saw kids playing in the park. Th
Kimberly I watched him finish the last of his sandwich. He chewed slowly, and I waited for him to swallow.โTell me about the third one,โ I said. โOh, gracious goodness, Kimberly. I thought we were done with this.โ He wiped his mouth with a napkin and sighed.โThe third one was different. It was the first time they came to our house. You were at your sisterโs for the weekend. Remember?.โI nodded. โI remember.โHe looked down at his empty plate.โRina called Thursday night. She said the studio was booked and they needed a real bedroom. She offered an extra five thousand for the location, so I agreed. I changed the sheets, hid your pictures in the drawer, and told myself it was just one more time.โI kept my voice steady. โWho was the woman?โโHer name was Sasha. Tall, quiet. Barely looked at me when she arrived. But once that camera came on, she started making all sorts of noise.โโWhat did she say?โHe paused and looked at me. โBabe, I think this interrogation is getting out of ha
Kimberly I looked at my husband. โDid you ever think about me joining?โHe shook his head fast. โNo! Never! How could you even think that? It never crossed my mind!โJade spoke softly. โBut the agency already asked. Last night after we left. They asked if your wife might be open to a couples scene later. They mentioned that the search numbers would increase significantly.My husband stared at her. โYou did not just say that.โโRina told me this morning. She said to mention it only if the wife seemed calm.โI sat very still. โThey want me on camera?.โJade nodded. โMoney is always the first thing on their minds. Always.โSilence stretched between us until my husband finally spoke.โI will tell them no. About you. About everything, if you want.I looked at both of them.โI need to see the contract.โJade pulled out her phone. โRina emailed it to me to show you. I can forward it right now.โShe typed something, and my phone buzzed on the table. I picked it up and opened the message. It
JEZEBEL My phone would not stop blowing up. Missed calls from my uncle. Texts asking where I was. I tried to play it cool when my uncle called again. "Hey, sorry I missed you. I was out late with friends. Is everything okay?"His voice sounded off. "We need to talk, Lila. In person. Come by my p
JEZEBEL โHey, baby,โ Jax said warmly. โStill feeling me from last night?โI smiled, cheeks heating. โMhm.โโMy place tonight, eight oโclock. Marcus will be here. Wear something easy to take off.โMy breath caught. โJaxโฆโโI got you,โ he murmured gently. โWeโll go slow, making sure you feel safe an
JEZEBEL "Dinner at my place tonight. Seven sharp. Do not be late." That was all Jax said. No please, no extra words. Just that deep commanding tone even through a message.I spent the rest of the day distracted, shifting in my chair because I was already getting wet thinking about what he had plan
JEZEBEL The next afternoon I could not stop thinking about him. My mind was still aching from the night before. I grabbed the old toolbox my uncle had left at our last family thing and used it as my excuse. I texted Jax quickly. "Hey, dropping off something for uncle at your place. You home?" He







