1

Nadia

“I want an open marriage.”

The words my husband of five years said to me on our fifth anniversary dinner that I spent hours preparing for rang in my head the next morning and I still couldn’t believe he actually said those words to me.

Not only did he tell me he wanted an open marriage, but he also came to me with a written contract that he wanted me to sign.

A contract that basically opens our marriage. I glared at the still unsigned contract on my dressing table.

The only evidence that last night really happened. What was supposed to be the perfect night with the love of my life turned into a nightmare.

Last night, I found out two things. The man I loved and married doesn’t love me anymore and he has been cheating on me.

He got tired of sneaking around on me and decided to just tell me to my face.

“You don’t satisfy me in bed! You don’t do the things I want and you are so boring to look at.”

Those were words he had said to me without remorse.

“I am not signing it.”

I had told him and he had laughed in my face. I left him there but for some reason, I took the contract with me.

I got out of bed and sluggishly made my way out of my room. I felt drained and deprived of life.

While I was happily going to tell him that I am ready to start our IVF journey again since we were having problems conceiving naturally, he was busy planning an exit.

“You finally decided to come out of your room”

I paused when I heard his voice. My room. Yeah, I should have known when he suggested that we use different rooms when we moved into the new house two years ago.

I refuse to believe his need for an open marriage just came to him. I swallowed the lump in my throat when I realized what that meant.

“Babe? I can’t fin—“

I turned at the sound of a female voice. My eyes blurred when I saw a woman coming downstairs wearing the same robe he was wearing.

“Oh, she is awake?”

I didn’t know what to say to her. She seemed to know me and the way she looked me over made me feel self-conscious.

She smirked as she walked past me and as I turned, I already knew the sight I would see but it still shocked me to see her cuddling up with Sebastian and them kissing right in front of me.

I staggered back and almost fell but managed to steady myself.

“Wh—who is ssshhe?”

I stammered and they both stopped kissing just to laugh at me.

“Honey, you didn’t tell her?”

The woman asked.

“I did. I told her last night before I came to pick you up but she seems to still be out of it. She probably drank a lot last night after I left.”

Lies. One, I didn’t drink last night and two, I left him there at the restaurant.

“Are you crazy? What’s going on here?”

I let out and they both looked at each other.

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The woman asked, walking towards me.

“Nothing is obvious except the fact that you are in my home and throwing yourself at my disgraceful husband.”

I let out. It hurt to see him with her but I refused to let my pain show in front of them.

“Watch your words!”

I scoffed at his words.

“You told me last night that you want an open marriage and brought your mistress into our home?”

I asked him and the lady frowned.

“Open marriage? You didn’t ask for a divorce?”

She asked Sebastian. He didn’t even respect her enough to divorce me.

“Let’s not do this in front of her.”

I scoffed at his words and expected her to do the same but she went back to him and put her arms around him.

I bit down hard on my bottom lip to stop myself from saying anything that would embarrass me.

“So, you already had someone? That’s why you wanted me to sign a contract to open our five-year marriage?”

I asked him and he just shrugged his shoulders. His indifference made me angry.

“How dare you? How could you do this to me?”

I let out and my voice betrayed me by breaking.

“What do you want me to tell you? Should I repeat what I said last night?”

I took a step back as a fresh wave of pain washed through me.

How can he be so mean?

“If you want to hear it again then I will say it! I don’t find you attractive! You are so boring in bed and everywhere else. The only reason I married you was that I needed the stability that being with you provided and now that I can stand on my own, I don’t need it anymore! You should be happy that I am letting you stay married to me. I could have easily asked for a divorce and that would mean that you would truly be alone!”

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat but swallowing didn’t make it move.

“You should have just asked for a divorce!”

I cloaked. He doesn’t need to ask for it because I intend to file for a divorce. I refuse to let this bastard get away with what he did.

“Do you really think I am that stupid? I won’t file for a divorce because doing so means I will lose everything because of that damn prenup we signed! You can’t divorce me either unless you want to lose everything including Everything Nadia.”

I gasped as I realized what he meant. The prenup. I shouldn’t have signed it.

If I file for a divorce, I will lose both my company to him and I refuse to lose anything to this sick bastard.

“Babe! I didn’t know you were so thoughtful! This is why I don’t doubt you.:”

The witch with him said and started romancing him in front of me.

“See? I got everything figured out and we are going to be covered for life.”

Sebastian told her and I could only watch and fight back tears.

I refuse to cry in front of them. A cry from upstairs startled me.

“Oh babe, I think the kids are waking up.”

My eyes widened at her words just as another cry came.

“Kids?”

I asked, looking at both of them.

“Babe? You didn’t tell her?”

The witch asked again and the bastard shook his head.

“I didn’t get the chance to but she knows now.”

He told her and she glared at me before walking away.

“What do I know? Do you have kids? With her? How long has this been going on?

I yelled at him.

“Don’t you yell at me! I am still your husband and this is still my house.”

The hell it is!

“This is more of my house than yours, bastard! Also, husband? Don’t fucking patronize me, Sebastian!”

I yelled at him.

“Stop yelling! Your voice is disturbing my kids.”

For a moment, I couldn’t say anything. I was too dumbfounded to say anything. When I finally found my voice, all I could say was;

“What?”

“Surely, you don’t have hearing problems! just like you have a fertility problem.”

Just when I thought it couldn’t get worse.

“What?”

I hated how my voice failed me and the tears I was trying to hide broke free.

He hit me where it hurt the most.

“You heard me, Nadia! You are infertile and that’s why five years of marriage and two years of dating before that yielded nothing even though we never used protection. I have evidence to prove I wasn’t the problem. My twins are three and healthy.”

Twins? Three? So this has been going on the whole time we were married.

“You have been cheating on me all through our marriage?”

“Cheating? I won’t call it that! Let’s call it having a real life and real relationship with a real woman who I find attractive instead of the infertile, boring wood I married.”

That’s it! I couldn’t take anymore of his insults.

“I expect a divorce paper when I get back.”

I told him as I started to walk away. I wiped the tears from my eyes.

This marriage is over. I won’t stay married to a man like him. He cheated. He had kids outside our marriage and he broke everything.

“I won’t divorce you, Nadia, so it will be best if you sign that paper to open our marriage! That way, you can find someone for yourself. That’s if anyone would want you. If they do, then, it would probably be for charity”

I stopped walking at his words.

“What?”

I asked.

“No one would want you! You are so unattractive and boring! You won’t find anyone so better play nice and maybe. Just maybe I can do some charity.”

“Charity?”

I asked him.

“Yes, having sex with you will be doing some charity work because if not me, no one will ever want you. Not that I want you! It’s charity.”

I swallowed the insult.

“I don’t need your charity.”

I told him and walked away before I burst into tears again.

I rushed to my bathroom and turned on the water. In there, I cried my eyes out.

By the time I got out of my room to go to work, the house was empty.

At work, I could barely get a thing done. My assistant kept repeating the same thing over and over again.

I gave up trying to work and returned home to an empty house which I didn’t mind. I would take an empty house over Sebastian and his mistress being in the house.

I lay on my bed and all I could do was cry and cry. I gave up crying and took a shower.

I found myself dressing up without having a destination in mind. I just knew I had to leave the house.

I couldn’t stay here crying all night. What’s the use of mourning a marriage that was all a lie?

Driving as far away from home to grab some drinks and forget the event of today felt like the right thing to do earlier but now that I was sitting at the club alone and spotting a drink that didn’t do anything to numb the pain I felt, I felt even more heartbroken and lonely.

The club was bustling with activities and people dancing happily but I just couldn’t join in the fun.

I can’t even remember the last time I went clubbing.

“Do you want me to change that?”

The sweet bartender asked me. I shook my head at him. I looked around the club again.

“There’s nothing for me here.”

I whispered to myself as my eyes wandered around. I felt a rush of heat when my eyes settled on a mysterious man sitting alone not too far from me.

I quickly averted my eyes when his eyes settled on mine.

The impact of meeting his gaze didn’t go away even after I looked away. My face heated up so much that I had to fight the urge to fan my face with my hand.

I tried to stop myself from looking again but I couldn’t and when my eyes went in his direction again, my heart skipped a beat.

“He is coming… to me…”

I didn’t know what to do with myself as I watched him approach me.

It felt like time stopped and the music took a cue as it suddenly stopped and light bathed the clubhouse.

I swallowed when I got a better view of the gorgeous man who was smiling and unmistakably coming to me.

To me.