LOGINAfter thinking for a few seconds, I shook my head.“No, we are not taking any break,” I said to Sadie. “I know we haven’t been in our best place lately, but it will get better. Hopefully.”“Are you sure?” Sadie asked, her voice laced with concern. “He doesn’t seem to want to fix things.”“He will come around,” I insisted. “I just need to focus on gaining his trust back. I’m not giving up on us.”“I’m here for you if you need anything, Jess.” Sadie hugged me before leaving that evening.As soon as the door closed behind her, the silence of the house pressed in on me. All I could think about was how stupid I had been—how close I had come to throwing away everything for a fleeting fantasy with an ex who could never give me the security Conrad had always provided. I wasn’t making that mistake again. I had a happy home. I was lucky. We would get through this.The next morning, I dropped David off at
“Are you good, B?”The message from Stefan appeared on my screen just as I dipped my hands into soapy water. I stared at it briefly before placing my phone face-down on the counter. The dishes clinked softly in the sink, but my hands were shaking so badly that I nearly dropped a plate. Tears blurred my vision, slipping down my cheeks.This was the first real, heated argument Conrad and I had had since we got married. The first one that left me feeling hollow instead of hopeful.My phone buzzed again.“I just need to know if you’re okay.”I swallowed hard, my chest tightening. I scrubbed harder at the dishes, as if the pressure might ground me, but it didn’t help. My thoughts were racing, colliding with guilt and anger.Another buzz.“I’m outside. I need to talk to you.”I froze.Then one more message came through, softer somehow, almost pleading.“It’s okay if you can’t, right? Just know that I love you so much.”
Jimmy, Aoki, Conrad, and I walked up to the big mansion everyone called the “White House.” The night air was cool, and I could smell chlorine from the swimming pool out back. Through the gates, I saw it glowing under soft lights, with palm trees and lounge chairs around it. Music and laughter spilled out as we got closer.When Conrad and I stepped inside, we froze for a second, eyes wide at what we saw.“Oh wow,” Conrad whispered.“It’s really a sex party. This is happening,” I said, laughing nervously.Aoki came over, took off my brown leather jacket because it was warm inside, and whispered, “Relax…”People were everywhere, having sex openly. Some wore wedding rings, some didn’t. Women walked around in sexy lingerie. The air smelled like perfume, sweat, and drinks.Aoki smiled at us. “You can just watch, or let others watch you. Whatever you want.”“Let others watch?” I asked, smirking.“Yeah,” she said softly
For a few terrifying seconds, I thought Conrad had taken David and left me for good.The house was too quiet when I stepped outside, my heart racing as panic tightened around my chest. Then I heard the engine. Conrad’s car pulled into the driveway slowly. He stepped out, his expression unreadable—disappointment sitting heavy in his eyes.Before I could say anything, David jumped out of the back seat and ran straight into my arms.“Mommy! We went for a drive to get ice cream!”I exhaled shakily, pulling him close. “Oh, my sweetheart..I whispered, kissing his hair.”Conrad said nothing. He walked past us and into the house.That night, he didn’t come to bed. He slept on the couch downstairs.I tried—God knows I tried—to talk to him. About the laptop. About what I’d written. About Stefan. About everything. But he shut down completely. No arguments. No yelling. Just silence.Every morning, he took David to school a
Conrad didn’t come home last night. The first thing I felt when I opened my eyes was panic — the sharp, breath-stealing kind that tightens the chest before the brain even understands why. Then the memories rushed back. The dinner. The restroom. The fight. Samadora. Stefan. And the look in Conrad’s eyes when he left. I opened my laptop,pouring my thoughts into words would to quiet the storm in my mind,I heard a soft voice. “Mommy?” David stood at the door in his SpongeBob pajamas, rubbing his eyes. “Hey, baby,” I whispered, forcing a smile. “What do you want for breakfast?” “I’m not hungry.” He walked toward me. “Where’s Daddy?” I froze. A blade of guilt pierced through me. “Daddy… got caught up with work,” I said carefully. “He’s coming home, okay? Come on. Let’s go make breakfast.” “Okay, Mommy.” We made pancakes. Well — I made th
I headed straight to Sadie’s apartment in the morning, determined to go through with one plan that made sense in my head—even though it sounded stupid.Sadie opened the door with wet hair tied into a bonnet. “Why do I feel like this visit is going to cause a lot of chaos?”“I need your help,” I said quickly. “Tonight I will need you to convince Stefan to come on a double date with my husband and me.”Sadie is in shock.Then her jaw dropped.“Oh no, oh my God. Jess, you’ve completely lost your damn mind.”“I know… but hear me out—”“Can you hear yourself?” she demanded, pacing already. “You want me to drag the man who almost ruined your life to dinner… to prove you’re over him? What is going on with you?”“Sadie, I have to prove to Conrad that I’m over him. He thinks I’m still in love with Stefan.”“Are you over him, though?” She raised her brows.I exhaled, feeling my voice tremble.“Please. Just talk to Stefa







