I Was Cheating on My Husband With Himself

My husband Damon Vance and I had a contract marriage. He was busy with work, didn't pay attention to me, even just came home a handful of times. That day I came home and saw him in a varsity football jersey. He looked young, quiet, and surprisingly well behaved. What? I scoffed. Contract's almost up, so you want to suck up to me? You don't have to try this hard. I didn't wait for his answer. I stepped closer, then closer, hands all over him. Damon went stiff. He let me. Right when I was about to go further, a video call came in. The contact name said Damon, my husband. The phone screen flashed wildly in the living room. The words Damon looked especially sharp. I lowered my head, looked at the man pinned under me. Then looked at the phone vibrating nonstop. My brain shortcircuited for a secondif the person calling was my husband, then who was I sitting on? Damon clearly saw the screen too; a flicker of shock crossed his eyes, then quickly smoothed over. He suddenly reached up and wrapped an arm around my waist through the thin fabric. His palm was burning hot. I sucked in a breath and instinctively tried to stand. He used a little more strength, pressed me back down. His breath hit my collarbone. Honey, pick up! Why aren't you picking up? That voice, those features, that bone structure... There couldn't possibly be a second person other than being a decade younger. He looked exactly like Damon. Was this some weird new game of his? I took a deep breath and slid the call open. Damon's mature, cold face appeared on the screenthirtyyearold Damon. Every line of his face carried the pressure of years in boardrooms. He frowned slightly. His eyes scanned me through the screen. "Vera, where are you? Why are you breathing like that? " My heart jumped. I steadied my voice and lied. "At home, just finished yoga. " Damon stared at the background on my screen. "Why are the lights off? " I was about to say, "I forgot to turn them on. " The young man underneath me suddenly moved. He didn't just move; he pressed himself up into me on purpose. A heavy, breathy moan went straight into the microphone. "Babe, my legs going numb. " The air went dead silent. On the other end, Damon's eyes turned to ice. I could feel the killing intent through the screen. Vera Damon's voice dropped low. Whose voice is that? I clamped a hand over the man's mouth. The TV, my brain spun honey, I'm watching a teen drama Damon let out a cold laugh. sure, my flight gets in at ten tomorrow morning. The call cut. I was furious and humiliated. I threw the phone aside and grabbed the boy by the throat. "Who the hell are you? " He wasn't bothered at all; he casually grabbed my wrist. "I'm Damon Vance. " He paused, his voice full of swagger. "Twentyyearold Damon Vance. "

Ten minutes later, every light in the living room was on. I sat in the single armchair, arms crossed. Twentyyearold Damon sprawled across from me, his jersey hiked up to show a strip of stomach. He looked exactly like my husband, just younger, greener. His hair wasn't slicked back like a businessman's; it was a messy black cut—college boy's hair. He wasn't steady or controlled; he was electric. His eyes were full of curiosity and bite. I spent a full 10 minutes accepting the absurd fact of a time slip. The boy in front of me really was Damon, 10 years ago. He'd been walking home from practice, cut through a tunnel by the field, then when he came out the other side, he ended up in my living room. Young Damon looked me up and down; his eyes were shameless. direct. So, you're my future wife? That kind of inyourface interest only a 20yearold boy can pull off. I nodded. Legally. we signed the papers. He let out a snort. Future me's got decent taste, but damn, he's living rough. He pointed at my empty minimalist living room. He stuck you in this soulless box. What's wrong with him? I didn't know what to say. My marriage with Damon really was lifeless. Business merger, mutual benefit. Three years in, we were the perfect couple in public. Behind closed doors, we were roommates with a shared lease. He ran his crossborder deals; I ran my art gallery. The fact that we had nothing to talk about wasn't even the main symptom. The main symptom was that we barely slept together. Twice a month was a good month, and only when his schedule was light, Big Damon always felt rigid to me, boring as hell. I looked at this young Damon, all energy and snark. Suddenly it felt interesting. You'll find out for yourself. I mean in the future. I leaned back. against the couch. But you... that little stunt earlier? What were you doing? Young Damon scooted closer; his scent hit me. Young, alive. Just wanted to see how pathetic 30yearold me turned out. His voice was full of open contempt. Married and leaves his wife alone every night. If I were him, I'd be too embarrassed to even check in by video. I couldn't help it; I laughed out loud. He stared at me with big eyes. His voice softened. Babe. He's pretty boring, isn't he? Snake, pure manipulative little snake. This kid was already this good at 20. I reached out and ran my hand through his hair; it was soft, just the right texture. I played along. He really is boring. So what do you think I should do? Young Damon's eyes lit up. He said he's coming home tomorrow. tomorrow in the morning, right? He flipped the script, caught my wrist. Tonight, I'll keep you company. I promise I'm way more fun than that old guy.

That night, we didn't do anything. Young Damon was only 20. I wasn't enough of a monster to touch a kid that age, but he was fun. He pulled me into an allnight gaming session. He laughed at me out loud when I lost and got mad, When I got hungry, he ran into the kitchen and made me a bowl of pasta. Babe, try my cookingspaghetti with my special sauce. It's bomb! At first, looking at the numbers in the account, I'd swallowed it down. So what if it was a sexless marriage? A few more years of saving and I wouldn't need to work at all. Honestly, plenty of women would kill for this kind of life. And Damon was cold, yes, but the man was flawless to look at. I'd never really paid attention to other men before, but now I had a point of comparison. It had been a long time since I'd felt this kind of clumsy, warm, eagertoplease attention, cute, and passionate. The pasta was done. Young Damon brought the bowl over and set it. in front of me. "Eat up, personally made by yours truly. Outsiders don't get this treatment. " His voice was smug. I took a bite. It was actually pretty good. "You've got skills. " He propped his chin on his hand and watched me eat. "Babe, you're cute when you play. Way cuter than I expected for an older woman. " I stopped, shot him a cold look. He immediately threw his hands up. "Oh, okay, okay, my fault. "But you tell me that thirty year old me, does he ever have time to hang out with you? His tone was a little off. I didn't catch it. I just shook my head and sighed. At thirty, you're a CEO, busier than a surgeon. Never mind hanging out, he barely comes home. Who knew 20yearold you would have this much life in him? Young Damon grinned. "Knew it; he's just an old man with money. " He leaned in, his voice dropped low, tempting. "Forget about him, baby. "I'm young, I've got energy, I'll satisfy you every night.