HER

COULDN'T STOP HIM

MUNA

Slowly, I pushed him away, not too quickly, because I knew my body didn’t want to completely pull away from him.

Yes, I do love Alex, and even though he pushed me away just like that, I had long given a thousand excuses in my head for why he rejected me. After all, the heart doesn’t just switch to another because the person you love doesn’t feel the same. But still, I was mad at him. Only now, a pinch of guilt pricked me.

I felt I’d wronged Ted just by being intimate with Alex. We’re married now, which means I can’t be with Lex, even if my heart still wants him so badly.

“We can’t do this, Lex,” I whispered under my breath, lowering my head just to escape his piercing gaze. “It’s not right.”

He shifted closer on the bed, raising my chin gently until my eyes met his.

“Why isn’t it right, Mun?”

When our eyes locked fully, I saw nothing but sincerity in his. I didn’t know when his feelings for me had begun, but those eyes said everything his mouth hadn’t spoken yet.

My chest ached so much I thought it might burst. This was the same man I would’ve spent a fortune just to hear him say he loved me back, something I’d only dared dream about. And now, he was looking at me with pleading eyes, as if his whole world might collapse if I turned him down.

It’s too late,” I breathed. “You told me you didn’t want me. You practically drove me away. And now… it’s too late to—” I rubbed my temple, struggling to breathe evenly. “We shouldn’t even be talking about this.”

“I really don’t get you, Mun. You’re not making sense to me,” he pressed, his hand now resting on mine. He leaned closer, the heat rising between us, making it almost impossible to think straight.

Oh God. My heart hammered, my throat tightened. I tried not to stare at his lips, those small, soft lips, and when he licked them, his dimples flashed before he met my gaze again, and I almost caved.

“I’m sorry, Mun,” he said at last, his voice dropping lower. “I’m sorry I pushed you away. I had too much in my head, and I didn’t know how to deal with it. But I can’t keep lying to myself anymore. I like you alot... more than I ever admitted. But, I was scared. Scared that I wasn’t the man you deserve. That’s my fault, and I know it now.”

“The kind of man that I deserve?” I repeated before I could stop myself.

“Yes,” he nodded. “You’re a woman with big dreams, big passion, and... big tastes too... And me? I’m just a normal guy still trying to figure out my life. And maybe by the time I do, you’ll already be far ahead. I can’t catch up with that, not in a lifetime. So yeah, sometimes I think Ted is the best man for you. He’s got everything—rich parents, a mapped-out future, the kind of life that you deserve. As for me... I’m really nothing. And I don’t want your passions wasted on someone who doesn’t have direction." He paused for a beat. "I really don’t want to hold you back.”

He lowered his head, then lifted it again. His eyes glistened, but he fought to hold back the tears.

His mom had just died, and he hadn’t even had the chance to mourn properly before everything fell apart, and I ended up confessing my love to him. I didn’t blame him for pushing me away. If I were in his shoes, maybe I’d have done worse.

Everything had happened so fast I didn’t even know where my heart belonged anymore. I was already married to Ted, and whether I liked it or not, I couldn’t reverse time. But Alex... I loved him so much it shattered me to reject the man I’d once craved to hear these words from.

“Who said you are nothing?” I snapped, but my voice was calm and sharp. “Why do you keep saying these things about yourself? You were never like this, Lex. The Lex I know is thoughtful, decisive, full of initiative. No, you’re not a man without direction. The man I see is someone who knows exactly what he wants, and never lets go.”

I slipped my hand free, only to hold his instead, locking my gaze firmly with his.

“Remember when we had that random talk at school? Everyone was saying where they saw themselves in five years. Do you remember what you said, Lex?” My voice trembled, but I steadied it. “You said, ‘Somewhere not ordinary people see themselves.’ It took me a while to understand what you meant. And when I did, I knew I’d fallen in love with the right man. So don’t you dare say those things about yourself again. I love you for who you are, and I don’t care what you think about yourself. I love you so much, I’d walk a thousand miles with you.”

The words rushed out before I could stop them. My brain hadn’t caught up, but my heart had already leaped. And before I could catch my breath, Alex’s mouth crashed against mine.

My pulse raced. My fingers clenched the bedsheet, but I didn’t pull away. I kissed him back with everything in me that had been holding back for years and my chest pounded so hard I could feel it in my throat. His tongue tangled with mine, his breath warm against my face. His kiss was deep and desperate, like a man who'd be denying himself of it for decades.

A part of me wished this wasn’t reality, but another part reminded me I wasn’t truly married to Ted—it was just a business deal sealed with vows.

Alex’s hand slid behind my neck, pulling me closer, heat spread through me. My brain screamed for me to stop, but my body betrayed me. I wanted him, clutching his shirt in my fist, needing him closer. God knows I had kept myself intact for him.

The taste of him, the way his lips moved against mine, it was everything I’d ever wanted and everything I never thought I could have.

My chest heaved as he kissed me harder, deeper, until there was nothing left between us but hunger and the ache of years unspoken.

For once, I didn’t think about Ted. I didn’t think about right or wrong. I only thought of Alex, the man I had always wanted, the man I had kept myself for.

He was supposed to be the first and last man to ever touch me. For a moment, I thought that’s what I was choosing when I said yes to Ted. Just one year, I told myself, and it would be over. I’d go back to my life. I’d go back to loving Alex again.

But I hadn’t planned for this—Alex confessing he loves me too.

But... I didn't want to think about it... it didn’t matter that I was supposed to belong to someone else. Because right then, in Alex’s arms, I was exactly where I belonged.

His hand slid down to my waist, firmly, enough to pull me closer. I didn’t resist. My body wanted him. It wanted him near, and all of me wanted to drown at that moment forever.

Until...

The door flung open.

We tore apart instantly, our hearts racing, eyes snapping toward the sound.

And there he was.

Ted.

His gaze locked on us, sharp and blazing, landing exactly where Alex’s hand had just been gripping my waist. His eyes burned, saying a thousand things at once. His jaw tightened, his chest rising with rage.

“Seriously?” His voice ripped heavily through the room, sharp and lethal, dropping like a time bomb just waiting to detonate.

The air froze. My chest tightened, and the silence between us felt like it could shatter into pieces at any second.