Cheryl The doctor’s appointment was today—about a week after I agreed to start taking the shots. Chris was back, by the way. I had to apologize to him for jumping him like some desperate lunatic. He didn’t say much in return, just gave me that quiet, knowing look of someone who had seen too much. I skipped breakfast—I didn’t have the appetite for it. My stomach was a wreck, tied in anxious knots that made eating feel impossible.But it wasn’t the shots that had me so wound up.It was the pregnancy test. The part that came before. The part that could change everything.If it came back positive, I wouldn’t have to take the shot. I wouldn’t have to keep pretending. I’d have a reason to fight harder. A reason to stay. A reason that would make this pain feel worth something.God, just give me one child. Just one. I don’t care if it’s a girl, a boy, or even twins. Just let me be a mother. Let me have that.Don’t ask me why I agreed to the shots if I wanted it this badly. I can’t even expla
Cheryl It was a quiet breakfast this morning. It’s always been quiet lately, but today, for the first time in a while, we were having this quiet breakfast together—sitting across from each other at the same table. That hasn’t happened in a long time. Maybe because I haven’t been this… stable in a while.I wasn’t exactly happy. But I wasn’t crying either. I wasn’t spiraling. I was just… okay. Just here, doing my best to look a little normal. I’d taken the time to apply some concealer under my eyes, hide the tired circles from all the crying, to make myself appear like I was still functional.I texted Anna to let her know we’d still be having lunch together, as usual. But before that, I needed to stop by Miles’ office around 11 a.m.I cleared my throat and took a sip of my juice.“Are you free by 11?” I asked casually.He raised his head, looking around like he didn’t believe I was speaking to him.“Ahem, yeah,” he nodded slowly, as if still stunned.“One hour before lunch should be en
Cheryl Weeks of silence. Weeks of tears. Weeks of waking up with a lump in my throat, of falling asleep with my heart clenched. Weeks of hurting. Of hating. Of resenting. Of drowning in bitterness, frustration, and helplessness. I was living inside a marriage that was withering right in front of me, hanging by a thread I’d been asked to hold together—with my bare hands, bruised and trembling.A decision no one else could make for me. A choice that held the power to save or destroy what Miles and I had built.Heavy is the head that wears the crown, they say.Except this crown feels like a noose. Like something desperate to snap my neck and end this slow-burn agony.I’ve thought. I’ve rethought. Unthought. Tried to look at it from every angle. But every time I arrive at the same place, the same brutal truth: the fate of our marriage has been dumped at my feet, and I don’t even know if I’m standing on solid ground.I get to choose—between children or my husband.There are endless possib
CherylI was at work, sad and deeply depressed, because the last thing I ever imagined for my life was this—being stuck in a marriage with a man who didn’t want children. A man I love. And as much as I know he doesn’t get to make that decision for me, I also know I can’t make it for him either.He should’ve told me. He should have told me long before we got in this deep.But then again, what would I have done if he had? Walked away? Refused to marry him?No. I was bought.Bought as a wife for him. A packaged deal. Maybe I never really had a choice to begin with. Maybe I really was just expected to go along with whatever he wanted because I was paid for. Like a transaction.A bought wife.A slave in the twenty-first fucking century.Can I even leave him?Can I?The door creaked open, interrupting my spiral.“Cheryl, are you okay?” Anna’s voice came in, soft and concerned.“No. I’m not. I just want to be alone for now. Please, Anna, can you come back later?” I said, my voice flat.“Sure
Cheryl I didn’t let him touch me. I let him suffer—his breath ragged, chest heaving, slowly accepting that he could only see and feel what I allowed him to.I reached behind my back and unclasped my bra, letting it fall to the floor. It had barely covered anything anyway. Then I slipped off my thong so it wouldn’t get in the way later, and carefully straddled him in his study chair.Then I kissed him. His lips met mine hungrily, even though his hands were cuffed behind him. I could feel his cock growing harder beneath me as I rolled my hips against it, teasing him.“Hmmn, fuck,” Miles groaned, like he was already on the edge of breaking.I trailed kisses down his neck, and his body melted beneath mine—but he didn’t stop fighting the restraints. He kept tugging, like he might still find a way to break through. Maybe he had before. Maybe with Jenny.But he’s mine now. That’s the past.I reached for the blindfold and tied it over his eyes. He’d seen enough—just what I wanted him to see.
Cheryl It was a work-free day for Miles and me. One we gave ourselves, by the way. Miles might not have gone into the office, but he had been holed up in his study all morning like usual.I tried to do a little work myself, but eventually, I gave up. This was supposed to be a work-free day—not just working from home in a different outfit. I shut my laptop and decided to take a cold shower instead.I lay in the tub, enjoying the way the water caressed my skin, when something caught my eye. A strategically placed drawer, so well blended into the wall you’d never know it was there unless you were really looking.Curiosity got the better of me.I carefully stepped out of the bath, water dripping from my skin as I padded toward it. I tried to open the drawer, but it was locked. Not a regular lock either. I’ve been picking locks since I was eight—this one wasn’t going to budge.The key had to be close.I searched the cabinets where we keep soaps, lotions, pastes—everything—and found it. A