Lucy sighed as she dropped her keys on the counter, the soft clink of metal against granite echoing through the quiet apartment. The day had been long, filled with back-to-back meetings and a stack of case files that seemed to grow larger by the hour. When she started working as a lawyer in the decorated law firm a few months ago after obtaining her law degree, she could hardly believe her luck. In the meantime, the tough everyday working life has taken a firm grip on her.
All she wanted to do now was to relax, maybe browse a few online stores for something that would make her feel a little less like a stressed-out lawyer and a little more like the confident woman she knew she was.
She slipped off her heels, the coolness of the wooden floor soothing against her feet, and made her way to the small office nook they'd set up in the corner of the living room. Their Chicago apartment was cozy, still new enough that the walls felt bare, but Lucy loved it. It was theirs. Hers and Daniel's. A fresh start in a city where they knew no one, just the two of them building a new life together. Lucy and Daniel, both in their late 20s, have been married for a year now and soon want to start a family in their new cozy home.
Settling into the chair, she flipped open her laptop and clicked on the browser, ready to indulge in a little retail therapy. She had a few dresses in mind--something sleek, something sexy, maybe something to surprise Daniel with. But as she opened the browsing history to retrace her steps from the other days, her eyes caught on something... unusual. She glanced at some unfamiliar entries in the browser history.
"Forum: Urban Swingers Chicago. Thread: How to start swinging with your partner."
"The Story of how my wife became a hotwife."
"Discussion: Our open marriage and how it changed us."
Lucy blinked. "What the hell?" Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at the screen. She didn't even know what "swinging" and a "hotwife" was, but the words alone sent a strange shiver down her spine. Curiosity got the better of her, and she clicked on the different links.
The page loaded quickly, and Lucy found herself scrolling through a thread filled with people talking about their experiences: sharing their wifes, attending parties, exploring cuckold fantasies together. Her cheeks burned as she read the explicit details, her stomach twisting with a mix of shock. Her fingers moved on their own, clicking through more threads, more stories, more revelations.
"Is this really what married couples could do?" she thought, her mind racing. "And why does Daniel hang around on such websites?"
The sound of the front door opening snapped her out of her trance. Apparently Daniel is back from work. She switches off the computer, her heart pounding in her chest. Daniel's footsteps echoed in the hallway, and before she could think, he appeared in the doorway, his tie loosened and a tired smile on his face.
"Hey, babe," he said, his voice warm. "How was your day?"
Lucy stared at him, her mind still reeling. She couldn't form words, couldn't even remember what day it was. All she could think about was what she'd just seen--what he'd been reading.
"Babe?" Daniel frowned, stepping closer. "Are you okay?"
"I...I saw your browser history," she blurted out, her voice trembling. "What's the deal with swinging and all that stuff? And why do you hang around on sites like this?"
His face went pale, and for a moment, he looked like he might deny it. He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry you saw that. I...I didn't mean to." he said quietly. "These are just a few wild fantasies of mine."
Lucy's stomach churned. "About sharing your wife with strangers? Are you serious? That's... that's insane, Daniel. We're married. We're supposed to be... exclusive."
"It's not about not loving you," he said quickly, his voice desperate. "It's not about that at all. It's just... a fantasy. Something I've been curious about."
She shook her head, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. "I don't even know what to say. This is... I can't believe you're even thinking about this."
Daniel moved to sit on the edge of the desk, his eyes pleading. "Lucy, listen. I...I love you. More than anything. This isn't about letting you go or something like that. It's just... I've been fantasizing about these things for a long time, even before we moved here. But I didn't know how to deal with it and what you would think about it."
"What I would think about that??" she repeated, her voice sharp. "What the hell am I supposed to think about that??"
He hesitated, then sighed. "I understand that you are hurt. I get that. Please let us forget the whole thing and never bring it up again."
Lucy crossed her arms over her chest, her mind racing. She didn't know what to feel--anger, confusion, perhaps even a trace of sadness. But she couldn't process it. Not now.
"I need some space," she said finally, her voice quiet but firm. "I... I have to think about all this. And how I should handle this situation."
Daniel nodded, his expression pained. "Okay. Whatever you need."
She stood and walked past him, heading straight for the bedroom. As she closed the door behind her, she leaned against it, her heart still racing. The images from the forums flashed in her mind--people laughing, touching, exploring. It was so far from anything she'd ever imagined for herself.
She slipped into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin, but sleep didn't come. The room was quiet, the only sound was the faint hum of the city outside. Daniel was on the couch--she could hear the soft creak of the springs as he shifted. She wondered if he was as restless as she was.
Her mind kept circling back to the forums, to his confession, to the questions swirling in her head. "Could I ever do something like that? Would I want to? Or is this the end of everything I thought we had?"