All Chapters of No Longer The Ones Who Lose: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

By the time I reached home, evening had already settled over the house. God knows how I managed the drive. The entire way back had been nothing but painful screams and raw, breathless crying. My lungs felt heavy, my thoughts tangled and sharp, and I barely remembered the roads I took. One truth, however, stood out with brutal clarity: Nova had been cheating with my husband for years . I remembered how she had always given me advice about my marriage, especially on how to spice up our sex life. Once she had even suggested role-play. When I tried it, Silas claimed he had a phobia for it and refused to touch me for days afterward. Now I was certain she had known exactly what she was doing. She simply hadn’t wanted him touching me. I also remembered how she comforted me every time a pregnancy test came back negative, telling me God would bless me just as He had blessed her. I was pretty by that time she had known Silas was switching my pills, and she had known the child she carried bel

I knocked twice the following evening, glancing around anxiously. I had lied to Silas and told him I was staying at my parents’ house. The apartment sat in a remote area where almost no one passed by. I had taken a cab so I wouldn’t leave any traces. Honestly, I still wasn’t sure what I had come here to do, but I was here anyway.The door opened. Tristan stood there as if he had been expecting me. He wore loose sweater pants and a simple vest. My eyes dropped for a second to the clear shape of his body before I forced them back up. A strange mix of discomfort and something sharper passed through me.“You’re welcome,” he said, holding the door open.“Thank you.” I stepped inside slowly.“You can have a seat.”I sat down, still feeling out of place. The house was large and quiet. I didn’t know what to say. When he handed me a glass of wine I took it, sipped once, and set it on the table.“Did you have any trouble finding the place?”“No,” I answered quickly.“Alright. Do you mind if I s

“Wait. We were still talking and you’re walking away?” Silas said, grabbing my hand to stop me.I looked back at him. “You’re seriously accusing me of cheating, and you expect me to sit here and listen while you disgrace me like that?” I kept my voice steady, even though anger simmered underneath.“Look, I didn’t mean it like that, but—” he started to stammer.I paused, then spoke with quiet finality. “You should be glad I’m in a good mood today. Otherwise this would have gone very badly for both of us. I’ll pretend you never said any of it.”I pulled my hand free and walked upstairs toward our room.The moment I entered, I went straight to the bathroom with my phone and called my mother. I paced while it rang. She answered almost immediately.“Valarie, what a surprise—”“Mum,” I cut her off. “Did you call Silas today by any chance?”There was a short pause. “No, I haven’t.”I exhaled quietly in relief. So he had lied. He thought that if he claimed my mother had called, I would crack

When he came back home, he looked gloomy, and trust me, I knew why. I was definitely the cause of that long face, though it looked perfect on him.I stood up from the couch, just like I always did whenever I was the first to get home. I walked over to him and hugged him, removing his coat in the process.All this time, I had been doing everything for nothing.“Why did you delay at the office, honey? We finished work way back. I was missing you.”He smiled and gently pulled me away from the hug.“I was busy with a few things. Overloads of work.”I looked at him carefully.I knew he was coming from seeing Nova because he even smelled like her.Yesterday, they had played me on the phone, but since he had been cheating on me for years, I knew they must have planned this for a long time.That morning, while I was getting ready for work in the closet, I had seen a necklace wrapped neatly in a box.If it had been mine, it wouldn’t have been wrapped like that.I took it out and snapped a pict

I rested my head against Tristan’s shoulder for a brief second, my heart still racing. Now was not the right time to get caught. Not when the game had become this interesting. I still had a long way to go.Just as Nova’s hand reached for the rooftop door, someone called her from the stairs and pulled her in another direction. The moment passed. I looked down. Tristan was still fully hard, the outline clear against his pants. I was just as bad — so wet it was almost uncomfortable. We had been so close. A breathless, almost disbelieving feeling settled in my chest. That had been the hottest thing I had ever experienced.I took a moment to fix my dress and smooth my hair, forcing my breathing to even out. My legs still felt unsteady.“I think I should go look for your son,” I said.He paused. “You mean your step-son.”I gave him a flat look, but I had started the provocation earlier, so I let it go.“I should head down first.”He nodded. “That’s smarter.”I opened the door, straightened