His Forbidden Mistress

I didn’t call a taxi.I couldn’t afford it.I knew what people would say. I knew that, morally, I was the villain in this story. I was the woman tearing a marriage apart.But when you’re starving, morality is a luxury you can’t afford.People who judge me have never had to choose between their dignity and their next meal.I didn’t become a stripper because I wanted to be stared at.I did it because bills don’t pay themselves and the world doesn’t give handouts to girls like me.As I walked, my mind drifted back to the first time I saw him.The club was loud, filled with the smell of cheap gin, expensive cigars, and sweat.I was on stage, the neon lights washing over my skin in hues of pink and blue.I swayed my hips against the cold metal of the pole. I moved with ease, arching my back until I felt the weight of every gaze in the room.“You’re irresistible!”“Come with us!”Men were shouting for me, but they didn’t catch my attention. Sitting alone in a corner booth, he caught my eye.

“No. You’re fucking bluffing,” David spat.He didn’t look like the passionate man from the VIP room anymore.He looked like a man protecting his fortress, his eyes cold and full of venom.“You’re not fucking pregnant, Sandra. We were careful. Every single time. It’s impossible!”“David—”“If you’re just trying to ruin my life, then get the fuck out of here,” he snarled, stepping into my personal space to tower over me.“I am done with this. I am done with you. I don’t want to continue this charade for one more second. I’m happy with my wife. Do you understand?! I love her!”He turned his back on me, dismissing me as if I were nothing more than a stain on his expensive driveway.Panic flared in my chest. I lunged forward, grabbing his arm, my fingers digging into the expensive fabric of his suit jacket.“David, look at me! You’re all I have!” I cried, “I’ll tell you everything! I’m not some high-class. I’m struggling, David. I have no one. Why do you think I was at that club? I’m poor.

I woke up to the sound of screaming.“You’re absolutely useless! A flat-out parasite! You can’t even pay your damn rent, so why should I keep you under my roof?”I was disoriented.My head felt like it had been cracked open, and my vision was blurry.As I blinked my eyes open, the first thing I saw wasn’t a ceiling, but the gray, overcast sky.I wasn’t in a bed. I was lying on the cold, cracked pavement of the alleyway outside my apartment building.My heart skipped a beat as I looked around. My things—my cheap belongings—were scattered everywhere.People were standing around, stopping on their way to work or market.They weren’t helping. They were laughing. They were pointing at me like I was a piece of street theater.“W-What are you doing?!” I shrieked. I scrambled to my feet, but my knees were weak, and I nearly fell back down.“Stop it! What is going on?”I didn’t remember how I got here. How did I end up back at the apartment?My landlord, Marta, stood at the top of the stairs,

David’s POVSandra’s face was burned into my head.No matter how many times I blinked or turned away, I could still see her standing there, shattered and humiliated.“David? Are you even listening to me?”Cyndrel’s voice broke through my thoughts.She was sitting at her vanity, removing her jewelry after the party.She looked so composed, so perfect.“That secretary of yours...Sandra. It’s finally over, right? I can’t believe she had the nerve to show up here like that. I actually trusted her.”I looked at my wife through the reflection in the mirror.I felt a pang of nausea.“Of course, honey. It’s over,” I said, the lie tasting like ash in my mouth.“She was so delusional,” she continued, shaking her head.“Thinking she could trick us into believing she was pregnant. You wouldn’t ever do that to me, right? You wouldn’t throw everything we have away for a girl like that?”She turned to face me, her eyes searching mine for a reassurance I didn’t deserve.“Of course not,” I replied.Bu

David’s POVI was already halfway through another pile of documents when my assistant stepped in again.“Sir, you need to sign these,” he said, carefully placing the folder on my desk. “Following the completion of these documents, you are scheduled to attend a meeting later today to review the performance results of our property portfolio and the corresponding market impact report.”I nodded without really looking at him. “Leave it there.”Lately, I’d been keeping myself buried in work. Not because I wanted to—but because I needed to. Staying busy was the only thing keeping my thoughts from spiraling out of control. If I stopped, even for a second, everything would come crashing back.And honestly, I was getting tired.I pressed my fingers against my temple, slowly massaging it as a dull headache crept in. My eyes felt heavy, my body even more so. Still, I forced myself to focus.“Sir—”“Hold that,” I cut him off when my phone started vibrating on the desk.I didn’t even check the scr