LOST IN PLEASURE

I told myself the dating profile was just for revenge. A petty swipe at James.But now, every night, I found myself staring at my phone, waiting for him to write.His username was common, nothing flashy like the men in my life that were all about control. Ping, it was a text from this username again.Caden_88: You look like a woman who knows what she wants.I texted back, “What makes you think I'll give it to you?” Caden_88: Because I would rather not own you. I want to see who you really are.Every word from him felt like a hook sliding deeper. He didn’t ask for nudes. He asked about my childhood, my first heartbreak, and my favorite smell. He made me feel seen in a way James never did.I typed with trembling fingers, “Why do you sound like you already know me?”No reply.James stirred beside me, asleep, oblivious. I rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling. I’d promised myself no more secrets, yet here I was texting a stranger in the dark while my husband breathed next to me. I

BOUNDED BY MY BLACKMAILER

I woke up the next day not knowing what it held for me. My marriage was on the verge of collapsing; the perfect life was an illusion. How would I even tell my family? By the time I was finally single, now my sexuality was to be questioned too.James has left the house today. I was going to check the building James gave me and start furnishing my apartment; it felt like a dream to me.When you arrived at the villa, it was so fine and lovely an elderly woman was already cleaning, and some workers kept on whispering things. “Madam looks so fine, yet she can't keep a man,” one said. “Didn't you hear he took another lady to the hospital, and she seems pregnant for him?” the other one added.“Hmmmm…” I coughed; hearing my voice, they all looked frightened. “So what were you saying? Continue,” I said. “Sorry, Ma,” they apologized. I hissed and walked away. I was going to drive every one of them when the villa had been put in order.On my way back, just then, my car stopped, making me panic

BETRAYING MY HUSBAND

The fourth night blurred into the fifth, and then, suddenly, I was back in my clothes, standing outside like nothing had happened. My phone buzzed with James’s messages, but I felt nothing.He had finally filed for divorce. Good for him.That afternoon a driver came to fetch me. James had “reported” me to his parents. I almost laughed; the man who’d been running around impregnating strangers was suddenly the victim, reminding me that this was a man's world. I went anyway, wanting to see the performance and what his parents had to say.Their house smelled of money and old perfume. James’s mother sat stiff and regal, pearls at her throat, a look of polite disgust in her eyes. His father didn’t bother hiding his contempt. James lounged in a corner like the wronged saint he was pretending to be.“Mariam,” his mother began, voices slightly raised the moment I entered. “Mother, I hope you're doing okay,” I greeted her, which she ignored. “We think it’s time you stopped this… behavior.” Jam

REGRETS AND BETRAYAL

“No. I’m not going home.” The words slurred a little on my tongue, but I said them loud enough for half the bar to hear. “You’re always watching me. Why are you so obsessed with me?” My voice rose higher than I intended. Heads turned. Glasses paused halfway to mouths. A low ripple of curiosity spread across the room.He didn’t answer. He just stood there in the black mask, calm and silent, while the music thumped in the background. My pulse beat harder.“Don’t you dare drag me out like some toy.” I tried to back away, but his hand held my wrist firmly. Heat rolled up my arm from his grip. My heart jumped into my throat.“Enough,” he said softly. The softness was worse than a shout.Before I could pull free, he moved. In one smooth motion he lifted me off the chair as if I weighed nothing. A startled gasp broke from my lips. Someone at a nearby table muttered, but nobody stepped in. His shoulder pressed into my stomach as he hoisted me up, my hair spilling over my face, the hem of my d

THE WITNESS

The door gave way with the faintest whisper, a sound swallowed instantly by the room beyond.James slipped through the gap, his pulse roaring a frantic counterpoint to the silence. The air was thick, heavy with the amber light of scattered candles and the hazy, intoxicating scent of frankincense, wine, and sweat.His eyes adjusted, and what he saw hollowed the breath from his chest.Mariam.What he saw wasn’t chaos; it was absolute control. Hers.The same woman who had once trembled under his authority now ruled the space like a queen on her throne. Her chin was tilted, her voice a low whisper that still carried through the room like smoke rising to a vaulted ceiling. She touched Darius, not with affection, but with a claim that left no doubt who held the leash between them.James couldn’t look away. It was more than lust; there was a frightening power in her gestures, a deliberate rhythm that made the very air vibrate. Every movement spoke of everything she’d hidden from him:

All Chapters of BEHIND THE MASK (DARK ROMANCE): Chapter 41 - Chapter 45

LOST IN PLEASURE

BOUNDED BY MY BLACKMAILER

BETRAYING MY HUSBAND

REGRETS AND BETRAYAL

THE WITNESS