𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑎 𝑓𝑜𝑜𝑙. 𝐴 𝑚𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑠 𝑚𝑒 . . . 𝐿𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒. 𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑛 𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑛. - 𝑇𝑤𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑦 𝐻𝑤𝑎 𝑆𝑎 (𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛)

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epιѕode oɴe | ριℓσт

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[𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑]

𝔄ce felt like she was back in high school whenever it came to gathering with other parents. No matter how much she tried, she didn't feel like she belonged. The kids loved her, but their moms were intimidated and unkind.

The thought of coming off intimidating hurt Ace's feelings since she was naturally soft-spoken and tender-hearted when it came to people.

Unfortunately, it didn't matter how much she tried to bridge the gap. The problem lay with the husbands who practically fawned over her in front of their wives.

Half of the reason was that Ace was attractive. The other was that some were reoccurring customers at the club.

Out of guilt and worry that Ace would snitch, they worshiped the ground she walked on.

Little did they know, Ace was sworn to client confidentiality. They had nothing to worry about as long as they kept her secret from Santiago.

Unluckily, the guys' overcompensation made her their wives' enemy.

To them, she was the "perfect wife" that their husbands constantly compared them to.

If only they knew that Ace was far from perfect, and at times, it kept her up at night.

Just as she did when she was a kid, Ace isolated herself. She found a quiet spot in the backyard lounge area.

Geroge's birthday was carnival-themed. He had DIY carnival cames, a popcorn maker, cotton candy, a clown making balloons, prizes, raffle tickets, and even a bouncy house.

Ace smiles, watching Daniel play ring toss with Isacc and Hugo. Despite being a few years apart, her children were close, just as she prayed they'd be.

Having isolated herself from her sisters when she was younger, Ace didn't want the same thing for her boys. She made sure to instill in them the importance of sticking together and being there for one another.

"There you are," Santiago's voice disappointedly drew her attention.

If he found her, then their friends weren't too far behind. On the bright side, he brought cotton candy.

"You okay?" he sits beside her.

"Yeah, just . . ."

"Introverting."

Ace chuckles shyly, "yeah."

Santiago offers her some cotton candy, and she obliges. He was the extrovert between the two and could get so lost in conversation that it wasn't hard for her to slip away. It also didn't take long for him to realize she was gone. Knowing she hated gatherings, Santiago always found her to ensure she was all right. He was attentive like that.

"So, I talked to the boys, and we came up with an escape plan."

"An escape plan?" Ace motioned for him to eat some cotton candy; he did.

"After they cut the cake, Hugo will fake a stomachache, and then we're out of here."

Ace laughs, "don't be ridiculous."

"What? It's a good plan. It's better than saying my wife would rather cut off a limb than hang out with you people. Adios."

"Good point, good point," Ace giggled. "It is a good plan. I'm curious, though. How'd you talk the boys into leaving the party early?"

"Promised to take them bumper car riding."

"Look at you! Getting extorted by our kids."

"I have to say, I love being a father. It's amazing. Really."

The two erupted in childish laughter, leaning into each other.

Santiago watched her eat a ball of cotton candy with a toothy grin on his face.

"What?" Ace clears her throat, disregarding his eyes.

"You're beautiful."

She turns her head to respond, and he kisses her.

"There you guys are," Astrid joined the couple with her husband Armin and George's parents, Matthew and Cristal.

"You found us," Ace feigned excitement, shyly wiping her lips.

"We figured you were hiding somewhere around here." Cristal settles beside Matthew as he puts an arm around her. Astrid and Armin do the same.

"We weren't hiding," Santiago playfully rolled his eyes.

"I definitely was," Ace joked half-heartedly.

"Don't worry. I'd be hiding if this weren't my son's party." Matthew fist bumps her. He and Cristal were the only couple that didn't have a problem with Ace. In fact, they loved her.

Matthew was a good guy and, as far as Ace knew, stayed away from strip clubs and other women in general. Cristal couldn't care less about what the other mothers thought about her.

Though their sons' friendship brought them together, she sincerely enjoyed hanging out with Ace.

Ace was practically the female version of Matthew - quiet and reserved. She understood her need for boundaries and never got upset when she didn't answer her calls or respond to her texts.

"Ugh, the kids are growing up so fast," Astrid watched their daughter Nahla play tag with their boys.

"Aren't they?" Matthew turned his head to look.

Cristal and Armin were watching Santiago and Ace.

Armin grimaces, watching his little brother whisper sweet nothings into her ear. His guts churned, and his eyebrows tilted so far inward, a vain in his forehead looked ready to pop.

On the other hand, Cristal was in awe of the couple. She loved how attentive Santiago was to Ace.

Being the social butterfly she was, Cristal had hosted many couples. Most were passive-aggressive; their martial problems seeped out like a pot of boiling water no matter the topic of conversation.

Ace and Santiago were one of the few good marriages she'd witnessed. To her, they were as perfect as any couple could be.

"How'd you guys meet?"

"Not this story again," mutters Armin.

"Stop it," Astrid hits him in the chest.

Ace could feel his gaze on her but chose not to look. She kept eating the cotton candy instead.

"Mommy, daddy!" Nahla ran up to them. "Let's get matching face paint."

"Saved by the bell," Armin gladly picked her up and hauled her away.

Astrid gives Ace an apologetic smile and follows after them.

Armin wasn't a fan of Ace either. Unlike everyone else, he knew she didn't love Santiago as he loved her.

One would think he was mature enough to play nice. After all, he was a pastor. Ace, however, didn't take it personally. Armin was being protective of his little brother. She would do the same if it were her sisters.

"Come on, babe. You make him tell the story every time," Matthew pats Cristal's leg.

"It's okay. It's okay. I love telling the story," Santiago was grinning so hard that his cheeks ached.

"I was going through a terrible breakup. It was so bad I made up my mind that I didn't want ever to experience love again. Sounds dramatic, I know, but -"

"We've all been there," Cristal attested like she hadn't heard the story before.

"Yeah, well, Astrid had his bright idea to set me up with her best friend. She described her as quiet, a little mysterious. Hard to figure out. But overall, beautiful and the sweetest person she's ever known."

Ace kept her eyes to the ground.

"As heartbroken as I was, I was intrigued. I figured I had nothing to lose. So, we met at a restaurant. It was family-owned; Italian."

Santiago tilts his head, drawing her eyes to his, "I remember thinking how beautiful she was when she walked in. She wore this yellow sundress."

"Your favorite color," Ace recalled intertwining their fingers.

"My favorite color," he nods softly. "I had this gut feeling that she would be my wife someday, and here we are."

"Here we are," Ace smiled, pressing a kiss on his lips.

A fire lit in his eyes when he looked at her. All while hers were dim. Feeling a hole burning into the side of her head, Ace turns, locking eyes with Astrid.

Astrid knew about Maya's rule of never marrying for love. To an extent, she agreed it took more than love to keep a marriage. But it was still a big part of it. She thought Santiago could open Ace's heart, but in the end, she was the reason her brother-in-law was in a loveless marriage.

At least she felt responsible and guilty for pretending that she couldn't see what Armin did. 

The escape plan was a success, and although it was a Friday night, the Morales family was turning in early. As always, Ace fell for the story bit. The twins suddenly wanted her to read them a book whenever it was time for bed. It was their way of finding a reason to stay up a little longer. Lord knows they gave her a hassle when she wanted them to practice their reading skills.

Unfortunately for Daniel, he got caught up in the mix this time. The twins rushed into his room when Ace was tucking him in, and she gave the great idea that their big brother should read to them for a change.

Just when Ace thought she was off the hook, Daniel checkmated and suggested they both read to the twins.

The boys huddled around their mother, and naturally, she ended up reading solo because they crashed before page three.

Hugo, the wild sleeper, climbed on top of his mother and used her as a pillow.

Ace moved to make her escape, but Daniel and Isaac gripped her like she was a teddy bear, blocking her in. She rolled her eyes but smiled, kissing them on their foreheads.

It wasn't long before Santiago came looking for her. He leaned in the doorway smiling; he was already dressed in a t-shirt and boxers for bed.

"A little help here."

Santiago picks Hugo up first; Ace sighs in relief. He hauls Isaac into his non-dominant arm, grunting a bit.

"You got'em?" Ace gives him the book.

"Yeah," he takes them to their bedroom, leaving her to tuck Daniel in.

Ace kisses him on the cheek, bidding Carl the iguana goodnight on her way out. She makes it to the bedroom first and starts taking off her jewelry.

Santiago walks in as she slips out of her sundress. He whistles and sits on the end of the bed.

"Stop it," Ace blushes, tossing the dress in the dirty clothes bin.

"What? I'm just admiring my wife." Santiago admiringly watched her.

Guilt climbs up her spine; she gulps, searching through her drawer for pajamas.

She'd been insecure about her petite body type for most of her upbringing. It became worse standing between her two voluptuous sisters and watching the world become more obsessed with big boobs and BBLs.

Santiago, however, had never complained about her small frame. He practically worshiped it.

"Can I ask you something?"

Pausing, Ace slowly closes the drawer and turns around. She had this growing fear that he'd wake up and realize she never really loved him and confront her about it one day. As selfish as it was, Santiago leaving and taking the boys terrified her.

"Of course, you know you can ask me anything."

"Right," he smiles sheepishly. "It doesn't bother you when I gloat about you to our friends, right?"

She inwardly sighs with relief. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Well, I know you're shy, and you hate being in the spotlight, but . . ."

Ace straddles him, "but," she wraps her arms around his neck and runs her fingers through his thick dark soft curls. "Every wife wants a husband who loves to tell the world how much he adores her. Even the shy ones." She trails kisses up his neck, cheek, then lips.

Both suck in a reverent breath; the kiss starts out soft, growing deep and passionate quickly.

Santiago starts laying back but stops curtly. "Are you trying to seduce me?"

Ace scoffs; he'd never asked her that before. It wasn't until he grinned that she realized he was joking.

"Does it matter?" she shot back seductively.

"Nope," Santiago eagerly flips her on her back.

Sex was the most challenging part of the marriage for Ace. Not because it wasn't good.

But because afterward, she felt dirty and, even worse, like a hypocrite.

When Ace first took over the business, she couldn't relate to the girls. She had never struggled financially or experienced desperation to the point of selling herself.

She felt remorseful for aiding in a business she'd never want her daughter, sisters, or mother to work.

Then she married Santiago and realized. She wasn't much different from the girls after all.