Give Me Pleasure
By Serena Heart
SYNOPSIS
Addison’s picture-perfect life shatters when she discovers her husband, Ronald, has been unfaithful—not with one woman, but many. The betrayal cuts deep, leaving her torn between the life she’s built and the self-respect she’s lost. Divorce seems like the obvious choice, but how can she walk away when she’s sacrificed everything for him? Her identity, dreams, and entire world revolve around the man who’s broken her trust. To make matters worse, she must face the heart-wrenching task of revealing Ronald’s infidelity to their daughter, Addison, who still idolizes him. So she waits. A few more months. Long enough to find the right time before she delivers the truth. Until then, she and Ronald continue their silent, crumbling marriage. It’s a terrible plan, but it’s the only one she has. A terrible plan because she notices Michael, her daughter’s friend. The guy Adele swears she doesn’t like, but she knows her daughter and knows what she’s seeing. At first, she convinces herself it’s nothing—just an awareness, a passing thought. But then she develops an attraction for him. The way he looks at her, the way he lingers too close. How he makes her feel things she has no right to feel. As the months pass, Addison’s resolve weakens. Michael awakens something in her she thought was long dead—a desire, a passion, a sense of being truly seen. But how can she give in to these feelings when he’s the one person she can never have? The blurred line between right and wrong forces Addison to confront the hardest question: what kind of mother is she?
Table Of Content
Excerpt
When did we stop laughing together? Our mornings used to start with stolen kisses, not distant nods or good mornings, not this space between us at the dinner table that felt wider than the ocean. I didn’t like this, but I couldn’t do anything about it. Loving Ronald sometimes felt like trying to warm my hands on a dying flame; no matter how close I leaned, the heat was never enough. Every effort I made felt like pouring water into a sieve—nothing stayed, nothing changed. He wanted to be promoted to head his department by the end of this year, which may have been taking his time and attention away from me.Regardless of how hopeless it seemed, I had no option but to try; love, after all, deserved more than surrender. I told myself that if my love could survive his indifference, it could save us both. And if it didn’t work, then therapy would be my last card, but until then, I would keep trying my best. The oven dinged, its sharp sound cutting through the quiet kitchen. I grabbed a pair of mittens and opened the oven, the warm scent of apple pie flooding the kitchen. And the pie’s juices bubbled at the edges, drawing a satisfied hum out of me. Homemade apple pies were Ronald’s favorite breakfast food, and if waking early in the morning, barely before the sun was out, would pull a smile out of him, then it was so worth it. And nope, I wasn’t doing this out of obligation because I was a homely wife, but out of a desperate hope that this small act might bring us closer. I glanced toward the hallway, pie in hand, and called, “Honey, breakfast is ready.”
