Fifty Shade Forever

Life doesn't lie, only people

February 20th 2023

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Theo, happy birthday to you. Hip Hip, Hooray. Hip Hip Hooray, Hip Hip Hooray!" The video footage of Theo's second birthday played over again on Ana's phone. Her baby was 5 years old now, and Pheobe, her beautiful little daughter, would be turning 3 tomorrow.

"They are beautiful little ones," Aibi raised her glass across the dining table.

After Ana's one-night stand with Christian, she mentally berated herself the next day for being so weak against him. She should have known not to open that door again, because even if she never gave Christian the key, he wouldn't bother kicking the door down, he'd buy the whole building and let himself back into her life. But she wanted that. She wanted that so, so badly. She needed him like a drug. She was addicted to him.

But it was that same addiction that fueled Christian when he woke up in an empty bed the next morning, once again letting her slip through his fingers.

July 5, 2018

The bell that announced the arrival of customers into the bookstore rang in a syncretic dingle. The shop usually was dead silent at this time. Their primary customers were students and druggies who thought they were Houdini hiding in the back courtyard.

Ana continued to stack books onto shelves. She smiled at the painful memory the author of the book brought her back to. 'Boyce Fox' she read against the cover. He did it, she smiled gladly. She recognized a talent in the young author, and she had hoped fiercely that the publishing house she was working at didn't let him go upon her resignation. But here he was, making a name for himself.

"Would you recommend me anything in particular, Ms. Black?" The way he said her surname was with obvious enjoyment. Rolling the 'L' on his tongue like a bad taste. His tongue, she gulped. What that man could do with his tongue.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked stupidly.

He nods and she tries to smile. But his eyes darken to a point daring her to even look at him.

"What precisely are you mad at me about?" she gulps.

He narrows his eyes. "Would you like me to give you my list?"

"There's a list?"

"A long one."

"How long?" His gaze becomes even more hooded, and she can see now the cute approach isn't being received as such.

"You told me that I wasn't making you happy. I could believe that, I never understood why you stood everything wrong with me, and I can understand how that made you miserable-"

"Stop," she begs.

"Then you asked a week later for a divorce. I tried so hard Anastasia! I ask you to go to counseling with me or consider separation, or I even gave you the chance to take another lover, because I was willing to set aside my pride and take any piece of you that you would give me-"

"Christian," she pleads.

"I woke up in the middle of the proceedings of our divorce to find that you moved out overnight! Do you know how terrified I was? You left everything I had ever gifted you, the cars, jewelry, photos, and your wedding ring. You took none of it. I finally find out that you were staying with Ray, the one place you knew that I wouldn't be able to get to you. Then I find that you broke our prenup, and refused to take even a penny."

"Please Christi-"

"I'm not finished! I knew you had to have changed your identity because to this day I have private investigators looking for you. You didn't just get some regular guy on the street to erase you, you used Ray's military connections. Anastasia, I have lived in a constant state of grief and fear that you could be dead. Then, when I finally find you again, you use me for sex and leave in the morning. Where the fuck did you even go!?"