āđāļāđāļēāļŠāļđāđāļĢāļ°āļāļāđāļāļĢāđ
Chapter 6 You're Not Worth Liking
āļāļāļĨāđāļēāļŠāļļāļ
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 9 I'm Not Dancing With You Anymore
She insisted on giving me part of her fortune as compensation. I turned her down flat.Right before she walked away, she paused. Her voice was quiet. "BenâĶ whether you believe me or not, I really did love you. Maybe I didn't realize it back then, but I do now. I swear it's the truth."I gave her a small smile, choosing not to say anything. With that, I walked away.But Mia didn't let go like she said she would. Far from it. Instead, she started trying to win me back.She told me that I had only married her out of obligation to my best friend, and that it made sense our marriage didn't work."Now I want to start over," she said, eyes bright with conviction. "For real this time. Just me, pursuing you. Not out of obligation. Not as your wife. Just as a woman who loves you. Ben, will you give me a chance? Will you let me be your girlfriend?"Then, she rushed to add, "I'm a single mom. My son's six. But he's a good kid. Quiet, politeâĶ"She rambled on, making her case like it was a bu
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 8 I'm Not Your Father Anymore
I still remember that one time I went to pick up Ethan from kindergarten. Usually, the nanny handled it, but that day, it was me.I held out my hand, ready to take his little one in mine. But before he could reach out, the teacher stepped in, giving me a wary look before crouching down beside him."Ethan, who is this man?" she asked gently. "If you don't know him, you can't go with him."Ethan hesitated, staring at me in silence.Then, out of nowhere, Luke showed up.And just like that, Ethan's whole face lit up. He launched himself into Luke's arms like a cannonball."I want to go with him," he declared.The teacher frowned. "Who is he? Is that your dad?"Ethan looked unsure for a second. ThenâĶ he nodded.And just like that, he left with Luke, hand in hand.My smile froze on my face. It felt like someone had slapped me full-force across the cheek. My head buzzed, and I couldn't even breathe.That had been my first time picking him up from school.I remember ironing my shir
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 7 The Point Of No Return
Mia strutted right into the apartment like she owned the place.Arms crossed, she glanced around and wrinkled her nose. "Seriously? You're living in this shoebox? You gave up a perfectly good house for this? You can't even stretch your legs in here."That was it."Mia, do you not understand what I said?" I snapped. "We're divorced. This is my place now. You walking in without permission? That's trespassing. Get out."She just stood there, unfazed, like she thought I was throwing a tantrum and all she had to do was wait for me to cool off. When she refused to leave, I called the property manager and had them escort her and Ethan out. That finally did the trick.âĶThe next morning, just as I was heading to work, I found her parked right at the garage exit, blocking my car in.She rolled down her window. "We need to talk. About the divorce."Fine. It was time for a clean break anyway. This endless back-and-forth was driving me up the wall.We ended up at a nearby coffee spot, sea
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 6 You're Not Worth Liking
"Uncle Ben, why are you crying?"Cole reached up and gently wiped a tear from my cheek. Only then did I realize my face was wet.Damn.I didn't even feel the tears coming.Thank goodness for this kid. Sweet as honey, sharp as a tack. Always saying the right thing, always knowing how to read the room. If my heart had bruises, Cole was the band-aid holding it together.Not long after, my phone buzzed. Mia.I let it ring out. But she kept calling, again and again.Finally, I blocked her number.Of course, she started using random numbers. I picked up out of pure exhaustion."Can you stop calling?" I said, voice flat. "We're divorced. If it's about the paperwork, just text me.""Ethan got hurt," she snapped. "Luke took him go-karting. He banged up his leg pretty badly. He's been crying for you nonstop.""Then take him to a doctor. I'm not a nurse."Her breath caught. "Are you serious? That's your son. He's been yours for six years! How can you talk like that?"I let out a shor
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 5 Wish Granted
"Cole, are you okay? Did he hurt you?"I crouched down, hands checking him over, scanning for any bruises or scrapes.Meanwhile, Ethan's composure cracked. His lip trembled before he burst into tears. His sobs were loud, messy, and unfiltered.He hadn't cried like that since he started preschool. But now, he was sobbing like his whole world had just caved in, eyes locked on me, face twisted with hurt.Back then, I would have dropped everything. I would have pulled him into my arms and whispered gently, "Don't cry. Dad's here."But not anymore.Now, my arms were for Cole.Cole sniffled and looked up at me, his voice soft and steady. "Uncle Ben, I'm okay. He just told me to stay away from you. He said you're his dadâĶ Is that true?"I shook my head. "No, he's lying. I'm not his dad."Ethan's sobs abruptly stopped, as if someone had accidentally paused a recording. He looked up at me, wide-eyed, stunned, like I had just slapped him across the face.Then I heard her voiceâsharp an
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 4 None Of Your Business
I was just about to hang up when Mia suddenly changed the subject."I'm taking Ethan to his swim class at Uptown Plaza today. You could stop by if you like.""No need," I said flatly.Before she could say another word, I ended the call.With the phone back on the table, I went back to making pumpkin fritters for Cole, the scent of warm squash and fried batter filling the kitchen. Life rolled on quietly like a river finding its course.Until that afternoon.I had just wrapped up a live broadcast and was leaving the studio when an unknown number popped up on my phone.It was Ethan's kindergarten teacher.She introduced herself, overly cheerful, and said it was the Parent-Child Art Day, one of those cutesy events where kids and their parents painted together. All the parents had shown upâĶ except Ethan's."Would you be able to join?" she asked brightly.But I cut her off. "I'm sorry, miss. Ethan's mother and I are divorced. She has full custody now. I won't be involved in these t
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 3 Muscle Memory
Once everything was sorted at the police station, I headed over to Mia's mother's place to pick up Ethan.But I didn't expect what happened next.The second he saw me, Ethan didn't run into my arms. Didn't call me "Dad" in that sweet little voice like he used to. In fact, he didn't call me anything at all.He didn't remember me.Later, after he started school and began hanging out with other kids, things only got worse. He didn't just forget meâhe began to resent me. Said I wasn't like the other dads. Said I didn't have a "real job." Said I wasn't cool.That stung.The officer's voice snapped me back to the present. He told me what had really happened.Cole, my nephew, had never gotten on that boat after all.As it turned out, he was smart enough to hide in a dumpster when the traffickers weren't looking. A homeless man found him and took him in. They lived hand-to-mouth, just the two of them, scraping by on the margins of society.Recently, the old man passed away. Someone fo
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 2 We Found Your Nephew
I woke up in a hospital bed.Turned out a woman passing by had found me collapsed outside and called for help.The doctor looked over my chart, brows knitting. "You're in pretty bad shape. Why didn't a family member bring you in?"I gave him a weak smile. "Don't have any. Sorry, Doc."He paused, sympathy washing over his face.And wasn't that something? A stranger on the street showed more kindness than the two people I had spent seven years loving with everything I had.That was the first time it really hit me. All those years were a complete waste.After a few rounds of IV fluids and fever medications, I was cleared to leave.I wanted to just disappearâto take off somewhere, breathe fresh air, see new places, hit reset.But life was no fairytale.I hadn't worked in years. The only money I ever touched was whatever Mia gave me to buy groceries. I had no savings to speak of.So, I rented a room at a cheap motel, sat on the edge of the creaky bed, and started making calls.M
Married to My Friend's Wife   Chapter 1 Best To Rip The Band-Aid Off
When my best friend died, his wife, Mia Lewis, was eight months pregnant.Mia said she didn't want her child growing up without a father.I owed my best friend my life. He saved me, literally pulled me from death's door. So, I stepped up, marrying Mia and raising their son as my own.Mia loved her career, so I quit mine. Traded my job for diapers and school runs. For seven whole years, I cooked, cleaned, folded laundry, and handled the housework. Rain or shine, sickness or health, I was thereâevery single day.Mia, though? She stayed cold, distant. Her warmth only surfaced in the bedroomâand even then, it was a flicker, never a flame. Just soft sighs and breathy murmurs, like she was playing a role she couldn't wait to finish. Afterward, she would quietly check the condom, as if she couldn't trust me.Then came New Year's Eve.A snap. A tear. A broken condom.Her fury struck like a thunderclap. She locked me out on the balcony and left me standing in the freezing rain, soaked to
āļāļēāļāļāļĩāļāļļāļāļāļēāļāļāļ°āļāļāļ
Turning Back Time to Save You
Wendy Gill1.1K viewsChoosing One Life Over Another
Sleepwalking Peach10.4K viewsHow to Bury a Family
Northburn951 viewsLove Fades Without A Trace
Long Journey116 viewsThe Female Doctor
Sylvia One4.7K viewsA Love Worth Dying For?
SPD646 viewsOnly Way to Say Sorry
Lemon1.9K views
