House of Glass

To the readers

Thank you for your interest in the story. However, I am an amateur author with barely any free time. Sorry for the short and delayed submissions, but there's not much else I can do.

Apologies for the error on the last submission. I don't have an editor, so I ran it through a bot, which butchered it.

Enjoy.

Kenneth Miller

As the tall, dark-haired man approached me, I felt a little uncomfortable. I was totally unarmed and had no friends, in case he had any unsavory intentions. He didn't look like a criminal, but appearances, after all, can be deceiving.

"That depends on what you're looking for. How can I help you?"

"No, no. I don't need anything. I wanted to help you, in fact."

"What? What could you possibly help me with?"

"It's a bit of an awkward... Embarrassing topic. Are you sure this is the ideal venue for such a conversation?"

"There's nobody else here. a light breeze blowing, next to a lake. Sure, why not?", I replied.

"Okay, then."

The man seemed less menacing than before, but I was still a bit self-conscious. He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture of my wife in Bucharest.

"Do you know this woman?"

"Yeah, she's my wife."

"Mr. Miller, there's no good way to say this, but... Your wife is cheating on you."

"Yeah, I know. And I assume you tracked me down to show me proof of my wife's infidelity?"

"Yes."

"But you can just send that stuff online. Besides, how did you figure out who I was? How were you able to find me?"

"A friend of mine was... With your wife. He figured it out and shared it with me. I have a friend in Silverton. Two birds in one stone."

"That still does not answer the second part of my question."

"Trade secrets, Mr. Miller. Anyway, my work here is almost done. Would you like the proof I have with me?"

"No. I already have some. More would just wound my heart further without any benefits whatsoever."

"Sure thing, mister. I will be on my way then. I wish you the best."

"Wait. You didn't even introduce yourself. I have so many questions."

"I'm Ivan. That's all I can tell you."

"Why the interest in helping me?"

"I am aware of the pain of the betrayal of a loved one. I am far from an empathetic altruist, but this much I can do."

"Well, since you're here already, How do you think I should proceed?"

"I'm not in the business of giving advice, Mr. Miller."

"What would you do if you were in my position?"

"That would never happen. Goodbye."

The guy stormed off before I could utter the next sentence. I wanted to extend my conversation with him, partially because I was curious. But I think the principal cause was that I did not want to be alone with my own thoughts. After much thinking, I still could not decide one way or the other. I realized that I would have to face Sarah eventually, whether I liked it or not.

Sarah Miller

I tried calling Ken in between classes. Nothing. He hasn't talked to me in 15 hours. I felt a bit anxious, but mostly angry. What the hell can be so important that he's ignoring me like this? I would have to have a talk with him after I got home.

I returned home at 5:30 in the afternoon and saw a pair of shoes that I was not familiar with. Melissa probably has someone over. I peeked in her room and descried that it was Paul, Melissa's longtime childhood friend. It seemed like they were studying, so I did not want to bother them.

Around half an hour later, Paul left, and Melissa came to the kitchen to help me out.

"So, what's up with you and Paul?"

"Nothing, mom. He's a friend. A very dear friend, but that is all."

"C'mon. I can tell that he clearly likes you. Has for a long time."

"I know. I like him too."

"Then, what's the problem?"

"That is obvious. I can't be faithful to him."

"You can still make it work."

"No, mom. I sincerely doubt it."

"Well, maybe you can suggest an open relationship. That way, it won't be cheating, and you'll still get the love and affection you desire."

"I doubt he'd agree. Besides, this might sound hypocritical, but I don't want him touching other women if he's with me."

"Well, for the record, I think he would make a great son-in-law."

"I concur, but I just don't see us working for the foreseeable future."

"Do I sense some regret in your statement? Do you believe your value as a human being is tarnished because of your sexual experiences?"

"Of course not. Sexual freedom is great; it's just an issue of compatibility. I could not do what you're doing to dad. The weight is too much to bear."

"Are you insinuating something?"

"Mom, I couldn't do what you're doing. I've been thinking about your escapades for a while and what they all mean. I realized that I could never burden Paul with that."

I said nothing for a minute as I was chopping the chicken absentmindedly.

"Mom, I think you should come clean with dad."

"WHAT?" I yelled at her.

"Yeah, I realize that there's a big risk that it could nuke our family. But something built on a lie is bound to crumble eventually."

"When the fuck did you turn into a philosopher?"

"Calm down, mom."

"And what's with all this moralizing? When you make statements like that, don't you realize how they apply to you?

"Yeah, I've been living in a blissful delusion. We can't let this go on forever."

"I thought you knew better, Melissa."

"I think I'm getting there. Part 1 is honesty."

"We had this conversation three years ago. Have you forgotten?"

"People change."

"So, you're going to join some covenant and become a nun? Didn't you accompany me on a trip just a few days ago?"

"We can start by telling the truth, mom. At least we'll be honest sluts that way."

"You've lost your fucking mind. It's not so simple, and you know it."

"You're rationalizing."

"What precipitated this moral epiphany?"

"Nothing in particular. I've been thinking about things for a while. Living in a lie takes its toll on you."

"Look,", I said, slamming the knife in my hand on the chopping board.

"I am not perfect. I acknowledge it. I should not have married your father. Not because I don't love him, but because I could never be faithful to him, and he deserved it. But there's water under the bridge. What good would coming clean now do? I can't stop fucking other guys, and it would only hurt him, if not irreversibly damage our relationship."

"That's the price of your actions, mom."

"No, it's the presumed consequence of your misdirected sense of righteousness."

"Oh, that's rich. Telling the truth to your husband is "misdirected righteousness"?

I gave out a long sigh. This conversation was going nowhere, so I remained silent.

Sarah spent the rest of the evening preparing dinner. There was an awkward silence between her and Melissa in the kitchen. Melissa left immediately after she was done with her contribution. Sarah returned to the living room, where she was mindlessly browsing channels on the TV.

It was 7 o'clock in the evening. Ken was pacing around his hotel room, unable to focus his mind on anything. He tried listening to some music on his phone and watching TV, but nothing could take his mind off of the pain caused by his bleeding heart. He realized that he could no longer procrastinate the inevitable. He would have to face Sarah to resolve this matter sooner or later. Thus, he promised himself that he would have a talk with Sarah the next day.

Kenneth Miller

I decided to go for a run in the morning. I was planning to check out of the hotel, as I intended on returning home today. Who knows if I'll be back, though, as my future seems very hazy.

In the afternoon, I went for a drive around the lake. I got out of the car at a nearby beach and went for a walk. I was kind of hoping to run into the Ivan guy from yesterday. I was second-guessing my decision earlier to decline his proposal. Well, in my current state, I wasn't too sure about anything. I was a mess.

I got a lump in my throat as I approached the yard of my house. But I gathered enough mental strength to walk through the front door. 7-30, Sarah should be home.

Sarah was on the balcony, looking outside, enjoying the breeze. She was in her workout clothes: black gym shorts with a red and white training bra. She looked unbelievably sexy in them. Before, I had a slight problem with her dressing like this outside. The bras barely covered her assets, and with the shorts she wore, men could easily appreciate her thick thighs and asses. Of course, as someone who landed a wife outside of his own league, I felt a pang of insecurity and jealousy. Sarah always assured me, of course, and we never had a big fight about it. She had a toned, slightly muscular figure. Long, sexy legs, and defined abs and biceps. Now that I knew her assurances meant nothing, I wasn't quite sure what to feel aside from pain and sadness.

Her body was glistening with sweat. She seemed a little distracted by something, as she didn't notice my presence in the room until I entered it. She turned around to greet me with a warm smile and a long hug.

"I missed you, honey. Why weren't you answering your phone? That is very unlike you. I hope you don't mind the sweat; I just returned from the gym."

"I just had a lot on my plate."

Sarah planted a sloppy kiss on me. I responded instinctively and got rock hard. Oh shit, I can't let this happen now.

"Sarah, there's something important that I need to talk to you about."

That's all Ken could get across before Sarah pulled down Ken's pants and started working on his raging boner with her mouth. At six inches, he wasn't huge, but definitely not small. She was slurping on that cock like there was no tomorrow. She had a lot of training, and Ken hadn't had sex in over two weeks, so he didn't last long. He let out a groan of satisfaction before busting a nut all over Sarah's face and bra.

"Oooh, champ. I love me some hot cum. Thanks for saving up for me, baby. That was great,", Sarah cooed as she pulled off her cumbersome bra and threw it to the side. She lovingly grabbed Ken and pulled him against her chest, as he loved sucking her boobs, which he did instinctively. After a couple of minutes, Sarah let go of him and took off her shorts and pants. She was sopping wet.

Ken was not a selfish lover. He loved pleasuring Sarah and eating pussy, by extension. Sarah lay down on her bed with her legs open and her pussyfoot spread. She signaled Ken to come eat her pussy. He didn't need a second invitation. He arrived at the scene with completely different intentions, but he was completely hypnotized by Sarah's sexual presence. There was nothing but sex on his mind. He didn't consciously think of anything else—not of Sarah's escapades with other men and all the other dudes that enjoyed and came buckets in her holes, nor any other worldly matters in that moment. He just dived in and started lapping up her nectar. He assaulted Sarah's clitoris viciously with his tongue and followed up with his fingers.

"Nnnn---nngh.. Mmmm.. Yeahhhhhh..."Sarah moaned and gushed in pleasure as she had her first orgasm.

Afterwards, Ken set his cock at the entrance of her pussy and started to fire away. Sarah was staring intently at Ken the whole time. She missed her usual bonding sessions with her husband. While this was not as affectionate as their usual trysts, she was enjoying every second of it. She grabbed Ken forcefully and planted a sloppy French kiss as he was pumping her insides. After a few minutes, Ken let out a groan and lied beside Sarah. Both covered in sweat and panting. Sarah always enjoyed making love with her husband. She never consciously compared him with any of her many lovers, but subconsciously, she did wish for her man to have a bit more stamina. Of course, that did not come anywhere near close enough in terms of being a dealbreaker, so she hardly ever thought of it. Both of them were tired, Ken a bit more so, having been outdoors a lot in the past few days, so they drifted off before their usual sleeping hour in each other's arms.

"Morning handsome,", Sarah cooed as rays of the morning sun shined on Ken's face.

"Morning. What time is it?"

"7. We can stay in bed a bit longer."

"We should probably get a shower first."

"We will definitely do that; just let me hold on to you a bit more. I've missed this. You've been weird to me for a few days."

Kenneth was enjoying cuddling with his wife in the morning, oblivious to the elephant in the room for a while. When he came to his senses, though, he dreaded the inevitable confrontation. He hated himself for being so indecisive and getting caught up in the moment last night. He fully intended to have the "talk" with her, but clearly, having not been laid in a couple of weeks, he couldn't resist the allure of the vixen of his life.

"Okay, this is the last time I postpone this talk,", Ken promised himself, though unsure of his wherewithal to actually stick to his word.

"So, where were you for the last couple of days?", Sarah inquired.

Oh shit, Ken thought. He had never been great at making up excuses on the spot.

"Work was burning me out, so I decided to take a break and go for a drive."

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"You just returned from a vacation; I figured you'd feel left out since you have work. Besides, I didn't want to burden you."

"Nonsense, that's what wives are for. Besides, I could have easily managed a couple of days."

Ken was pondering as usual in the bath; he seems to do that a lot these days. As he was getting the bath ready, Sarah snuck up on him from behind and hugged him, still naked.

"So, did you take care of whatever's bothering you?"

"Almost. You don't have to worry about it."

Ken knew internally that he had to take care of Sarah's indiscretions eventually. However, his lizard brain did not know anything about pain and betrayal inflicted by close ones. So, the inevitable happened, and they went for a couple more rounds in the shower.

Sarah was vivacious. "It's been a long time since I had morning sex with Ken,", she thought to herself. She felt vibrant and energized and was humming as she was preparing breakfast for herself and Ken. Melissa's admonitions loomed in the back of her mind, but she did not want to spoil such a beautiful morning with unpleasant thoughts, so she promptly pushed them away.

Ken's joy was immediately followed by despondence. "Is this the last time we share a morning like this?" Whatever the outcome may be, whether they remain married or not, Ken's gut feeling told him that this was the last morning of its kind with his wife. After opening the can of worms known better as "confrontation", it's improbable that this bliss would ever return. One last crossroads The last chance to get off the train.

"Nah, I can't just pretend I know nothing. Secrets erode relationships. Ignorance is not bliss." He strengthened his resolve.

"Something the matter? You've been staring at blank space for a while now."

"Nah, just a little tired."

"I feel like you're hiding something for me."

"I'm just a little under the weather,", Ken said, giving Sarah a weak smile.

"Do you want to drop me off since you're not going to work yourself?"

"I'll stay inside and rest up a little, sorry."

"Well, I'm off then.", Sarah awaited her customary kiss before departing, which Ken delivered.

After Sarah took off, Ken grabbed a notebook and a pen to note down some points regarding his talk with Sarah. It was more out of habit than anything else. But it was also perhaps the most important confrontation to date for him, which made him timorous and hesitant.

"Ah well, I've got to get to it. *Sigh*

Jasmine Khan

August 25, 2019

Sigh.

I was never the type to write a diary. But since I have nobody else in the world to talk about this with, I guess this will have to do.

Today's the second-most horrible day of my life. Or third. At this point, the fine margins make no difference. Parham told me that he could no longer stay married to me. Allah knows he tried his utmost. Frankly, he's been a lot more generous and caring in his conduct towards me than I ever deserved. But I don't think it's enough.

Today was perhaps our last session with our marriage counselor, Mrs. Kayla Richardson. This was my last hope of saving my marriage. And it failed. So it ends—not with a bang but with a whimper.

50 minutes ago, the Office of Dr. Kayla Richardson

"So it wasn't even with one man, but several. Were you drugged?"

"No, I'm a little tipsy after drinking, but... no."

"So it was voluntary."

Silence from Jasmine

"Did you enjoy it?"

"Parham, I don't think these questions are helpful," was a weak attempt at deflection from a teary-eyed Jasmine.

"Answer the question."

"Yes."

"Thank you for your honesty. Dr. Richardson, thank you for offering your services. This will be our last joint session. If Jasmine wishes to see you, that's up to her."

"Mr. Khan, wait. I told you to have a conversation with your wife. You really want to base such an important life decision on a one-minute exchange? Where nothing was discussed in any depth whatsoever?"

"I don't think that's any of your business, but I've had quite some time to come to terms with my potential divorce. Jasmine told me that she had cheated on me three months ago. I've mulled it over objectively."

"Mr Khan, Jasmine is someone I look up to. She's one of the most honest, hardworking, and scrupulous individuals I've had the pleasure of getting acquainted with. I am going to be speaking with you as her friend, not her therapist. The... The incident on which you're basing this decision was a one-time lapse in judgment. Please cool down and visit me later so we can explore matters in detail."

"Mrs. Richardson, I really don't feel like justifying my decision to you."

"Has she been a bad wife to you? Or a bad mother to your kids? Did you feel that any aspects of your marital life were lacking?"

"No, but she lied to me for twenty years."

"Mr. Khan, it's not so black and white. Sometimes, the truth isn't good enough."

Parham, though despondent, managed to snicker at that.

"So we're quoting movies now, huh?"

"What?"

"Goodbye, Mrs. Richardson. Jasmine, I guess I'll be seeing you in court."

"Sam... Please.. Give me one more chance. I'm begging you. I'll accept any terms you set. I can't live with the guilt and pain without you. It's too painful. I know I don't deserve it."

"Jasmine, these theatricalities are uncalled for. We've been over this discussion. Assaluma'alaikum wa rahmatullah."

Parham exited the room, leaving a wailing Jasmine on the floor. Dr. Kayla, being a marriage counselor and psychiatrist, had seen such scenes unfold before her eyes many times. But she never got used to it. This time, it was a friend. She could hear Jasmine's heart shattering into pieces and could do nothing about it. It was a feeling beyond devastation. She felt mentally decimated but brought herself to hold Jasmine in her arms as she cried.

Back to Jasmine Khan

Parham's generosity, even after he decided to divorce me, was magnanimous. He vowed to never tell anyone my secret. After our last session, I decided to leave the office. After I was done grieving the death of my marriage in Kayla's office, I walked out of the building. As I was leaving, I saw Parham standing at the entrance. It had started raining, and he was observing it intently with a pensive but gloomy stare.

"Hey." I never thought greeting my husband would feel so unnatural. Well, soon-to-be ex-husband

"We don't have to talk, you know."

"I know, but I want to. I have a feeling this is the last time we'll ever have a conversation like this."