My Husband Wants An Open Marriage

~~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 someon

I look at Ryan, then Emily. “I don’t understand.”Ryan doesn’t even look at me, just grabs Emily’s hand and starts leading her away. “Stop being such a bad host, Julie. We’ve had a long day.”“No way, Ryan. She’s not staying in this house,” I say, my voice shaking with disbelief.He doesn’t respond. They’re already halfway up the stairs.“Do you hear me? She’s not staying here! Take her back to wherever you picked her up. I don’t want her in my house.”Ryan stops, turning just enough to glare at me. “Your house? I put a roof over your head. If I say she’s staying, she’s staying. If you don’t like it, go somewhere else. I don’t have the energy for your nonsense, Julie.”Oh, my god. My chest tightens. “How could you do this?” I say. “Don’t walk away from me, Ryan. Stand here and answer me.”Emily turns to look at me, smirking. “By the way, you’ll need to move your things into the guest room. I’m not sharing a bed with you and Ryan. It’s bad enough sharing him with you.”All the energy i

~~Julie~~Ugh, my head feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. I crack my eyes open and glance around. I’m in my living room, but I can’t for the life of me remember how I got home last night.Shit, Ryan’s car.I scramble to the window, heart racing, and peek outside. There it is, still parked in the driveway. Thank God. Ryan would have been so pissed if I’d wrecked it.I need a shower. And definitely a toothbrush. My mouth tastes like something died in it.I drag myself upstairs, but as soon as I push open the master bedroom door, I freeze. Emily is on top of Ryan, both of them completely naked, moving in sync. Their panting fills the room.I scream.Emily yelps and tumbles off him, scrambling to cover herself.“Jesus Christ, Julie,” Ryan mutters, sitting up and glaring at me. “Ever heard of knocking?”I want to tell him I’ve never had to knock in my own house, let alone my own bedroom, but what’s the point? “I just came to grab my things.”“It’s already done,” Emily snaps. “Everyth

“Ryan,” I say again, now fully facing him, “what are you doing in my room?”He shrugs. “The door was unlocked.”“And?”“I wanted to be with my wife.” He’s touching my hair now, fingers combing through the mass, causing the hair to fall around my face. His touch is familiar, too familiar. I try to shake off the feeling of déjà vu, but it won't stop. “I don’t want us to fight anymore, Jules. All this is just a little misunderstanding.”I stare at him, my mind still trying to catch up with the fact that he’s here, in my bed, in the middle of the night. “It’s midnight, Ryan. What are you saying exactly? Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?”Ryan doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he leans in and presses his lips to mine, soft at first. For a brief second, I lose myself in it—the taste of him, the way his hands cradle my face. But then, reality crashes back in.“Ryan,” I murmur, pulling away. “Stop. This isn’t—”“Shh,” he whispers against my lips. “This is what you want, right? Isn’t th

The drive to work is a blur. My mind keeps wandering back to that late-night call with Luke. I hadn’t expected him to answer, let alone cheer me up with his random stories and crazy humor. I can't shake the strange feeling I’ve had since that call. I’m… happy. Genuinely happy. And it's not something I'm used to, especially in the last few months. I smile as I walk through the glass doors of Paragon Jewels. It’s a place I’ve spent years building my career, climbing to the top—yet today, even the heavy, corporate atmosphere feels lighter. I make my way across the lobby, past the reception desk. The receptionist, Karen, smiles at me, though her usual greeting seems to be slightly delayed. She’s staring at me as if something’s different.“Good morning, Mrs. O’Brien,” she says.“Good morning, Karen,” I reply, smiling back.I catch the surprise in her eyes. Maybe I don’t usually smile this much. I know I don’t.“Have a nice day,” I say, giving her one last smile before walking on.As I m