Days later, just when Helen thought she could finally breathe without thinking of Alex, her phone vibrated.
Unknown number. Her heart skipped, she hesitated, then answered.
"Hello?" A smooth voice responded. "Helen."
She froze.
"Al… Alex?"
He chuckled lightly. "You remembered me."
How could she forget? "Yes. Good afternoon, sir, I mean, Alex."
"I've been expecting your call," he said gently. "But I understand. You must have been thinking."
Thinking? She had been drowning.
"I didn't want to disturb you," she murmured.
"A woman like you can never disturb me."
Her breath caught.
He continued, "I'm not far from your market. If you're not too busy, come outside, I want to see you."
Her stomach clenched.
This was dangerous.
But temptation was louder.
Lola noticed her shaking fingers. "Who is that? Helen, who are you talking to?"
Helen whispered into the phone, "I can't come out now."
"I'll wait," he replied calmly. "Ten minutes. I'm by the first junction."
The call ended.
Helen stared at the phone like it was a burning coal.
Lola grabbed her wrist. "Helen, Talk."
"It's… it's him," Helen whispered.
Lola's eyes widened. "What does he want again?"
"He wants to see me."
"Then tell him no!"
"I tried."
"And?"
"He said he'll wait."
Lola pressed a hand to her forehead. "Helen, don't go."
"I'm not going," she said automatically.
But even as she said it…
Her legs tingled with the urge to move.
Her heart beat faster.
Her breath came shallow.
Lola watched her carefully. "Helen…"
Helen stood.
Her dress suddenly felt too tight.
Her palms were too sweaty.
Lola grabbed her arm. "If you go now, you may not come back the same, Helen hesitated.
Then she gently removed her arm from Lola's grip.
"I'll just talk to him," she whispered. "Nothing else."
Lola stared at her, heartbreak and fear mixing in her eyes.
"Go," she said finally, her voice low. "But remember, you are stepping into a storm.
Helen walked slowly out of the market, each step was heavier than the one before. Her heart felt like it was pounding inside her throat.
When she reached the junction, she saw the car.
The black SUV.
Polished. Powerful. Waiting.
Alex stood beside it, dressed in a clean white shirt and dark trousers. He looked richer in the sunlight, taller, more commanding.
His eyes softened when he saw her.
"Helen," he said warmly. "I was wondering if you'd come."
She stopped a few feet away, unsure of herself. "I shouldn't be here."
"Then why are you?" he asked gently.
She didn't know how to answer.
He stepped closer, not touching her, just close enough for her to feel the weight of his presence.
"You've been on my mind," he said softly. "Since the moment I saw you."
She swallowed hard. "Alex please… I'm married."
"I know," he said calmly. "But I'm not asking you to marry me today."
Her breath hitched.
He nodded toward his car. "Let's drive somewhere quiet. Just talk. No pressure."
"No," she whispered. "I can't get in your car."
He smiled. "Then let's walk."
Before she could respond, he began walking slowly toward the quiet side street. The sun glowed around him like he carried his own light.
Against her better judgment…
She followed.
Just a few steps behind.
Her mind screamed to stop.
Her heart whispered to continue.
They stopped beside a small abandoned shop where no one could overhear them.
Alex leaned against the wall, arms folded casually. "Tell me the truth," he said. "Are you happy?"
Helen stiffened. "I didn't come here to…"
"Just answer."
Silence stretched between them.
Finally, she said quietly, "I'm… managing."
"Managing," he repeated softly. "A woman like you should not be managing. You should be enjoying yourself. Resting. Flourishing."
He moved closer. "I can change your life, make it easier, Better and Softer."
"Alex, please…"
"I like you, Helen," he said honestly. "And I can give you everything your husband cannot."
Her heart hammered.
The truth she had locked inside her chest burst through before she could stop it:
"I'm tired."
Alex's expression softened. "I know."
"No," she whispered. "You don't know. I'm tired of struggling. I'm tired of patching, managing, pretending everything is fine. I'm tired of watching my children grow up in lack. I'm tired of hoping for a miracle that doesn't come."
Tears welled in her eyes before she could stop them.
Alex stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Let me help you, Helen."
She looked up at him, Wealth, Power, Comfort, Everything she never had.
Everything she wanted but never voiced. Everything Philip could not offer.
He reached out and gently wiped the tears from her cheek.
Her breath shook. Then he whispered the question that changed everything:
"Can I see you again? Tomorrow?"
Helen closed her eyes.
For a moment, she saw Philip's tired smile.
Her children's small hands.
Their tiny home, The life she knew And then…
She saw Alex's world, Bright. Golden. Tempting.
Her lips trembled.
"Yes," she whispered.
The single word felt like a door swinging open, one she knew she could never close again.
Alex smiled. "Tomorrow, then."
As she walked back to the market, the sun felt hotter. The world felt quieter. Her heart felt heavier.
Lola saw her returning and stood up immediately.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
Helen's voice came out small.
"I… I agreed to see him again."
Lola gasped as though struck.
"Helen…"
Helen lowered her eyes.
"I think I've already started a journey I cannot stop."
The following morning began with a restless heaviness Helen couldn't explain. She swept the compound mechanically, her mind replaying yesterday's forbidden moment, the envelope of money, Alex's voice, the way he had looked at her like she wasn't just another market woman struggling to survive.
She tried to bury the memory.
She failed.
Philip noticed her distant silence. "Are you sure you're well?" he asked gently.
"Yes," she said too quickly.
But she could feel his eyes linger on her longer than usual, as if he sensed pieces of her slipping away.
When she reached the market, the women were already gossiping, their voices weaving through the stalls like smoke
But lola placed a steady hand on her shoulder. "Ignore them. They don't know your mind."
Helen didn't reply.
Because the problem wasn't the voices outside her. It was the voice inside her.
The one that whispered dangerous things like what if… and imagine if…
She tried to focus on selling fruits and vegetables, but every time a car passed, her heart jumped. She hated how expectant she felt. How the memory of his eyes, his smile, his money, lingered beneath her skin.
Around noon, just as she bent to rearrange her vegetables, the familiar low hum of an engine cut through the noise of the market.
Helen's stomach tightened instantly.
Lola didn't need to look. "Oh God. He's here again."
The black SUV glided to a stop like it was arriving at a private appointment with her destiny.
Alex stepped out slowly, dressed in shining white. Confidence clung to him like a second skin. He scanned the market once, and his gaze locked on her.
"Helen," he greeted warmly, as if they were old friends.
Her throat tightened. "Good afternoon, Alex."
He smiled, stepping closer, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."
Heat rushed into her cheeks.
He looked at Lola briefly, nodding politely. "I hope I'm not interrupting."
"You are," Lola muttered under her breath.
But Helen didn't move.
Couldn't move.
Alex's presence felt like gravity.
"I'd like to speak with you," he said. "Privately."
Lola opened her mouth, unsure what answer would come out.
Lola squeezed her arm. "Helen, don't go."
Helen's gaze softened. "Just a conversation. Nothing more."
Helen's heartbeat thudded loudly in her ears.
She knew she should refuse.
She knew the line was already too close.
But desire is louder than wisdom.
Temptation is sweeter than caution.
She wiped her hands on her apron, took a trembling breath, and said
"Okay."
Lola gasped. "Helen!" But it was too late.
Alex stepped aside, gesturing toward the road. "Let's take a walk."
They walked to the quiet side of the market, away from prying eyes and gossiping mouths. Here, the world felt warmer, and more intimate.
Alex paused beneath an old almond tree, its leaves casting soft shadows over them.
"You look tired," he said gently. "I'm fine," she lied.
"You're not. I can see it."
His voice held no judgment, only empathy. And that made her chest tighten.
He stepped closer, leaving a whisper of space between them. "A woman like you should not struggle the way you do."
Her breath faltered. "Life is what it is."
"It doesn't have to be," he murmured. "Not when someone is willing to lift the weight."
Their eyes locked.
She felt seen. Not as a wife, not as a mother, not as a market woman but as a woman. Something she hadn't felt in years.
Alex brushed a stray hair from her face with two fingers, slowly, and deliberately. The touch sent a shiver across her skin.
She didn't step back.
He lowered his voice to a warm whisper. "Come with me tomorrow. Let me show you what your life could be like."
Helen's heartbeat stumbled.
"Alex, I…. I'm married," she forced out.
"And I respect that," he said calmly. "But your marriage is not your happiness."
Her breath trembled.
His hand hovered just above her waist—not touching, but close enough that her skin tingled with anticipation.
"Helen," he murmured, "you deserve softness. Let me give you that."
Her lips parted in a shaky exhale.
He leaned in slowly, not to kiss her, but close enough that his forehead brushed hers, close enough to feel his breath warming her cheek.
A soft, electric space hung between their mouths, One wrong move and the line would break.
He whispered, "Say yes."
Her resistance melted, Just for a moment, Just enough.
"Yes," she breathed.
Just a whisper.
But it was enough for him to smile quietly, and triumphantly, before pulling back slightly, leaving her trembling with the echo of what almost happened.
When she returned to the market, Lola rushed to her.
"Helen, what did you tell him?" she demanded.
Helen couldn't speak.
Her lips still tingled from where his warmth had hovered.
Her heart still raced from how close she had come to falling.
She sank onto her stool slowly.
Lola watched her with wide, fearful eyes.
"Oh Helen," she whispered. "You've opened a door… and I don't know if you can close it again."
Helen stared at her trembling hands.
Neither did she.