Page 12 of Cursing My Cheating Husband

He coughed. “Baby, I would never cheat on⁠—”

I squeezed a little tighter. He gasped and grimaced.

“I know your passwords. I never used them until tonight. I’ve been reading your texts for hours. Want to try that again?”

His head jerked from side to side, frantically trying to think up an excuse. I let the silence stretch. He would understand soon enough there was no escape.

“Can we… can we please talk about this in a different position?” he pleaded, with a slight squeak in his voice.

To be honest, I wouldn’t have minded getting out of that position either. I had loved the idea of screwing with him when I was setting this up, but being in contact with his naked body was rapidly feeling gross. Especially his disgusting balls. I was ready to be done touching Maddox. Forever.

And now that I was no longer worried about making my big, strong husband feel emasculated, I didn’t have to keep abstaining from my magic.

As I released him, I also cast a quick spell that sent him floating into the middle of the room. He screamed incoherently as I suspended him naked in midair.

“Calm down,” I said dismissively. “It’s just a little levitation spell.”

“Spell?!?” He was flailing in wild panic, trying to grab onto something.

I increased the force of the magic, constricting the tendrils of energy encircling him until he stilled. Rather than standing up, I levitated myself to my feet. “It feels so good to use my magic again. Thanks for giving me a reason.”

“Use it again?” he sputtered.

We had only discussed my past at the beginning, but from the baffled look on his face, you’d think he was just discovering I was a witch.

“Enjoy your last looks, asshole. You won’t get to enjoy this view again,” I said, gesturing at my body.

I winced as I recalled how insecure I had felt only hours ago. How precisely I had tried to attend to all the little details, so there wouldn’t be one thing about me that turned him off. But looking at myself now, wild and fiery, my hair whipping about… I was hot. How had I wasted so much time thinking his disinterest had anything to do with me, when it had only been his shortcomings the whole time?

I raised my hands and channeled the magic within me. The delicate lingerie I wore began to shimmer and transform, the fabric weaving and expanding like liquid silk. The skimpy pieces grew and strengthened, becoming a magnificent gown of deep midnight blue that hugged my curves before flowing dramatically to the floor. Its power wrapped around me like armor.

I had never felt more beautiful, or more formidable.

Maddox’s eyes popped even wider. “What the hell! You’re a witch?!”

That stopped me dead. This was not news to him. Our talk about it was the single most meaningful conversation of my life. “Yes! I told you that!”

“No fucking way! I would remember!”

My memory of that night could not have been more crystal clear. It had all been so soon after witches had been revealed to the human world, and I’d been terrified he would reject me.

“Our third date!” I yelled. “I told you everything about growing up in the coven! How I had to leave it all if I wanted to be with you!”

The blank fearfulness in his eyes made me even angrier. No recognition whatsoever.

“You sat there and listened to me pour my heart out, and then you told me it was all okay and you just wanted to focus on being with me!”

He was scrambling to come up with anything to placate me. “Callie, that night, I thought all you meant was that you felt like a witch⁠—”

“You’re a bad liar when you’re scared,” I taunted. “And I am out of patience. I’m going to ask you questions, and you are going to answer me honestly and immediately. If I think you’re lying to me again…” One of our framed wedding photos was in Maddox’s eyeline. I magically pulverized it into dust. “Am I understood?”

“Yes,” he responded hastily, his voice dry and papery.

“Good. Now, tell me what you remember about that night.”

He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “I remember how beautiful you looked⁠—”

“Shut the fuck up and answer the question.”