Pear-Shaped Marriage.

Shadows In The Night.

Jason sank into the plush couch of the dimly lit apartment, his pulse quickening as he stared at the glowing screen of his phone. The chill in the air felt electric, charged with the weight of his deceit. He took a deep breath and dialed Sophie's number, every part of him wanting to keep his voice steady, normal.

"Hey, Soph," he forced a casual tone, but the words felt heavy, like stones dragging him down.

"Hey, Jason! Are you on your way home?" Sophie's voice was bright, a warm light in the suffocating darkness of his reality.

"Actually, I'll be working late tonight," he replied, the words tasting bitter on his tongue. "Got to finish this project before the weekend. You know how it is."

He could almost hear the frown on her face through the phone. The silence stretched, filled with unspoken words and missed connections. "Oh, I get it. Just don't overdo it, okay? You can't bring work to the family gathering."

"Yeah, I know. I'll be home late, but I'll make it up to you, I promise," he said, the weight of the lie coiling tightly around his chest. Every syllable felt like a betrayal, but he pushed the thought aside.

"Alright, I'll see you when you get back," she said, her voice laced with concern that cut deeper than he wanted to admit.

As he hung up, Jason let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. He glanced around the apartment, the soft music dancing in the background like a siren's call, beckoning him closer to the edge.

"Everything okay?" A sultry voice broke through his thoughts, pulling him back into reality. The woman approached him, her eyes sparkling with mischief, her hair cascading like dark silk over her shoulders.

"Yeah, all good," he replied, trying to shake off the remnants of guilt clinging to him like shadows. "Just a lot on my plate right now."

"Forget about it," she said, stepping into his space, her fingers brushing against his arm with an electrifying touch. "You're here now. Let's just enjoy tonight. I want you all to myself."

Her words wrapped around him, intoxicating and dizzying. The thrill of being wanted drowned out the nagging guilt in the back of his mind, and for a moment, he let himself be pulled into her orbit.

"Are you ready?" she whispered, a teasing grin playing on her lips, her breath warm against his skin.

Jason nodded, heart racing as he surrendered to the moment, allowing desire to drown out everything else. As they moved together, laughter bubbled up between them, filling the room with a lightness that felt so foreign to him now.

Each kiss ignited a fire deep within him, and he lost himself in the rhythm of their bodies, the world outside fading into oblivion. Here, in this cocoon of secrecy, he could forget about the life he had built, the promises he had made.

But with each passing moment, a whisper of truth lurked at the edges of his consciousness, a reminder that this fragile escape would come to an end. The thrill of the forbidden rushed through him, both exhilarating and terrifying.

Still, he pushed the thought away, drowning in the sensations that enveloped him. Tonight, he was nothing but flesh and bone, lost in a heated dance of passion and escape, unaware of the storm brewing just outside the door.