HER COLLATERAL HUSBAND

"W-What? Are you serious, Mom?" she exclaimed in shock.She didn’t say anything else and poured wine into her own glass.Zelena’s heart raced quickly from the surprise and pressure she felt."You know he won’t agree, Mom. He can’t even hold me, let alone get me pregnant. I—I don’t want to, Mommy. What if something happens—"Her mother looked at her seriously, making her swallow hard."I'm not asking whether you want to or not. You’re going to do it, whether you like it or not. Did I ever ask for your opinion?"Zelena bit the inside of her cheek."M-Mommy, I don’t know how I’m going to do it, and I told you before I’m scared to have—""Stop making excuses, Zelena! Dylan is a womanizer; it’s easy for him to be attracted to you if you want him to be!"She looked away in shock at her mother’s words. Her palms were sweaty, and she couldn’t sit still.She fought back tears because her mother didn’t even listen to her."You can’t defy me, because even if you already have your own business, I

Zelena closed her eyes and only opened them again when she realized that Dylan’s lips didn’t completely touch hers after a few seconds.‘Shit. That’s 0.1 millimeter.’Dylan laughed at her expression and could feel her trembling.Zelena pushed her husband away and he stepped back.Dylan grinned."You’re so arrogant about seducing me, but you’re actually afraid of me."She gave him a sharp look, walked past him, and ran out towards her room."H-He’s playing with me too," she muttered, leaning against the back of the door."And who would kiss at this time of day? It’s too early for him to be feeling lust," she said, running her hands over her face.She touched her lips as she remembered Dylan’s mouth. She felt it even though his lips hadn’t really touched hers.Her eyes widened as, without meaning to, she bit her lip.She let out a loud squeal and jumped onto her bed."What am I? A high school girl?"She couldn’t help but smile, momentarily forgetting what her mom had done to her last ni

As soon as Zelena entered her room, memories of her and Drake, her ex-boyfriend, suddenly flooded her mind.She covered her mouth as tears fell.Her chest tightened and she felt dizzy, so she held onto the bed and sat down.Her mother’s words kept echoing in her mind when she found out Drake had left her.'You’re just a woman, and he only wanted your body. That’s why he left you once he got what he wanted.'They were both in college when they started dating. Until one day, he left without saying goodbye. She didn’t know what happened to him because he transferred to another university.She gripped her pillow tightly before throwing it across the room."Bullshit!" she shouted, hurling everything she could grab.She couldn’t accept that the two people who kept hurting her were now together.Suddenly, the door opened, and Tina was startled to see her like that."Hija, that’s enough, enough," she said, rushing over to Zelena."No! I fucking hate them!"Zelena grabbed her side table and fl

Zelena’s hands trembled, and she suddenly broke out in a sweat.She looked at Dylan with confusion, as if he appeared different to her.She gathered her strength and pushed Dylan away."N-No. No! I don’t want to! I—I said I couldn’t!" she shouted, trembling as she stepped back."What—"Dylan didn’t finish his sentence because Zelena suddenly ran out."Shit," he muttered softly, then followed her."Zelena, wait!"He chased after her and swallowed hard several times when he saw her crying as she went down the stairs."What’s going on?" asked Tina, watching the two of them.Her eyes widened when she saw Zelena’s condition.Zelena immediately hugged her, crying."Hijo, what did you do?" she asked Dylan, turning to him."I-I didn’t mean to—"He was cut off when Zelena fainted right in front of Tina.He quickly picked her up and took her to her room.Tina sighed deeply and looked at him."I’m sorry," he said, embarrassed."I know you’ve been drinking, but I hope it won’t come to this."He n

"D-Dylan," Zelena gasped, breathing heavily as he released her.Dylan opened his eyes and turned his face away."I-I'm sorry. I was..." He couldn’t finish his sentence and just stared at Zelena.They locked eyes for a few seconds until Dylan stood up and swallowed hard.Zelena closed her eyes in embarrassment and let her husband leave.Once Dylan was inside his room, he looked at himself in the mirror.He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and punched the wall beside the mirror."This damn lust," he muttered through gritted teeth.He opened his eyes, looked at himself again, and sighed deeply.Suddenly, Zelena choked on her drink when Dylan entered the dining area.After what happened between them, they hadn’t spoken and seemed to be avoiding each other.Tina placed the snack she had prepared in front of them and kept glancing between the two."Hija, are you feeling okay now? How do you feel?" Tina asked.Zelena looked up while reaching for her food."I'm okay now, 'Nay. I understand what