“Come on, Bella, you know I can give you what you need,” Mika groans. He pulls up the hem of my dress and plunges his hand into my panties, rubbing gently. I gasp and yield to his touch, leaning toward him as strong sexual need overwhelms me. I can’t think, can’t remember why this is a bad idea. Then he grabs my hand and pulls me to my bedroom.
I wonder if this is how it started between him and Tiresa, the persistence, the questions. And suddenly I realize that now I am in Tiresa’s place. I’m the sister Mika’s cheating with and she’s the one being betrayed.
After a day of being insulted and laughed at by friend, acquaintance and stranger, and of being betrayed by Tiresa again by her inaction, an iron enters my soul. It’s my turn to come out on top. It’s my turn to be the winner. It’s time to take charge of my life.
I shut the bedroom door behind us.
Revenge is sweet.
***
Bella lays on the bed in post-coital exhaustion while Mika strolls through her living room, tucking in his shirt. He accidentally bumps her computer desk and the monitor wakes out of sleep mode. “It’s the easiest thing in the world to use our EXCLUSIVE match-making system. Start today and date tomorrow!*” says the banner across the top of the screen. Mika bends down for a closer look. “Profile – ShyNSweet
Name: Isabella White
Age: 30
Height: 5’6”
Weight: 54kg
Occupation: Housekeeping Manager and Recreation
Director
Mika chuckles. “Online dating, huh?” he says. “ShyNSweet, 54 kilos—yeah, right.” He heads out the door, says goodbye to Abe and Fi and gives them one last hug. He’s late to meet Tiresa for drinks before dinner with his partners at the firm.
But it’s not Tiresa’s ire at him being late that he thinks about, or the fact that he just screwed his ex-wife, whose body revolts him. It’s knowing she is looking for another man which bothers him.
Bella had been great for his career when it started out. She had a way with words which helped him win elections with speeches, get jobs with impressive resumes and query letters, and answer correspondence with clients and opponent lawyers, besides cooking, doing laundry and being all that a housewife should be: a servant so her husband so he could do the real work.
But Bella changed as she gained more and more weight, while he grew more successful and ambitious. Nothing wrong with that, but he couldn’t be nailed down with a dumpy wife. He couldn’t believe it when she announced she was pregnant again. Hadn’t they discussed not having anymore kids? Kids were a time and financial burden which he didn’t want.
That’s when Tiresa came back into the picture. She was everything a successful lawyer with political ambitions deserved: gorgeous, successful in her own career, rich, socially savvy, and kid-free. What choice was there but to upgrade to the older, better sister?