Chapter 3 Sweet Temptation 3

Elena took a slow breath. "That's going to make things difficult." "I know." "And what does she say about your relationship with the children?" "She says I'm not a good example for them." Elena looked at him. "Do you think she has a reason to believe you won't take care of them?" "No." He answered immediately. "I may have been a terrible husband, but I'm not a terrible father." Elena remained quiet. Nathan looked down again. "I love my children," he said. "That's the only reason I'm fighting this." He looked back at her. "I don't want to lose them because of the mistakes I made in my marriage." Elena didn't answer immediately. She knew the case would not be simple. Victoria would have her own side of the story, and before Elena could begin preparing Nathan's case, she needed to hear everything. "Have you spoken to another lawyer?" "No." "Why?" "Because I want you." Elena looked at him. "Nathan, you know this is going to be complicated." "I know." "And because we work together, I need to be careful with everything I do." "I understand." Elena was quiet for a moment. "Are you prepared to tell me everything? Even the things that might make you look bad?" Nathan nodded. "Yes." Elena picked up her pen. "Then I'll take the case." Relief showed on Nathan's face. "Really?" "Yes. But I need you to be completely honest with me. No hiding anything. No leaving out details because you think they will make you look bad." "I promise." "And if Victoria has evidence, I need to see all of it." "You'll get everything." Elena nodded. "Good. Bring all the documents to me tomorrow. We'll go through everything properly and start preparing." "Thank you, Elena." She gave him a small smile. "Don't thank me yet. We still have a lot of work to do." Nathan stood. "I know. But at least I know I'm not facing it alone." He walked toward the door. Before he opened it, he stopped. "Elena?" "Yes?" "Thank you." "You're welcome." Nathan left. The door closed behind him. Elena stayed in her chair. She looked at the closed door for a few seconds before looking down at her hand. Her wedding ring was still on her finger. She touched it with her thumb. Nathan's words came back to her. "I don't want to lose my children because of the mistakes I made in my marriage." Elena looked at the files on her desk. A husband, two beautiful children, a successful career and a beautiful home. From the outside, her life looked complete. She looked at her wedding ring again. For years, she had told herself that her marriage was different. That whatever problems existed between her and Alexander could stay behind closed doors. She took her hand away from the ring and picked up the next document. She read the first few lines. Then she stopped. She read them again. The words still refused to hold her attention. She put the document down and leaned back in her chair. For the first time that day, she couldn't concentrate on her work. By the time she got home that evening, she was already tired. Not just from work. She dropped her bag on the chair in the bedroom and stood there for a moment. The room was quiet. Alexander was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking through his phone. Elena took off her shoes and looked at him. "Alexander, can we talk?" she asked. He looked up from his phone. "About what?" he asked. "Us." He put his phone down. "Okay. What's wrong?" Elena took a deep breath. "How long are we going to keep pretending that our marriage is perfect?" Alexander frowned. "What do you mean?" "You know exactly what I mean." She walked closer to him. "Our sex life is boring, Alexander. Everything between us has become so predictable. We barely make an effort anymore." Alexander looked away for a moment. "Elena, we've been married for twenty years. Things change." "I know things change," she said. "But that doesn't mean we have to stop trying." "I am trying." Elena gave a small laugh. "Trying? When was the last time you actually looked at me like you wanted me? When was the last time you grabbed my boobs like your life depended on it? When was the last time you sucked my pussy?" Alexander didn't answer. Elena waited for him to say something. Nothing came. "When was the last time you brought me flowers just because you wanted to make me feel special?" She asked. "When was the last time you made me feel desired? I want you to hold me...yank me so hard that I won't be able to breath." "Elena..." "No. Let me finish." Her voice became softer, but she was still upset. "I am your wife, but sometimes I feel like I'm just another part of the house. We wake up, go to work, come home, eat, sleep and do the same thing the next day." Alexander sighed. "So what do you want me to do?" Elena looked at him. For a moment, she didn't answer. "Maybe we should try something different," she said. He frowned. "Different how?" Elena took a deep breath. "What if we brought someone else into it?" Alexander stared at her. "Someone else?" "Yes." She waited for his reaction. "Maybe someone we both agree on," she said. "Someone who could make things feel different. You could watch, or we could both be involved. Whatever makes you comfortable." Alexander shook his head. "No." Elena's expression changed. "You didn't even think about it." "Because I don't need to think about it. I don't want someone else in our marriage." "It's only an idea." "It's not an idea I want." Elena looked away. "Of course." "Of course what?" Alexander asked. "Nothing." "Elena." She shook her head. "I just thought you might at least consider it." Alexander stood up. "Elena, I love you, but I don't think bringing another person into our marriage is going to fix anything." "Then what will?" Alexander opened his mouth, but no answer came. Elena waited. He remained silent. She nodded slowly. "That's what I thought." "Elena, it's not that simple." "Then tell me what it is." Alexander looked at her. "I don't know." Those words hurt more than she expected. Elena looked away and wiped the corner of her eye before he could notice. "I can't keep doing this," she said. "Doing what?" "Pretending I'm happy." Alexander took a step toward her. "Elena..." She shook her head. "No." She walked toward the bedroom door. "Where are you going?" "I need some air." "Elena, wait." She didn't stop. She walked out of the bedroom and closed the door behind her. Alexander remained standing in the room. For a few seconds, he didn't move. Then he looked down at the phone he had left on the bed. Outside their home, everything still looked perfect. The house was quiet. The lights were on. Everything appeared normal but inside, Elena walked away from her husband with tears in her eyes, knowing that something between them had been broken for a long time and she was ready to satisfy her urge in any means possible.