Ember was quietly sipping her vodka when she felt a presence next to her. She didn't look at the person because she was too stressed and focused on her drink. She needed to go home after finishing a bottle of vodka because her daughter, Easter, might be looking for her. She had come here to unwind her chaotic mind after seeing her husband and his mistress having sex in their room. She was mad about it because, even though she didn't love him, she had stayed loyal to him. She didn't want to ruin the family they had built, even if it was just a marriage for business. She tried to love her husband and gave him a child, but she didn’t know why it felt like it wasn’t enough. She felt something was missing. Her husband felt it too, but that wasn't a good enough reason for him to cheat. She had the right to file a case against them but didn’t because her husband begged her not to and promised he would never do it again. To cool off, she headed to the Elite Bar for the first time and drank vodka. Luckily, their daughter was asleep when it happened; otherwise, she would have really filed a case for adultery and concubinage. "Hi there, beautiful lady. Why are you alone here? No friends or boyfriend—f*ck, you're married?" he exclaimed, noticing the ring on her hand. She was amazed by his looks. He had amber eyes like copper that made her lose her senses, a proud aristocrat nose, thick eyelashes and eyebrows that women dreamed of, a sharp jawline that defined his masculinity, a perfect set of pearl teeth, and red lips that looked tasty. His top knot hairstyle matched his Adonis-like face. "What's your name?" She didn’t know where she got the courage to ask, even though it was obvious she was taken. He grinned widely. "D*mn, I really attract women who are already taken. But anyways..." He extended his hand. "I'm Erin De'Lucas, single," he said, looking deeply into her eyes. Ember couldn't help but trace his body and found herself in awe of how sexy and hot he was. He was wearing a black tank top and black pants and had a piercing in his left eyebrow. Without thinking, she took his hand and felt his grip tighten. "I—I'm Ember Vernon. Nice to meet you." "You're beautiful," he said, stroking her face. "T—Thank you," she replied, his deep voice weakening her. She wasn’t sure if it was the vodka or her natural reaction to him. He tilted his head, looking into her eyes. "I don't want to ruin someone else's relationship, but looking at you right now makes me want to bend my rules and make you mine instead." His warm, fragrant breath against her ear made her body tremble. "H—huh?" She felt deafened by his words. He chuckled and held her hand where the ring was, staring at it darkly. "Will you give me the honor to be your other man, mi hermosa?" She swallowed hard under his intense gaze. His aura screamed danger, but she found it attractive. She didn't know what to say; she was married to Tyson, and they had a daughter. But they didn’t love each other. What was stopping her? Her daughter, Easter. "I—I don't—" Before she could finish, he covered her mouth with his large hand, making her eyes widen in shock. His jaw tightened. "I don't accept rejection. I've had enough. Whether you like it or not, I'm already your other man. I don't care if you're married. I like you and want you to be mine. That's final, and you can't stop me from owning you starting tonight, mi reina," he said coldly and dangerously. "Even your husband can't stop me from having an affair with a woman like you. It's your fault. You've caught my attention and my heart. Now face the consequences for being too irresistible." She didn't know why, but she found herself agreeing as they sealed it with a torrid kiss all night long. "I'm officially now your Forbidden Affair, Mi Reina."
Chapter 1 Our relationship
Chapter 1
"Where have you been all night?" Tyson greeted her as soon as she entered their house. It was already 6 am, and she had just returned from the Elite Bar. She had spent the night there, sleeping in one of Erin's VIP rooms. She had discovered that Erin owned the bar she visited, which made her feel awkward since she hadn't known he was such an important person. She had thought he was just a random guy looking for a prey to hook up with. His appearance alone suggested that many women were after him, and she was just one of them. Considering this made her think about ending their affair before it even began. She knew it would only lead to trouble as time passed.
"Not now, Tyson. I'm tired. Where's Easter? Did she already go to school?"
"You're changing the topic. I said, where have you been? Do you know that Easter was crying last night because she was looking for you? Why are you coming home just now? Are you seeing another man, huh?" he snapped at her while she took off her heels.
She looked at him without any emotion. "Seriously, Tyson? You're asking me that crap? You have the nerve to accuse me of cheating? Who was the one who cheated? Wasn't it you? So stop accusing me of something I didn’t do. From the beginning of our relationship, you know how much I valued the family we built. I stayed loyal to you and tried to fix this marriage because I hoped our life together would get better even though we got married just for our parents' business. I even gave you a child, sacrificing my education because I wanted to fulfill my duties as your wife, even though we were still young. I took care of you like a devoted wife and didn't complain that you weren’t doing the same because I understood your sentiments. You weren't in love with me, and neither was I, so I allowed you to keep our relationship a secret at school and even now. Only our parents knew about our marriage because they were the ones who pushed us together for the sake of their companies' expansion. Imagine all the sacrifices I made for you. I obeyed my parents because I was the kind of daughter who always said yes to them, and I sacrificed my freedom, my teenage life, and my dreams for the sake of the companies. But you still ended up cheating on me. How cruel can you be?"
Tyson was stunned by her words and hugged her.
"I—I'm sorry, I was just tempted. You were always busy, so my attention shifted to someone else. I tried to be loyal too, but I—I—"
She pushed him away. "But you couldn't? Then you don't deserve to be forgiven. Just leave me alone and go to your work. Focus on your job and ignore our problems because they can’t be fixed. Let's just pretend that we're civil, and I'll try to restrain my emotions when I look at you. Seeing you only reminds me of the foolishness you did last night, making me angry. You're lucky I still have some pity as your wife, and I don’t want Easter to be sad if she finds out her father is having an affair with another woman."
"S—Sweetie, please don't do this to me. That woman was just a passing fancy for me. I'll always come back to you and Easter." He held her hand, but she immediately pulled it away.
She laughed mockingly. "Wow, you have some nerve. Are you saying that to make me feel better? Sorry to disappoint you, husband, but I'm not a martyr who will forgive easily and accept you with open arms after what you did. Only a fool would do that, and I'm not planning to give you another chance to hurt me. Once is enough; twice would be a fool's choice."
She left him standing there, shoulders slumped. She went to her daughter's room to check if Easter was still there and saw her sitting at her vanity mirror while one of the maids brushed her hair. She was already wearing her school uniform.
"Mommy!" she greeted cheerfully when she saw her and ran towards her. She just chuckled and rubbed her daughter's cheek.
"Don't hug and kiss, Mommy. I smell awful. You'll catch it, go ahead."
Her daughter's eyes widened, and she quickly backed away. "Yuck, Mommy!" She and the maid laughed because they knew how particular her daughter was about cleanliness, just like her meticulous father. But he had a dirty conscience, only pretending to be a clean person.
"Ma'am Ember. I bathed her because I knew you'd be late coming home." The maid knew what really happened that night and was thankful for her thoughtfulness in taking care of things she shouldn't have to. Her job was to clean the house, not take care of her child, as that was her own responsibility.
"Thanks, Melissa." She smiled and looked at her daughter, who was pouting.
"Mommy, where were you last night? I was crying because I woke up, and you weren't beside me anymore. I thought you were just drinking milk in the kitchen, so I went there. But only Daddy was there, drinking coffee. He looked stressed and sad. Did you two fight? Is that why you weren't around and he looked gloomy?"
She quickly glanced at Melissa, who was also looking at her. "Ah, baby girl, you're late. Come on. We have to go; you might get scolded by the gate guard for being late to school. You can ask Mommy later. Let's hurry up, my nose is bleeding from watching you, baby girl."
"Nana Mimi, you need to go." She frowned, finding it cute.
Melissa just chuckled and grabbed Easter's backpack. "Okay, you're the smart one." She looked back at her and winked. "We're leaving, Ma'am Ember."
"No, Mommy, I want money for snacks."
The corner of her mouth lifted. "Ask your Dad in the living room; I'm sure he'll give you some cash." She egged her on.
Her daughter's eyes twinkled as she ran out of the room. Melissa yelled while chasing after her daughter. The two were really close because Melissa was the only one who took care of her daughter when she was away. The other maids weren't fond of kids, so they didn't approach Easter.
"D*mn." She hissed while rubbing her head. She thought her hangover was mild, but it wasn't. She quickly entered their bedroom, took off all her clothes, and soaked in the hot bathtub to relax her body and mind. Before she could finish her bath, her cellphone, which she had placed nearby, rang.
"Hello?" She said faintly and groggily.
"F*ck, you sound sexy. Mi Reina. I just want to inform you, I'm in front of your house; I brought some soup I made."
She jumped out of the bathtub, fully awakened by what he said. Her heart hammered as she thought about her husband in the living room.
"What the h*ll, Erin? Why did you come here? Are you crazy? My family is here. Do you want my husband to beat you up?" She said hysterically, hurriedly getting dressed.
"Oh la la. So thrilling. I like the feeling of being hidden, roar." She slapped her forehead at his response. Instead of being worried, he was even more playful.
"Sh*t, just go home now or go back to the bar. We’ll get caught early because of what you're doing. My daughter is here, and I don't want her to witness a dramatic scene!"
He laughed loudly on the other end, and she shivered because of it. His voice was deep and cool, which, despite her nervousness about what might happen, strangely calmed her.
"Oops, my future daughter is there. Fine, I'll leave, but you need to give me a goodbye kiss first. How about that deal?"
"Are you insane? My husband is here."
"I don't care about your husband. He's just the husband; I'm the lover." She didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed at what he said.
"Shut up, you sound like an idiot," she suppressed a smile and looked at her husband, who was busy with his laptop in the living room. She noticed his wallet was open on the coffee table, and she knew Tyson would let Easter snatch some money from it. That's always how it was with father and daughter: Tyson was the bank, and Easter was the money snatcher.
Even though he wasn't a good husband, he was a decent father to their daughter, and that was enough for her. There was nothing she could do if Tyson couldn't resist cheating because he didn't love her enough to avoid temptations.
"Where are you going again?" She looked back as she failed to fully leave through the door.
Her husband was still looking at his laptop while asking her. He was so focused on his work.
"None of your business," she said coldly and quickly left. She knew Tyson wouldn't go after her because, when it came to work, he wouldn't give a d*mn about anyone around him and would prioritize his company work. He was too much of a workaholic once he started working.
"7 o'clock, Mi Reina," he said and hung up. What was he talking about, 7 o'clock? Was it a soft drink?
To Be Continued...
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