Playing with Fire
“You’re kidding me,” Thomas threw his head back, choking on laughter. “You actually said that to her face? In front of everyone?”
“What else was I supposed to do?” Edward drummed his fingers nervously on the table. “I’m married. She wouldn’t back offgot bolder by the day. The whole departments noticed.”
“Ah, the humble one,” Thomas teased. “Not used to that kind of attention, are you? Most blokes would jump at the chance.”
“We have different ideas about loyalty,” Edward replied evenly, though exhaustion flickered in his eyes. “At first, I ignored the hintsdidnt want to be rude. But silence just encouraged her.”
“Thats exactly your mistake,” Thomas raised an eyebrow meaningfully. “You gave her false hope.”
“What does she even want from me? There are plenty of single men!”
“For women like her, a wedding ring isnt a barrierits a challenge,” Thomas mused. “Proof youre worth having.”
Sophie blew into their department like a sudden spring breeze. She wasnt conventionally beautifulsharp features, a low, slightly husky voice. But when she smiled, the world seemed to shift. The HR manager later admitted shed been ready to reject Sophie, but that smile changed everything.
At first, Edward genuinely liked her. Her energy and wit were a breath of fresh air in the dull office routine. He helped her settle in, shared adviceno ulterior motives. A devoted family man, he saw her as a bright colleague, almost a kid sister.
Then the lines blurred. Her jokes turned suggestive, her touches lingering. Edward, an introvert unused to outright advances, hesitated. His moral compass, usually steady, spun wildly. He avoided her, skipped shared lunches. But retreat only spurred her on.
***
Edward was around 35, a man who maintained order in his life with near-obsessive care. Tall but slightly stooped, as if trying to seem smaller. Dark hair, neatly trimmed, with early silver at the templesheredity and responsibility. Calm eyes, but beneath them, a constant wearinessnot from work, but from inner tension. He wore thin-framed glasses, which hed remove and rub at the bridge of his nose when stressed. His clothes were modest: plain shirts, tailored trousers. No flashy details.
Edward disliked crowds. Flirting, office politicsit all felt foreign, draining. His world was quiet, orderly, focused. He avoided conflict, retreating rather than confronting.
Yet within him stood an unshakable fortress: his love for his family. Emily and the children werent just part of his lifethey were its purpose. His loyalty wasnt virtue; it was as natural as breathing.
Sophie was drawn to him from day one. He was the only man immune to her charms. Seducing him wasnt just about attentionit was about proving her worth. A faithful mans fall would be her ultimate validation. Her experience told her no “perfect family man” was truly flawless.
Within weeks, Sophie gushed to her friend Lucy about her feelings for Edward. Lucy listened, growing uneasy.
“Another married man? Sophie, stop. He has two kids.”
“Oh, details! Hes unhappytrapped in a gilded cage. That wife of his… Emily… she doesnt understand him. Shes just given him comfort, but his soul craves freedom!”
“How do you know? Have you even met her?”
“I dont need to! I see him. So proper, so buttoned-up… Its not normal. Theres pain beneath. I want to help himfree the real man inside.”
“Sophie, you sound like a bad romance novel. You dont want to help. You want him because hes taken. This isnt a gameits his life!”
“You dont understand, Lucy. This is my life. I feel were meant to be. His perfect family? Ill prove its a lie.”
***
A business trip to Manchester tested Edward. Guess who volunteered to join? Sophie was professional with clients, easing Edwards guard. But late that night, a knock came at his door.
“My rooms freezing,” Sophie stood there, wrapped in a robe that barely concealed her silk nightdress.
Edwards heart plummeted. Panic, thick and suffocating, gripped him. He pictured Emilys trusting eyes.
“WaitIll get you a blanket,” he managed, turning away. “Here.”
Sophie pouted but took it.
“Youve locked yourself in a cage and thrown away the key,” she tossed over her shoulder. “Pity. Theres a different man underneathI know it.”
Edward leaned his forehead against the closed door, pulse roaring. Relief mingled with a strange, heavy pityfor her, for himself, for the absurdity of it all.
Back at work, Sophie seemed to forget him. Edward began to relax. Then she asked for a ride home. Reluctantly, he refused.
“Do I disgust you?”
“Youre vibrant, interesting,” Edward said. “But I love my wife. I have a family”
“So thats the only reason?” Her eyes glittered dangerously.
“No” He faltered, but she was already gone. He regretted his hesitation instantly. And rightly so.
That night, a sharp nudge woke him. Emilys furious whisper cut through the haze of sleep.
“Edward, have you lost your mind? Who is this woman sending you photos at midnight?”
He sat up, heart pounding. On his phone: Sophie, posed in lace lingerie.
“Emily, its not what you think!” Voice cracking, he confessed everything.
Emily exhaled slowly. “My naive, foolish man,” she said, anger and tenderness mixing. “Fine. I believe you. Because I know youd never betray us like that. But warn her: if this happens again, Ill turn your office into a spectacle theyll never forget.”
Edward nodded in the dark. The next day, he called Sophie into a meeting room. She entered, radiant, expecting surrender.
“Sophie, youve crossed every line,” he began, voice steady.
“Oh, stop,” she stepped closer, reaching for his cheek. “She doesnt deserve you.”
Edward recoiled. Her hand hung in the air.
“What are you implying?”
“That your perfect life is a myth,” her voice turned honeyed, venomous. “From the outsideloving wife, princess daughter, heir son…”
“We *are* happy.”
“Wake up, Edward!” She loomed over the desk. “Your son looks nothing like you! Your daughters your twin, but Jamestheres zero resemblance!”
Edwards blood turned to ice. He stared at her triumphant face, the last shreds of pity vanishing.
“And I can prove it,” she slapped a printout on the table. “See? Paternity probability: 0%. Handy having connections, isnt it? Believe me now?”
Edward met her gaze. The anger hed suppressed finally surfacedcold, clear.
“I tolerated your advances. But my children? Never. James isnt my blood son. Thats between Emily and me. But since youre so keen on digging: his parentsEmilys sister and her husbanddied. Hes ours now. Satisfied?”
Sophie paled. “I didnt know”
“Nor do I know how you got that testif its even real. I thought you were just lonely. Now I see youre dangerous. Resign by tonight, or I go to the police. And if you ever come near my children…” His quiet tone was deadlier than any shout. “You wont need the police.”
Sophie quit that day. Edward came home early, finding six-year-old James piecing together a puzzle while eight-year-old Lily did homework. He hugged them both tightly, breathing in their familiar scent.
That evening, after the children slept, Edward faced Emily.
“We have to tell him,” he said softly. “James deserves the truth from usnot a stranger.”
Emilys eyes wellednot with grief, but relief. “Im scared.”
“Me too. But well do it together.”
A week later, they celebrated with cake. After dessert, Edward knelt to meet Jamess height.
“James, Mummy and I need to talk about how much we love you. Remember how we said family comes in all shapes? Well, Im not your birth dad. Your first parents were Mummys sister and her husbandwonderful people, but theyre not here anymore. We chose youwith all our hearts.”
James pondered this, then hugged them and asked for more cake. The weight lifted, leaving only crumbs and quiet talk. There was no room for Sophie or her fantasies. Everything was as it should be.
*Sometimes the strongest bonds arent forged by blood, but by choiceand no lie can unravel love thats truly earned.*
