Husband With Benefits

Ava stood staring at the mirror, trying to remind herself to breathe. The decision had not come easily, but it was time to confess everything to Erasmi. Her reflection looked back at her, eyes wide with fear and uncertainty. She inhaled sharply, summoning the courage to speak the words aloud. "Erasmi... there is something you need to know..." she began, her voice faltering. But then she paused, the weight of her secrets pressing down on her like a physical burden. She had no idea where to begin.

he buried her face in her hands, subduing the urge to cry. Why? Why couldn’t the past just stay where it belonged? If only Hannah had never returned, she would have never needed to reveal anything. She could have forgotten about her own shameful past. She could have moved on, built a life with Erasmi free from the shadows that haunted her.

But Hannah had returned, and with her, the threat of exposure. The woman had always been a master manipulator, skilled in the art of coercion and deceit. Ava knew that if she gave in to Hannah’s demands, it would never end. Once Hannah understood that she could blackmail her, she would stop at nothing to get whatever she wanted. Hannah was like that—relentless and merciless. Surrender to her once, and you would never escape her grasp.

Ava’s thoughts drifted back to their meeting at the café. The casual cruelty in Hannah’s eyes as she laid out her terms, the smug satisfaction in her voice as she reminded Ava of everything she had to lose. It had taken every ounce of Ava’s strength not to crumble then and there. The power Hannah wielded over her was terrifying, a dark cloud looming over her every move.

She couldn’t let Hannah win. She couldn’t let her destroy the life she had worked so hard to build. But how could she protect herself and Erasmi from the fallout? How could she reveal the truth without losing everything?

But then she shook her head from the negative thoughts. No. If Erasmi came to know about her past from someone else, he might hate her. But what if she confessed to him? When she’d read that note about him being responsible for those people’s deaths, hadn’t her first thought been that why didn’t Eramsi tell her himself?

And so, she took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. She needed to be strong. She needed to confront her past head-on, no matter how shameful it might be. The only way to break free from Hannah’s hold was to bring everything into the open. Erasmi deserved to know the truth, no matter how much it might hurt. Their relationship wouldn’t survive otherwise.

It would not be a big deal for Erasmi to break off this relationship. After all, hadn’t he already proposed an annulment earlier? Even though he’d claimed that it was for her sake as well. The truth was Eramsi was a decisive man and once he let go of something, it would be impossible for him to accept that person.

"Erasmi," she whispered again, her voice stronger this time as she stared at herself in the mirror. She would find the words. Taking a deep breath, she began again, "There is something you need to know... about my past. There are things I have done in the past that I an not proud of. And I know it is no excuse, but I needed to do them for surviving..."

She trailed off, knowing she would find the words when the time came.

Summoning all her courage, Ava stepped out of the bathroom, her heart pounding in her chest. As she steped outside, however, she froze. Erasmi was standing there, his expression cold and unreadable. The intensity in his eyes made her stomach churn with dread.