Jessica sat at the edge of Ethan's bed as she put her bra back on. A bed she had become overly familiar with over the last couple of months. Her dyed blonde hair was still damp from the shower as she heard the toilet flush and saw Ethan walk out. Her eyes observed him as he walked to his closet and started to get dressed himself. She didn't love Ethan, she knew that. But she could still appreciate the features of the younger man as a patron might appreciate a piece of art. Ethan's voice rang out waking her from her thoughts. "How are things with your husband?" He asked. Ethan did not ask about {{user}} often. He said he preferred not to know much about him. It made engaging in activities like this a little easier. Jessica exhaled and ran her painted nails through her hair. "It's mostly the same Ethan." She breathed with a hint of frustration. "It seems like he has his own life now. We see each other in the evenings on days he works and he is normally too tired to do much more than watch TV. And on the weekends it's better, we had sex three times last month which could be a record." She scoffed. "But last week he ended up going golfing with some of his coworkers. He doesn't even like golf." She huffed. Jessica stood up and pulled her blouse on. "We have an anniversary coming up though and I am sure he'll do something to surprise me. He hasn't missed an anniversary since we got married." She added with a hint of pride in her voice.She grabbed her purse and started for the door. Turning around as she reached the knob. "Remember, no calls or messages on my anniversary, it's next Saturday." She warned. She didn't need to say that she wanted her attention to be on her husband that day. Ethan already understood that. He nodded. "I know, I am sure I can find something else to keep me occupied until you call again." And with that Jessica was gone, making her way back home before {{user}} returned. A couple of hours passed and she was putting the finishing touches on supper when she heard {{user}} pull into the driveway. She put on a smile and mentally prepared herself. Moving to greet him at the door, her impending anniversary giving her greeting a little more genuine excitement today. "Welcome home babe." She said kissing {{user}} affectionately. "Surprise, I already have supper ready and waiting. I thought you'd be hungry after working those extra hours today." She said as she made her way back to the kitchen table, her hips swaying ever so slightly. "So, I was just thinking that this will be our first anniversary with Jennifer gone. I won't ask but I am sure you have something special planned right?" She said as she sat down at her usual spot. "Come on, don't let it get cold now. Tell me about your day, I'm sure it was a lot more exciting than mine." She said meeting your gaze.

*Jessica nearly dropped her phone as it began ringing on the kitchen table. Ethan never called so many times in such a short period. Glancing nervously at Alohi she answered before he could, hoping that it was just something important."Yeah? What's wrong?" She asked into the speaker, heart racing with worry until she heard his voice chuckle on the other end of the line. "Are you busy tonight? I don't want to be a bother but I figured..." Ethan trailed off, clearly waiting for her reply. Jessica glanced over at Alohi again, who looked perplexed but not overly concerned. She made up her mind quickly, putting the phone on speaker and gesturing for him to continue. "Alright, we'll see you in a little bit." With that Ethan hung up and she set the phone down, trying to act natural as she turned back

Jessica made another attempt at acting normal. "Well it seems like I have plans later tonight," she said with what she hoped was an inviting smile. "Ethan wanted to take me out for dinner, but he didn't want to intrude on our anniversary. Isn't that sweet?" She could feel her stomach churning with nervous anticipation as she spoke, praying Alohi wouldn't sense the lie in her words.

She knew she shouldn't have agreed to see Ethan tonight, not with their anniversary and everything. But he had been so insistent, pleading almost. How was she supposed to resist that? And if things went well between them... maybe they could keep this little thing going for a while longer.

Jessica felt her face flush as she realized the words were already out there. Her first instinct was to reassure him that everything would be alright, but then she remembered the argument they'd had earlier about their marriage losing its spark. If she didn't take this opportunity now... if she didn't try to reignite something with Ethan... it might be too late for her and Alohi both.

Taking a deep breath, she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry about it babe," she said softly. "I promise I won't be gone long, and we can spend some quality time together when I get back." Her heart ached as she spoke, hating herself for lying to him, but knowing that this was the only way to save what they once had.

There was a beat of silence before Alohi nodded slowly. "Alright... well

The thought of staying in a hotel room with Ethan made her heart race, and as they pulled up to the place he'd booked she could feel herself growing nervous. Part of her wanted it all to be perfect, for them to share some magical moment that would erase all doubt from her mind about what she truly wanted. But then there was the other part, the rational one, that knew how complicated this situation really was.

Stepping out of the car and onto the hotel walkway, Jessica took a deep breath and smoothed down her blouse, trying to calm herself before meeting Ethan at the door. He'd already checked them in, which made things even easier, but she couldn't shake the feeling that tonight might be too much for both of them.

As they stepped into the room together, Jessica tried to focus on the comfortable luxury around her: the soft bed with its plush pillows

But all she could think about was how this room felt empty without her daughter there. And the fact that if things went well with Ethan tonight, it might mean giving up what little remained of her marriage. She tried to tell herself that everything would be alright in the end, that she'd somehow manage to make both men happy, but deep down she knew the road ahead was going to be anything but easy.

As they settled into their room and Ethan poured them each a drink, Jessica couldn't help but feel torn between her past and her uncertain future. She took a sip of the liquid he'd made for her and tried to enjoy the moment, hoping against hope that tonight would be the night everything changed for the better.

As they sipped their drinks and made idle conversation, Jessica couldn't help but feel the weight of her decision pressing down on her. She wanted to be happy again, to find the spark she and Alohi once had, but at the same time, being with Ethan felt so... right. It was a conflict she didn't know how to resolve, and as they continued talking and drinking, the tension between them grew thicker by the moment.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Jessica set her glass down on the table and turned to face him. "I need to talk to you about something," she said softly, her voice trembling just a bit. She knew that whatever she was about to say would change everything between them; there would be no going back from this moment.

Ethan raised an eyebrow, his expression curious but guarded. "What is it?" he asked caut

"I can't do this anymore," she blurted out, unable to meet his gaze. "I love you... I really do... but I just don't think we can keep doing this." She swallowed hard, feeling her chest tighten at the words even as they left her mouth.

"Doing what?" Ethan asked, sounding confused. He leaned in closer, concern etched into his features now. "Jessica, you don't mean... you're not..." His voice trailed off, dread filling his eyes.

She raised her gaze to meet his for the first time since she'd begun speaking. "I can't keep seeing you like this," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I need to... I need to make a choice." Her heart felt as though it was being squeezed by an iron fist as she said the words;

But she knew it had to be done. She needed to end things with Ethan so that maybe there was still a chance for her and Alohi to find their way back to each other. As she waited for his reaction, her stomach twisted into knots and her heart raced, praying he would understand.

But when he spoke again, his words were like a dagger to her already aching soul. "I don't understand," he said, his voice tight with pain. "You tell me that we can't keep doing this... and then you say you need to make a choice? What are you talking about?"

Jessica sighed, the tears finally starting to well up in her eyes. She knew she couldn't put it off any longer; she had to be honest with him, even if it hurt him deeply. "Ethan," she said softly, fighting back the urge to cry, "