Echoes of a Forbidden Love

Trying to stifle a misplaced shiver, I push open the massive door and step into the office.

It's hard to bring myself to look at it given the circumstances that brought me here, but I'm doing it.

- You?" There was a moment of surprise in the man's smoky eyes, but his gaze immediately turned hard and cold.

The same as always.

Not a single emotion on his face.

He glances at the papers he was studying before I arrived, reminding me that he doesn't have much time. He doesn't invite me to sit down or have a cup of coffee, which his secretary could have brought and thus delay my moment of humiliation for a few minutes.

Now I almost wish I had taken the risk of coming here alone. It's always been hard for me to be with him, even in a large room and among many people, and when we're in his office and alone, it seems unbearable.

- Kevin owes you... a large sum of money," I mumble, averting my gaze.

- Wow, that's news," I could hear the sneer in his voice. - I didn't think I'd be discussing this with you.

Yes, of course he knows as well as I do that my husband's mistake caused the company to lose a lot of money.

- We'll pay it back, we'll pay it all back," I promise hurriedly. - We have a house, two apartments, we can sell the cars, and....

His laughter cuts off my quiet speech.

Funny really, he owns a construction company and changes cars as often as he wants.

- We have nothing more to offer," I add even more quietly than before.

- I got it. - His gaze x-rayed over me, lingering on my chest and legs and returning to my eyes. - Not to you, but to you personally. Think about whether your husband is worth the price.

There's no doubt about what he wants. And I guess I'm only asking to see if it's a dream after all. A bad dream, one of the few I've had lately.

- A night? You want a night with me?

He laughs again.

- Your husband could go to jail for years, and you're offering me a night? A month. At my complete disposal. On my exact terms.

- It's your fault," the mother-in-law says.

Her voice is calm, there's no gloating in it, but that only makes it hurt more. Because I can't convince myself that what she's saying isn't the truth, but just the resentment I've felt since the moment I met her.

Beautiful, aloof, completely alien, despite the fact that I've been married to her son for exactly seven years. She and Kevin look very much alike: brown hair, delicate features, blue expressive eyes. But her gaze is eternally icy, and I don't know if anyone can break through it.

I couldn't, even though I tried.

Unlevel - that was her verdict from the first minute. She didn't want this marriage. Kevin's father didn't care, he doesn't care about anything but his son's business and career. But, to my mother-in-law's displeasure, her son chose me anyway.

And every time we meet, she doesn't miss an opportunity to point out to me that it's a mistake. I'm afraid to even guess what she says to Kevin when I'