Page 5 of Cursing My Cheating Husband

How was this the man I’d married? He used to be so protective of me. He’d kept his arm around me everywhere we went, like he had to guard me always. And gods forbid anyone ever tried to make trouble or speak badly to me. Maddox would always handle the situation. If it was a creep at the bar, he’d physically throw them out. If it was another woman coming at me, he’d shut them down.

I viscerally recalled our housewarming party, when his friend’s girlfriend had “joked” about how lucky I was that Maddox didn’t hold out for someone more impressive. Maddox’s expression immediately went cold, and he ordered them both out of the house that moment. They tried to laugh it off and say she was just kidding around, but he walked them to the door and never spoke to either of them again. And he’d known that friend since grade school! I’d felt so cherished and chosen.

The text thread with Gwen continued to scroll back. More of her nudes appeared, many in impossibly acrobatic positions. She must have had a dedicated yoga routine.

Can the wife do any positions other than missionary?

And worst of all, a pic of her holding up… some kind of BDSM gear?

I bet the wife wouldn’t even know what this was

I had to admit that was true. She had my number, and we’d never even met. Gwen was flexible, adventurous, and skilled with sex toys I couldn’t even identify.

So what was I? The sad, boring, predictable wife. The only special thing about me was how oblivious I was.

How could I not have known what was going on? What were these women giving him that I didn’t? Why hadn’t he asked me for the things he wanted sexually? How could I have trusted him so completely? I wanted to focus entirely on how angry I was at him, but I was also furious at myself for being so blind.

I didn’t know it was possible to feel this hurt and this pissed off at the same time. You would have thought the intensity of one would have blunted the other, but no.

I hated to admit it, but on one level I was still hoping this was a horrible nightmare. Let me just wake up and find a faithful husband in bed next to me.

What a pitiful thing to wish for, given the reality.

Of course, on another level, my main desire was to cast a spell and turn him into a sewer rat. Or a maggot. Or a tapeworm. There were many options. My magic was rusty, but in this case, would it be so bad if I botched the transformation spell?

The thought of spells suddenly reminded me of my loss of control earlier. I had no idea where that magic had gone, or who it had affected.

The most likely target was obviously Maddox, but he had seemed maddeningly unaffected when he got out of the shower. His smooth ease as he lied to my face…

The second most likely target was the other women, and now I knew that all but one of them were additional victims of my husband. They didn’t deserve to be blasted with some vengeance magic just because they slept with a man who deceived them. Gwen would deserve it, but seemingly none of the rest.

Maybe it was good to have something to focus on other than Maddox’s texts with Gwen, Chelsea, Jana, Courtney—stop. Focus. I had to track down the magic I’d lost control of, and make sure I hadn’t accidentally unleashed something on innocent bystanders that now needed undoing.

But tracking a magical eruption like that required an extraordinarily clear and focused mind, which I certainly did not have.

I needed help. And I knew exactly who to call. Someone who wouldn’t judge me for the mess I’d made of everything. Someone whose tracking magic was without peer.

Brielle.

Shame hit me as I realized it had been six months since we last spoke. It hadn’t been total silence. We had been texting a little and liking each other’s social media posts. But I didn’t think we’d ever gone this long without speaking properly before. I’d been so busy twisting myself into knots for my unworthy husband that I was letting my oldest friendship drift.

What kind of person ignores her best friend for a man who’s cheating on her this much?

The guilt hit me almost as hard as the betrayal had. Brie had always been there for me growing up. She’d never left the coven, or our hometown of Nightshade Cove. She’d stayed true to our witch life, while I’d tossed it all away for… Maddox.

I took a shaky breath and typed out a text to her.

Brie, I’m so sorry I’ve been out of touch. I lost control of my magic tonight and I need your help tracking what I cast. I’m so sorry, I’ve been a terrible friend.

I hit send before I second-guessed myself.

Her response pinged back before I even set the phone down.

Do you want me to come over?

Could you?

Seconds later I heard the whoosh of displaced air from downstairs as Brie teleported herself into my living room. Her warm voice echoed up the stairway. “I’m here! Should I come up or are you coming down?”