Who is this woman?

Author’s pov

  "Lucas! Who is this woman?" A tall, slender, and stunning woman with vibrant red lips asked Lucas. She had arrived with him in his car, and they stood together in front of Lucas' grand mansion. She wore an alluring white gown, clutching a silver handbag in her right hand and chewing on a busy bubblegum. Aurora, Lucas' wife, opened the door to warmly welcome her husband home from work, only to be shocked to see her husband standing with another woman.

  Initially, Aurora found herself in disbelief, struggling to comprehend what she was witnessing. Her first instinct was for her husband to quickly respond and proudly introduce her as his wife. However, he hesitated, leaving her wondering why he took so long to answer. Was he trying to spare this lady's feelings due to the disapproving expression on her face? The moment felt like a slow-motion scene from a movie, and all Aurora could do was wait for Lucas' reply.

  Aurora couldn't help but wonder, "Who is this woman?" Little did she know that this would be the moment her world would shatter.

  "Marian, she is my wife," Lucas finally spoke up.

  "Your wife? Fat? Oh no! Lucas," Marian exclaimed, raising her voice and shaking her head in disappointment. "This is why you never invited me to the wedding. You broke my heart, Lucas. You've let me down this time. Please take me to my room."

  "Marian, listen," he firmly held her hand, "you need to show some respect to my wife." His voice grew louder. "She is my wife, and I love her. Is this the reason you wanted to visit me?"

  As Aurora witnessed first hand how her husband stood up to defend her, the look of inferiority vanished from her face. Seconds before her husband said those words, she was heartbroken by his slow reaction, she now felt reassured by his words. It reaffirmed that he was by her side, and her confidence returned. Aurora's legs seemed to propel backward in anger, as if she wanted to quickly retreat to her room after the agonizing seconds of waiting that felt like an eternity.

  Marian was shocked by Lucas’ words and she looked at Lucas, and suddenly said,    

   "Take me to my room," she demanded, gripping the handle of her luggage as if it were the luggage itself that she was angry with.

  As they were about to enter the house, Aurora stayed behind to lock the door. Marian's visibly furious demeanor was evident from the forceful strikes of her heels on the floor. Aurora thought to herself, 

  "She is so arrogant. Who does she think she is?"

Upon reaching the sitting room on the first floor, Aurora couldn't find Lucas and the woman. Filled with curiosity, she turned around, trying to discern their voices with her ears. Instead of ascending the stairs, she quietly moved towards the direction of the guestrooms, where she overheard her husband's voice. As Aurora stood closer to the door, she could hear the woman speaking angrily.

  "I am disappointed in you, Lucas. Were you forced to marry her? I know you, Lucas. You have a kind heart. Did you marry her out of pity? You never loved chubby girls while we were growing up. She is too overweight to cry out loud. You always had a weakness for slim ladies like me. Leaving me doesn't mean you should settle for anything. How does she even arouse you in bed?"

  "Stop, Marian, stop it! Stop saying such things about my wife," Lucas interjected, his voice filled with anger. "Her virtue captivated me, and we have been living in peace and love since we got married. Watch your words. The woman you are talking about is my wife, not someone else. I admit I made a mistake by not inviting you to my wedding, but it was you who left in the first place and got engaged. You shouldn't have done that."

  Aurora, whose heart had been troubled by the lady's remarks, felt a sense of relief upon hearing her husband's response. She closed her eyes and took a silent deep breath. From the woman's words, it became evident that she and Lucas had a past relationship. Standing there, Aurora was about to learn about her husband's history.

  "Stop, Lucas, before you delve into something you can't handle. Just so you know, Dennis and I have broken up," Marian revealed. The room fell silent as they looked at each other. It took Lucas by surprise, and Marian suddenly kissed him. Lucas was momentarily captivated by the kiss, but he quickly regained his senses, pulling away and creating distance between them. They continued to gaze into each other's eyes, the room charged with unspoken emotions.

  "You've found a better kisser. You never used to pull away from our kisses. At least let me enjoy a moment since we separated. I ended things with Dennis mainly because of you. No one has ever touched me the way you did, with the love we shared in the past. If I had known you were married, I would have settled for Dennis and never compared you in my mind."

  Aurora, standing outside the room, contemplated whether they were kissing or had just kissed. She wondered if she should push open the door and intervene.

  Lucas remained silent, making Marian increasingly uncomfortable. She cautiously approached him, maintaining a reasonable distance this time. Her face displayed sorrow as she spoke,

  "I'm sorry I followed Dennis, but you know everything, and now is not the time to assign blame. I am truly sorry, please forgive me," Marian pleaded.

  Lucas could sense the weight of sorrow in her voice, and while Marian believed he was still angry, she added, "I said I'm sorry," her voice softening as tears streamed down her face. Lucas subconsciously pressed his toes against the floor trying to control his emotions. When Lucas continued to remain silent, Marian wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and said, 

  "Clearly, this isn't the right place for me to stay. My surprise visit to you is causing me more pain than what Dennis did. Let me go and stay at my grandmother's place, and allow my wounded heart to heal." Marian turned to retrieve her luggage, but just as she was about to turn completely, Lucas reached out and held her right hand.

  "Why are you holding my hand? You're married and have no business with people from your past," Marian protested, anger evident on her face.

  "I want you to stay. I'm not chasing you away," Lucas replied.

  "If I stay, there will be a condition," Marian stated.

  "What condition? And how long do you plan to stay?" Lucas became curious.

  "Apparently, you didn't hear me clearly when I said I've broken up with Dennis and left him with his company. Right now, I'm single and jobless. I want you to hire me as one of your employees in your company," Marian suddenly smiled and playfully swayed her hips.

  "If you no longer want me, I'm sure there's a handsome man out there who would love to have me and fulfill my desires." She turned around, giving Lucas a glimpse of her slender figure, before stylishly facing him again. "Sorry for asking again, and I apologize if it offends you, but tell me, how does it feel when your friends and business partners see your wife with you? Don't you feel a sense of shame? Oh, sorry, I'm talking too much. Let me go and organize my clothes in the wardrobe." Marian walked over to her luggage, opened it, and began arranging her clothes.

  "Oh, I forgot I'm at home now. I need to change out of my dress," she remarked. Marian returned to Lucas, turning her back to him as she simultaneously unzipped her gown.

"Please unhook my bra. It's something you used to enjoy doing."

Lucas hesitated for a moment but reluctantly unhooked her bra.

"You're acting like you don't want to do it anymore. Oh... sorry, you're a married man now," Marian chuckled as she walked back to the wardrobe to change her dress. Lucas, witnessing this, pulled himself away from the wall, intending to leave the room. He didn't want to be there while she changed her gown.

  "Why does she want to change her clothes in front of me?" Lucas thought.     

"Staying here will only stir up past feelings for her." 

  "You seem to forget that you were the first guy I let unhook my bra, the one who took my virginity after prom night when we were both scared to see blood," Marian giggled, expecting Lucas to respond. However, all he did was smile and say, 

  "My wife deserves an apology for what you said to her at the doorstep."

  "What if I don't apologize?" She turned, dropping her smiles, and hoped to win Lucas over with her gaze.

  "Then you will have to leave," he said with utmost seriousness, holding the doorknob as he awaited Marian's response. Meanwhile, Aurora sensed her husband's proximity to the door and immediately left for her room.

  “Are you serious? If humiliating me in front of your wife is what you need, and if that's the only way to stay, then I'll do it..."

  Lucas opened the door and closed it, not wanting to hear what she had to say. He could hear her kicking her luggage in frustration.

  Upstairs in their bedroom, Aurora stood in front of the mirror as soon as she arrived. She touched her cheeks and noticed they had filled out, and her hands showed signs of weight gain. She had always had a naturally fuller figure, and she remembered what Lucas had said when they got married. He surprised her with a statement while she was preparing her résumé.

  "I don't want you to work. I will provide everything you need."

But staying at home and indulging in whatever she pleased had caused her to gain even more weight.

  "Why didn't Lucas want me to go out and work? Is he ashamed of me? Is it because he doesn't want his staff and business associates to see me, apart from his few friends who come here?" she wondered, observing her fuller breasts. "What does he expect from me when he asks me to stay at home? Once he comes into this room, I will not only suggest that I want to work in his company, I want to follow him to his office tomorrow."

  When Aurora heard Lucas's footsteps, she quickly left the mirror and sat on the bed, and then Lucas entered the room.

  "I didn't like the way your guest spoke to me," she said, frowning.

  "Didn't you see how I confronted her? She definitely will apologize to you," Lucas replied.

  "When is she leaving?" Aurora asked.

  "Are you trying to get rid of her? She hasn't even spent a night here, and you're already asking when she's leaving. I understand how you felt about the way she spoke to you, but she will apologize," Lucas reassured her. However, thoughts of both Lucas and Marian's conversation kept popping up in Aurora's mind, making her even angrier.

  "Darling... What is stopping me from working at your company? I am going with you to work tomorrow.”

  "Are you bringing this up because of Marian? She is an old friend who had issues with her relationship. What did I tell you when we got married? Is there anything you lack?" His voice grew louder, and the room fell silent as Aurora's gaze fell to his feet. When he saw that Aurora wasn't pleased, he stormed out of their room in anger, heading straight to his private room, which he had never slept in since getting married, and sat on the bed.

  "Why does my wife insist on reminding me of my painful past?" He stood up, waited a minute, and entered the bathroom, his heart pounding uncontrollably. He quickly emerged from the bathroom, went to the shelf, swallowed two anxiety pills, and sat down again, lost in thought.

  "My mother was a victim of rape so many years ago during a business meeting, which led to my birth and her subsequent death due to depression. Every time Aurora expresses her desire to work, it brings back painful memories, imagining her in such meetings. How can I effectively convey to her that I have no desire to entertain her request any further, considering the harm inflicted upon my mother during a business meeting? The memory haunts me. How can I tell her that I am a child born out of wedlock, or in other words, a bastard?"