Falling for the enemy I should hate

I met Victoria when we both worked at a production factory in Euon.

She was the most beautiful woman in the entire place. About a thousand male workers were employed there, and more than two-thirds of us had a crush on her. She always had suitors, yet she chose me.

She told me she had decided it would be me the moment she laid eyes on me. The words warmed my heart so much that I swore I would treat her right for the rest of our lives together.

I tried damn hard to keep that promise. I quit my job as a factory worker and became the most hardworking, most efficient express courier in the city, all so I could earn more money and give our family a better life.

Victoria quit her job to become a full-time mother. Once our sweet little Martin grew old enough to attend preschool, she began to feel bored with life at home. She decided to try working as a product influencer.

Victoria had always been exceptionally beautiful. My old colleagues at the factory had not called her "The House Bunny" for nothing. She had both the looks and the figure. No brand could have asked for more.

At first, Victoria promoted cosmetics. She gained a little fame and soon attracted the attention of several swimsuit companies. They told her she was too beautiful to limit herself to cosmetics, and they eventually talked her into modeling swimsuits. They also promised high commission rates.

And Victoria? She was so charmed by the idea that she agreed before even asking me. By the time I found out, she had already been doing it for several days.

Most influencers used mannequins. My wife, however, insisted on modeling the swimsuits herself.

We fought about it that day.

"Enough of this, Nolan! Can't you just trust me on this? They're just swimsuits! You don't think everyone at the pool in swimwear is basically naked, do you?" she shouted.

"Look at yourself! How many years has it been since you promised we'd live well? What happened to that?

"Our home is barely bigger than a box. Our neighborhood is terrible. There isn't a single good school for our boy, let alone a cram school! When are we ever getting out of this life with you delivering parcels every day? When is our son finally going to get a proper head start among his peers?"

God, she knew exactly where to strike. I already knew why I had ended up stuck in factory work. I had done poorly on my SATs and ended up studying at a diploma mill. After graduation, a factory job was the best I could get. Did she really have to bring that up?

Victoria tugged on my hand and said softly, "Look, how about a compromise. I'll only wear the more conservative designs and stay away from the sexier ones. I'll even mask my face so no one knows it's me online, okay?"

I genuinely felt bad that a woman as beautiful as Victoria had to live such a hard life with me, despite all my promises. It hurt to know she had to work as an influencer just to earn more money for our family.

I told myself I would work even harder. In the end, we reached an agreement.

Victoria immediately bought a full set of recording and filming equipment and turned our spare room into a makeshift studio. She did not understand the entire process during her first few days, but after some trial and error she got the hang of it.

A few days later, she managed to sell a dozen swimsuits and earned several hundred dollars.

She was overjoyed. She took Martin and me on a shopping trip and bought our son a pile of new toys.

The success made her even more enthusiastic. The sight of real cash motivated her. She began contacting several swimsuit companies to request more samples.

I did not like what eventually filled her recording closet. Some of the swimsuits were so revealing that they left almost nothing to the imagination.

"I thought you said you were only going to promote decent swimsuits for decent women. Not these shameless pinup outfits!" I said.