Lahat ng Kabanata ng The Masked Stripper is my Wife. : Kabanata 161 - Kabanata 170

AsherI got home completely exhausted. The day had drained everything out of me. Meetings I was supposed to attend were left hanging, and my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing with missed calls and messages I didn’t have the energy to return.As soon as I stepped into the living room, I saw Edith. She was on a call, pacing slowly, her voice low. The moment her eyes met mine, she froze. Without a second thought, she ended the call and slipped the phone away, so quickly it was obvious she hadn’t wanted me to hear any of it.She stood up and walked toward me, her expression already shifting into something softer, almost rehearsed.“Welcome back, babe,” she said with a small smile. “I thought you were going to come back late.”Her words caught my attention. We hadn’t talked about my schedule. I hadn’t told her when I would be home. Yet she spoke as if we had already planned it. I dropped my keys on the table, my body heavy with fatigue, and looked at her. Something about the way she had ended t

Loretta“Mom, can I have a cookie?” Adrian asked, looking up at me with hopeful eyes. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Not yet, sweetheart,” I said gently, running my fingers through his hair.His face fell into a small frown. After a moment, he looked up again. “Okay… but is Dad not coming today?” he asked quietly. “He promised he would come to visit.”I smiled softly at him, even though my chest tightened a little. “Your dad is a very busy man,” I explained patiently. “He always tries to make time for us. If he doesn’t come today, it just means work is keeping him busy.” Adrian nodded slowly, as if trying to understand.Asher had really been making an effort these past few days since we arrived. I knew that. So if he didn’t show up today, it wasn’t because he didn’t want to. He must have been caught up with work, just like always.“Mom, can we stay in this house forever and never leave again?” Adriana asked softly. “I don’t want to go anywhere Dad isn’t.”I smiled at her, even though I

LorettaNo matter how hard I try, I still can’t bring myself to hate Asher. I have pushed myself to feel anger toward him, to blame him for what his father did to my family, but it just doesn’t stick. Deep down, I know that trying to hate him was childish, especially because he isn’t the one who committed those actions. Still, what hurts the most is that he doesn’t seem truly remorseful. He still found a way to defend his father and justify what happened.Yesterday was strange and confusing in a way I didn’t expect. Being around him made my body react before my mind could catch up. It was almost embarrassing how little control I felt I had over myself. If he had tried anything, I honestly don’t think I would have stopped him. I would probably have only come back to my senses after we have fucked. That’s how much my body still remembers him, how much it still aches for what we once had, even when my heart knows better.I walked out of the grocery store with my hands full of shopping b

Loretta I stood there, my eyes moving back and forth between the woman and Asher. Neither of them said a single word. The silence was heavy, pressing down on my chest, and it made my heart beat faster. I was confused, uncomfortable, and starting to feel irritated. After a moment, Grandma noticed the tension and walked toward us, her face filled with concern as she tried to understand what was happening. “Is everything okay?” she asked gently when she reached us. I let out a small, frustrated breath, still staring at the two of them. “That’s the same question I’m asking,” I said. “But no one is giving me an answer.” The woman in front of me looked pale and shaken. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides, and she swallowed hard before finally speaking. “Your grandmother is Grace Astor,” she said slowly, her voice unsteady, “and your father is Benjamin Astor, right?” I frowned, confused by the question, but I nodded anyway, my uneasiness growing. “How did you know my grandma and

LorettaAsher’s eyes widened in shock at my father’s words. He turned sharply to him, confusion and disbelief written all over his face.“What do you mean my mother and my brother were involved in this?” he asked, his voice tight and unsteady.My father lowered his head, avoiding Asher’s gaze, as though the weight of his confession was too heavy to carry. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “Your mother and I knew each other long before she divorced your father,” he said quietly. “Back then, our paths crossed briefly, but nothing came of it. Years later, after I was released from the grip of the loan sharks, we met again. By that time, she already knew how much hatred I still carried in my heart for your father.”He swallowed hard before continuing. “She knew I wanted revenge. She knew I wanted to make him pay for everything he had done. So she asked me if I wanted my pound of flesh.”Asher stiffened, his hands slowly curling into fists.“She told me she needed you for something,”