My Husband Wants An Open Marriage

My Husband Wants An Open Marriage

Elysian Sparrow

4.9
Comment(s)
555.8K
View
104
Chapters

It's true what they say about marriage: one partner's always happier than the other. ~~~ Julie's world is shattered when her husband, Ryan, reveals that he wants an open marriage. His reason: he needs a child as they've been unable to have one. Julie reluctantly agrees to save her marriage. The next day, Ryan returns home with his secretary, confirming Julie's long-held suspicion that their affair was taking place behind her back. Julie, heartbroken and enraged, seeks solace in a bar, where she meets a fascinating stranger named Luke, who changes the game. Julie confides in Luke over drinks, and he proposes a risky plan: he will act as her "boyfriend" to turn the tables on Ryan. Julie agrees, setting off a chain of events that will challenge everything she thought she knew about love, loyalty, and herself.

Protagonist

: Julie O'Brien, Lucas Martinez

Chapter 1 PDA

~~Julie~~

My husband, Ryan, is standing on the karaoke stage, making a fool of himself. His shirt is unbuttoned halfway, his tie long abandoned, and his cheeks are flushed from too much whiskey.

"And I.........will always love you....." he sings, closing his eyes.

His voice is terrible.

Standing next to him, practically glued to his side, is his secretary, Emily. Her left arm is around Ryan's waist, her fingers lightly grazing his back as she sings along. She's younger than me, at least by half a decade, all wide eyes and perfect curves, dressed in a tight, low-cut dress that makes it impossible to ignore her presence. She leans into Ryan, whispering something in his ear, and he throws his head back, laughing. He looks at her like she's the funniest person in the world.

I've never seen him this happy.

The last time I saw him this happy was on our wedding day, seven years ago. Back then, his eyes sparkled when he looked at me. Now, the light in them has grown dimmer; they're shining for someone else.

Around me, everyone is laughing. It's the company's quarterly review party, and the employees are loose after a few too many drinks, finding Ryan and Emily's performance hilarious. But I know what they're really laughing at. They're laughing at me. The CEO's wife, sitting here while her husband practically gropes his secretary in front of everyone. The whispers, the side glances, they don't even try to hide it.

"Do you think they're going to kiss?" someone whispers behind me.

"Definitely. Bet they'll be doing more than kissing after this," someone else replies, and they both chuckle.

I turn around to look at the people talking. Young, drunk, probably high on weed too. They must be interns. Only people with zero knowledge of the company's hierarchy would make such a statement close to their employer's wife.

Or maybe they just don't care.

The girl, with messy blonde hair and red cheeks, locks eyes with me. "Hi!" she says, a little too loud. "Do you work here?"

Do I work here? My eyes narrow. She's definitely an intern.

She's pretty, the kind of pretty that comes with youth and arrogance. The boy next to her drapes his arm lazily over her shoulders.

I don't respond. I just stare at them, cold and unblinking.

Before I can say something that would make them regret their existence, I hear my name called.

"Julie!" the voice says, drawing my attention.

Even before I turn, I know who it is. Samantha, the vice president of marketing. We both work for Paragon Jewels, Ryan's company, the leading manufacturer of luxury jewelry in North America. Her position is just below mine, so she's one of the few who calls out my name like we're friends, even though we're not.

"Samantha," I reply, forcing a polite smile.

"I didn't know you were here, Julie. I was just telling the marketing team we have to get you involved more!"

"Oh?" I say. "Why's that?"

"Well, you're the head of marketing, and everyone wants to meet you! You're so hard to catch these days. And besides, we never get a chance to chat at work," she says, with an overplayed wink.

Her gaze drifts to the stage where Ryan and Emily are swaying together, sharing the mic, laughing like they're on some private date instead of a work event.

"So, Mrs. O'Brien," she says, smirking, "how are you enjoying the show so far?"

She's mocking me. The fucking bitch.

I force a bright smile. "Oh, it's... fantastic," I say, struggling to keep a straight face. "I'm thrilled to see my husband's hard work is being rewarded with such... dedication from his staff."

The crowd is clapping now, giving Ryan and his secretary a standing ovation. I guess they're done with their nonsense.

But then Ryan speaks into the microphone. "Before we get down, we've got one more song for you!"

More applause. More laughter. And I just want the ground to open up and swallow me.

Samantha looks at me with pity in her eyes. "Well... umm," she says. "I'll catch up with you later."

She quickly excuses herself.

Behind me, I hear those interns whispering again. "Oh, my God. Did you hear what she said? That's Mrs. O'Brien."

I turn to glare at them one last time, and the boy shifts uncomfortably, pulling the girl to her feet. "Let's go," he mutters under his breath, and they stumble away, sneaking a look at me before disappearing into the crowd.

Good. Let them run.

I turn back to the stage, my heart pounding in my chest. Ryan is singing "Everything I Do"-if you can call that singing. Emily is now pressed against him, her hand running up his arm in a way that makes my stomach twist. She's completely shameless, and he's too drunk to even notice-or worse, he doesn't care.

I can't take it anymore.

Without thinking, I push my chair back and stand. My heels click against the floor as I march toward the stage. I can feel the weight of everyone's eyes on me, the whispers dying down as they realize what's happening. They've been waiting for this-waiting to see if I'll crack.

But I don't care. I'm done playing the perfect wife.

I climb the steps to the stage, each footstep feeling heavier than the last. Ryan doesn't notice me at first, too lost in his drunken performance, but Emily spots me and her smile falters. Good.

"Ryan," I say. "We're leaving now."

Ryan looks at me, surprised. "Why?" he slurs, still holding the microphone. "The party's just getting started."

I grit my teeth, my fists clenched. "Let's go. Now."

"Julie, come on," he says, sounding annoyed now, as if I'm the one ruining his night.

I can't help it. Something inside me snaps.

Without another word, I turn and walk toward the back of the stage. The technical operators sitting in the booth look up as I approach, their faces going pale.

"Who's in charge here?" I ask.

They all point to a man standing near the soundboard, holding a half-eaten donut. His eyes widen as he sees me.

"Mrs. O'Brien," he stammers, quickly setting the donut aside. "Is there something-uh-something I can do for you?"

"Shut it down. All of it," I say. "The party's over."

He blinks, not sure if I'm serious, but one look at my face and he scrambles to obey. His hands fly across the controls, and within seconds, the speakers cut out with a harsh screech. The lights dim. The music dies. Silence falls over the room like a heavy curtain, and all that's left is the sound of my heels as I walk back to center stage.

Ryan is standing there, his microphone useless in his hand.

"Julie, what the hell?" Ryan mutters.

I meet his eyes, feeling the weight of everything I've been holding in for too long. "You've had your fun," I say quietly, but with enough steel in my voice that it stops him from saying anything else. "Now it's over."

I don't wait for a reply. I grab his arm and start leading him down the stairs.

Ryan stumbles slightly, caught off guard by my sudden forcefulness. His eyes flick to the crowd, scanning their faces for something, maybe support, validation, but all he finds are wide eyes and muted whispers. Everyone's too shocked, too entertained by the unfolding drama, to come to his defense.

The whispers start immediately. I hear snatches of conversation as we pass. Let them talk. Let them laugh.

Ryan's too drunk to fight me, too embarrassed to protest. For once, he's the one who's quiet, and I'm the one in control.

Justin, Ryan's bodyguard/chauffeur, sees us coming and is already moving into action. He steps forward, opening the back door of the car without a word.

Ryan mumbles something under his breath-maybe an apology, maybe an excuse-but I don't stop. I don't even look at him. I tighten my grip, forcing him into the backseat with a firm push, and he collapses into the car.

"Take us home," I say, climbing in behind Ryan. Then I slam the door shut.

Continue Reading

Other books by Elysian Sparrow

More

You'll also like

The Billionaire's Cold And Bitter Betrayal

The Billionaire's Cold And Bitter Betrayal

Clara Bennett
5.0

I had just survived a private jet crash, my body a map of violet bruises and my lungs still burning from the smoke. I woke up in a sterile hospital room, gasping for my husband's name, only to realize I was completely alone. While I was bleeding in a ditch, my husband, Adam, was on the news smiling at a ribbon-cutting ceremony. When I tracked him down at the hospital's VIP wing, I didn't find a grieving husband. I found him tenderly cradling his ex-girlfriend, Casie, in his arms, his face lit with a protective warmth he had never shown me as he carried her into the maternity ward. The betrayal went deeper than I could have imagined. Adam admitted the affair started on our third anniversary-the night he claimed he was stuck in London for a merger. Back at the manor, his mother had already filled our planned nursery with pink boutique bags for Casie's "little princess." When I demanded a divorce, Adam didn't flinch. He sneered that I was "gutter trash" from a foster home and that I'd be begging on the streets within a week. To trap me, he froze my bank accounts, cancelled my flight, and even called the police to report me for "theft" of company property. I realized then that I wasn't his partner; I was a charity case he had plucked from obscurity to manage his life. To the Hortons, I was just a servant who happened to sleep in the master bedroom, a "resilient" woman meant to endure his abuse in silence while the whole world laughed at the joke that was my marriage. Adam thought stripping me of his money would make me crawl back to him. He was wrong. I walked into his executive suite during his biggest deal of the year and poured a mug of sludge over his original ten-million-dollar contracts. Then, right in front of his board and his mistress, I stripped off every designer thread he had ever paid for until I was standing in nothing but my own silk camisole. "You can keep the clothes, Adam. They're as hollow as you are." I grabbed my passport, turned my back on his billions, and walked out of that glass tower barefoot, bleeding, and finally free.

THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: MARRY TO RIVAL'S SON

THE SPITEFUL BRIDE: MARRY TO RIVAL'S SON

Ray Nhedicta
4.7

"Let's get married," Mia declares, her voice trembling despite her defiant gaze into Stefan's guarded brown eyes. She needs this, even if he seems untouchable. Stefan raises a skeptical brow. "And why would I do that?" His voice was low, like a warning, and it made her shiver even though she tried not to show it. "We both have one thing in common," Mia continues, her gaze unwavering. "Shitty fathers. They want to take what's ours and give it to who they think deserves it." A pointed pause hangs in the air. "The only difference between us is that you're an illegitimate child, and I'm not." Stefan studies her, the heiress in her designer armor, the fire in her eyes that matches the burn of his own rage. "That's your solution? A wedding band as a weapon?" He said ignoring the part where she just referred to him as an illegitimate child. "The only weapon they won't see coming." She steps closer, close enough for him to catch the scent of her perfume, gunpowder and jasmine. "Our fathers stole our birthrights. The sole reason they betrayed us. We join forces, create our own empire that'll bring down theirs." A beat of silence. Then, Stefan's mouth curves into something sharp. "One condition," he murmurs, closing the distance. "No divorces. No surrenders. If we're doing this, it's for life" "Deal" Mia said without missing a beat. Her father wants to destroy her life. She wouldn't give him the pleasure, she would destroy her life as she seems fit. ................ Two shattered heirs. One deadly vow. A marriage built on revenge. Mia Meyers was born to rule her father's empire (so she thought), until he named his bastard son heir instead. Stefan Sterling knows the sting of betrayal too. His father discarded him like trash. Now the rivals' disgraced children have a poisonous proposal: Marry for vengeance. Crush their fathers' legacies. Never speak of divorce. Whoever cracks first loses everything. Can these two rivals, united by their vengeful hearts, pull off a marriage of convenience to reclaim what they believe is rightfully theirs? Or will their fathers' animosity, and their own complicated pasts tear their fragile alliance apart?

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
My Husband Wants An Open Marriage
1

Chapter 1 PDA

08/11/2024

2

Chapter 2 An Open Marriage

08/11/2024

3

Chapter 3 The Bar

08/11/2024

4

Chapter 4 The Deal

08/11/2024

5

Chapter 5 Breakfast News

08/11/2024

6

Chapter 6 A Manipulator

08/11/2024

7

Chapter 7 In My Bed

08/11/2024

8

Chapter 8 The Happiness Potion

08/11/2024

9

Chapter 9 Tasty Lunch

08/11/2024

10

Chapter 10 The Partnership

08/11/2024

11

Chapter 11 It's Over

08/11/2024

12

Chapter 12 The Tour

08/11/2024

13

Chapter 13 The Supply Closet

08/11/2024

14

Chapter 14 Footage

08/11/2024

15

Chapter 15 Family Moments

08/11/2024

16

Chapter 16 Deal Is Back On

08/11/2024

17

Chapter 17 Which Is It Going To Be

08/11/2024

18

Chapter 18 Hole In The Wall

08/11/2024

19

Chapter 19 Hearts Are Meant To Be Broken

08/11/2024

20

Chapter 20 My Wife

10/11/2024

21

Chapter 21 Immunity

10/11/2024

22

Chapter 22 Brooklyn Bridge

10/11/2024

23

Chapter 23 Do It

10/11/2024

24

Chapter 24 A Baby Elephant Takes Its First Steps

10/11/2024

25

Chapter 25 You Have No One

11/11/2024

26

Chapter 26 A Queen Without A Castle

11/11/2024

27

Chapter 27 Safety First

11/11/2024

28

Chapter 28 Don't Know Where To Put It

11/11/2024

29

Chapter 29 The Bargain

11/11/2024

30

Chapter 30 State Of New York Versus Elaine Jenkins

11/11/2024

31

Chapter 31 Morning Coffee

12/11/2024

32

Chapter 32 I Was The Problem

12/11/2024

33

Chapter 33 Not With Me

12/11/2024

34

Chapter 34 Sparks

12/11/2024

35

Chapter 35 Chilaquiles

12/11/2024

36

Chapter 36 Counterclaim

12/11/2024

37

Chapter 37 The End Of The World

12/11/2024

38

Chapter 38 Honest With Me

12/11/2024

39

Chapter 39 For Luke

12/11/2024

40

Chapter 40 Stay

12/11/2024