Phobia

43. His Mistress

TW - CHEATING, EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION AND ABUSE

He first talked about his wife with his mistress as they were lying on the bed.

"She was the strangest surprise I had ever received. Her manager came up to my house, to check if my family and everything else was alright. They also talked about the basic rules I had to maintain for our marriage. They were baffled. Said it was very rare for a renowned actress to choose a commoner for an arranged marriage. And the funniest thing was, we had never even met in real life. I don't know why Annalise chose me, don't know how she even found me. She had proposals coming from everywhere - CEOs, famous actors, athletes, even a Senator's son. There were rumours that even the Italian mafia heir had tried to take her on a date. I don't know if that one's true, she never said anything about it even when I asked her during our marriage, but she never denied it either. And although I admit that I'm not plain, I'm not so extraordinarily handsome that I  could catch her eye at a glance. But obviously, I didn't turn the marriage proposal down. Even the most stupid man on Earth would know this was a once-in-a-blue-moon type of thing. Why would anyone say no to being rich and married to a beautiful woman? I doubted I would have turned her down even if I had known about her, um, 'condition'. Foresight held no power for me then. I never thought to question that things were too good to be true.

I don't think I ever truly loved Annalise like I do you. She seemed too out of reach, too high above to love. And that was before her episodes kicked in. Before all the twisted games she played."

As he took a sip of water, his mistress tightened her hold on his arm. She whispered, her face filled with anticipation. "What games? Tell me more."

He chuckled, but the sound was dry, like a withering leaf on an autumn day. "Patience my dear. You wanted the whole truth, and I will tell you everything, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Nevertheless, he continued. "The first three years were bliss. I woke up to see her blonde hair scattered on the pillow, admired the sea view from our mansion with a mug of coffee in my hand, then I went wherever she went until it was time for me to head to work. I was the only one who was allowed to come in late, and while I received glares from my jealous male coworkers when Annalise came to pick me up in the evenings, I didn't really care. I hadn't left my job because it was the only place where I could be alone - where my work mattered more than Annalise. At least that's what I thought until they fired me. I should've known it would happen. Anna had been asking me to quit, and I had refused. So one day, her manager went and offered a free ticket to Hollywood to my boss's wannabe actor son, for just a small price of firing me. And she told me all this with a smile on her face. She said I didn't need a job anyway; she earned more than enough for both of us. Her eyes said everything. That she had done this to make me so dependent on her that I couldn't run away, even if I wanted to. I didn't apply for another job after that. I knew what would happen. That day, for the first time, I had glimpsed the monster hidden under the charm, and faced the cold truth that I didn't have free will anymore."

His mistress's eyes widened in concern. "That sounds terrible." She leaned up on her elbows and looked at him. "I wish we had met before you met Annalise."

He smiled, a faint echo of the real thing. "I wish we did too. Then we wouldn't be forced to meet in secrecy like this. Because if she knew, Anna wouldn't react like a normal wife, that's for sure. No, she wouldn't scream at me or feel betrayed. The worst scenario wouldn't be a divorce. She would make an example out of you just to ensure I never did it again. She likes to be the one in control. That's why she chose me over everyone else. One day, her car nearly hit me when I was crossing the street, and I didn't retaliate in any way. At least that was her impression. I had been too preoccupied to even realise that I had almost been hit by a car, let alone Annalise's car. Then she had someone tail me for months. She had reports of everything I did. She didn't want a husband, a partner. She wanted a pet, a dog. The senator's son, the mafia heir - they weren't dogs, she couldn't exert complete control over them. But me on the other hand, I had potential. I was nobody without her. According to her, I was just begging for someone to tell me what to do. Even if I had rejected the marriage offer that day, I would've still been hers. And she didn't like to share. But you don't need to worry. This time, I'm not going to let her win. I will protect you from her, from her wrath. I won't let anything happen to you. I love you."