Forbidden Lust: A Night With My Husband's Father

The room was dim, casting shadows over two figures locked in a passionate embrace.

The man gripped the girl's hands, his lips gently brushing her neck. His voice was low and rough. "I'll ask you one more time. Are you sure you won't regret this?"

The girl's gaze was distant, her mind clearly clouded.

Her body arched instinctively, a soft invitation slipping from her lips. "I want you..."

The man chuckled quietly. "You asked for it."

He then tilted her head and kissed her deeply.

Later that night, Joanna Powell was jolted awake by the shrill ringing of her phone.

Her head pounded from the hangover, and she rubbed her temples, feeling a rush of embarrassment.

In her dream, she had slept with her boyfriend, Mathew Higgins.

In the dream, Mathew had been forceful and dominant. She had only kissed him, but he had taken control, pinning her down-nothing like the polite, respectful guy she knew.

There was no denying that this side of him had a magnetic pull.

Joanna smiled sheepishly, turned on the bedside lamp, and reached for her phone to answer the call. But then she stopped dead in her tracks-she was completely naked!

Pink hickeys marked her skin, each one telling the story of the previous night.

She glanced down and noticed a man's arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

Joanna's mind went blank.

It wasn't Mathew's arm.

She turned her head slowly and then fell back onto the bed.

The man next to her wasn't Mathew.

He was a stranger, someone she had never met before.

The color drained from her face, leaving her pale and shocked.

How had this happened?

The night before, there had been a school event, and everyone had booked rooms at the hotel to rest.

But why was there a stranger in her room?

"Miss, are you still there?" The nurse's voice crackled through the phone.

Joanna, still in a daze, wasn't sure how she even managed to lift the phone to her ear. "Yes, I'm here."

The nurse went on, "You're related to Martha Russell, right? She had a sudden heart attack and was just brought to the hospital. We need you here right away."

Joanna's eyes widened in panic, her voice shaking. "A heart attack?"

"Yes, it's critical. She's waiting for surgery, and you need to sign the papers quickly!" The nurse gave her the hospital's address before hanging up.

The blows had left Joanna feeling dizzy. She pinched her thigh hard, the sharp sting proving it wasn't just a dream.

She couldn't afford to wait any longer. She quickly jumped out of bed and got dressed.

Before leaving, she cast a final look at the man still asleep on the bed, her eyes filled with bitterness.

She grabbed a pen and paper, wrote a quick note, and hurried out of the room.

Not long after she left, the man on the bed slowly woke up. He reached out, but his hand only found the warm, empty sheets.

He paused, then tossed off the covers.

The bed was vacant.

If it hadn't been for the red stain on the sheets, he might have thought the woman from last night was just a product of his imagination.

He had returned to the country the night before, drunk from a heavy night of drinking. When he collapsed onto the bed, he found a woman already lying there.

He had encountered countless women throwing themselves at him, but one bold enough to slip into his bed without being invited? That was a first.

Normally, he would've kicked her out without hesitation.

But when she clung to him, maybe it was the alcohol messing with his head, but he didn't push her away.

To his surprise, she had been a virgin.

But it didn't really matter to him.

A brief fling was never something he'd bother to remember.

He lazily swung his legs out of bed, his tall frame heading toward the bathroom. That was when he noticed a piece of paper on the floor.

He picked it up, and the moment he read it, his face darkened.

"Your service was awful and isn't worth any more than this penny!"

A single coin lay beside the note.

This girl had dared to seduce him and then toss him aside like some common plaything? The audacity. The man's fingers clenched around the note before he ripped it to shreds, his face a storm of fury. This arrogant woman had better pray he never found her.

Then, something near the bed caught his eye. He reached down, picked it up, and his face darkened even further.

This was...

By the time Joanna reached the hospital, Martha had already been rushed into the emergency room.

The doctor's tone was grim. "Your mother has an aortic dissection. It's critical-she needs immediate surgery."

"Yes, we'll go ahead," Joanna said, snatching up the consent forms and signing without hesitation. Then, as if suddenly remembering, she asked, "How much will it cost?"

"If everything goes smoothly, around three hundred thousand."

The pen trembled in her hand, her fingers stiffening as all color drained from her knuckles.

Three hundred thousand...

Their entire savings barely scratched thirty.

Sensing her hesitation, the doctor asked, "Are we proceeding or not?"

"Yes!" Joanna bit down hard, forcing her hand to move as she scrawled her signature.

Money could be borrowed, but a life lost was gone forever.

Yet finding that money proved harder than she'd ever imagined.

Although she attended a prestigious university brimming with wealthy students, Joanna had always remained an outsider-her full scholarship separating her from their privileged world.

She called every contact she could think of, but after exhausting every option, all she had was twenty thousand.

Her palms were damp, the phone screen smeared with sweat. What now? Who else could she turn to? Not Mathew-he was struggling just like her, living on a scholarship with barely enough to get by. And after what happened tonight, facing him was out of the question.

Then came the sharp click of high heels echoing through the sterile hallway. A woman, impeccably dressed, came into view.

Joanna bristled up. "What are you doing here?"

Julissa Powell, standing with her usual arrogance, pulled out a sleek bank card. "Your father heard about your mother's condition. He figured you'd need money, so he sent me with this."

For as long as she could remember, Martha had been her only family. It wasn't until she arrived in Qakvale for university three years ago that she learned the truth-her father was none other than Liam Powell, a powerful businessman.

Martha had been Liam's mistress once, and Joanna was the child born from that affair. As for Julissa, she was Liam's legitimate wife.

Joanna loathed the very blood that tied her to them and wanted nothing to do with the Powell family.

"I don't need it," she said icily.

Julissa smirked. "Joanna, your mother is dying, and you're still playing noble?"

Joanna's jaw tightened. "I'll figure something out."

Julissa snorted, "With what? Three hundred thousand dollars? Please. Even if you sold yourself off, you wouldn't be worth that much."

"You!" Joanna pointed a finger at Julissa, her eyes burning with fury. Yet, she had no retort.

There was no denying it-raising that kind of money on such short notice was impossible.

Lifting her chin arrogantly, Julissa said, "I'll give you three minutes to decide. After that, even if you beg on your knees, the offer's off the table."

Joanna's fists curled so tightly that her nails bit into her palms.

Julissa was right.

Dignity meant nothing when life was slipping away.

She raised her head. "What do you want in return?"

There was no way Liam Powell would help without a price. If he truly cared, Martha wouldn't have spent countless nights hunched over her handicrafts, pushing her eyesight to the limit just to scrape by.

Julissa arched a brow. "Smart girl. Of course, there's a catch. I'm sure you heard of the Harvey family. The Powell family and the Harvey family have an old marriage pact. Rhys Harvey just turned eighteen, and now they've come to claim the agreement. Specifically, they want you."

Joanna let out a cold laugh. "You've spent years reminding me I'm nothing more than an illegitimate child. And suddenly, I'm important enough for the Harvey family to ask for me by name?"

For a brief moment, embarrassment flashed in Julissa's eyes.

The reality was, the Powell family's business had been crumbling for the past six months. Desperate for a financial lifeline, they had turned to the Harvey family, begging them to uphold the long-forgotten marriage agreement.

Owen Harvey, founder of the Harvey Group, was a force to be reckoned with. Arriving in Qakvale with nothing but an adopted son, he had built a business empire from the ground up, dominating the market for thirteen years. And he was only thirty-three.

After relentless persuasion, Owen had finally agreed.

His condition was simple-if Rhys agreed, he would invest in the Powell family's business.

Though Rhys wasn't Owen's biological son, he was undoubtedly his favorite. Owen's constant indulgence had only fueled his wild nature.

And in the last three years, with Owen frequently overseas, Rhys had grown even more uncontrollable.

Julissa would never risk her own daughter's future on someone like that. So, she'd set her sights on Joanna instead.

Called out by Joanna, Julissa flared up. "Stop acting ungrateful! This marriage was meant for your sister, but out of the goodness of her heart, she's letting you have it instead!"

Joanna stared at her, sick to her stomach.

Julissa pressed on. "Enough of this. Are you in or not?"

Joanna had heard enough about Rhys Harvey to know what kind of man he was-impulsive, arrogant, uncontrollable. Life with him wouldn't just be difficult.

But there was no other way.

Martha had spent over two decades giving everything for her. Joanna wouldn't let her die. Even if she was walking straight into a trap, she had no choice but to step forward.

Pain twisted inside her as the last of her resistance crumbled.

Her nails dug so deep into her palms that blood welled in tiny crescents. Gritting her teeth, she forced the words out. "I'll do it, but on one condition."

Julissa's face lit up with excitement. "What is it?"

Joanna pulled out her phone and began to record their negotiation. "You have to guarantee you'll cover all of my mom's medical expenses this time-including every follow-up checkup."

"No problem!"

Shelling out a few hundred thousand to lock in a hundred-million-dollar investment from the Harvey Group? A deal well worth it!

Afraid Joanna might reconsider, Julissa quickly agreed without hesitation.

"Tomorrow evening, I'll have someone take you to the Harvey estate!" Then she practically floated out of the hospital in exhilaration.

The moment Julissa left, the mask of composure Joanna had been holding onto shattered.

Her hands trembled as she pulled out her phone and typed a breakup message to Mathew.

Simple words, yet they felt impossible to write. Minutes passed before she could bring herself to press send. And when she finally did, it was as if she could hear her own heart breaking into pieces.

She tried to assure herself that it was okay. As long as her mother survived, this sacrifice would be worth it.

The surgery took eight long hours.

By morning, the good news arrived-her mother had made it through.

Joanna felt relieved, the crushing weight on her chest lifted. A faint smile touched her pale lips.

After ensuring Martha was safely transferred to the ICU, Joanna wasted no time heading back to campus.

Later that morning, once classes ended, Mathew asked to see her.

Mathew stood in the hallway, his handsome face devoid of emotion. "Why are you ending things with me?"

Joanna looked away. "I already explained in my message. I'm leaving the city for work, and I don't want to hold you back."

Mathew's face darkened. Without warning, he pulled out a photo and threw it at her. "Then explain this."

Joanna picked it up, and her entire body went cold.

It was a picture of her at the pharmacy that morning, buying emergency contraception.

And in the image-clear as day-was the faint hickey on her neck she had failed to fully hide.

Mathew clenched his fists, glaring at her. "No explanation? Fine, I'll do it for you. You found yourself a better option and couldn't wait to ditch me, huh? Your broke boyfriend wasn't good enough anymore, so you went out and cheated? Joanna, if you wanted to be with someone else, you could have just said so! I wouldn't have begged you to stay! But this? This is pathetic."

Joanna's head swam.

It felt like a deep wound had been torn open in her chest, the pain crushing the air from her lungs.

"No, that's not what happened! Last night, I..."

She barely got the words out before a girl suddenly rushed over, latching onto Mathew's arm. "Mathew! There's a new restaurant outside campus. Want to check it out with me?"

Joanna's pupils shrank.

Norene Powell-her half-sister and the legitimate daughter of the Powell family, the very girl Joanna was supposed to take the place of in marriage.

Joanna had always known Norene liked Mathew. But Mathew had never once looked at her that way-until now.

Her eyes landed on their intertwined hands. Her lips parted, trembling. "Are you two... together?"

Norene leaned against Mathew with a shy smile. "Mathew accepted me earlier this morning. Joanna, I really appreciate you stepping aside for me."

"There's nothing left to say to someone like her." Still glaring at Joanna with disgust, Mathew slid an arm around Norene's shoulders. "If you want to try that restaurant, let's go."

Well...

Joanna stood frozen, watching them turn away. The air felt too thick, like she couldn't get enough of it into her lungs.

Mathew could have chosen anyone... but not Norene.

This was hard to accept.

She was still struggling to breathe when Norene suddenly glanced back at her. Gone was the sweet, gentle act-her eyes gleamed with quiet victory, sharp with malice.

Norene mouthed the words, "You're out."

Joanna went wild with shock. It all made sense now.

Last night... Norene had planned everything.

"Stop right there!" Joanna shrilled, lunging forward to strike Norene. But Mathew shoved her backward.

"Enough!" he thundered. "I'm the one who chose Norene. If you've got a problem, take it up with me! But hear me now-if you so much as lay a finger on her, I won't let it slide! Come on, Norene. Let's leave."

Norene smirked smugly. "Okay, Mathew."

Joanna watched them leave, her vision blurring. She didn't even realize the tears were falling down her face until she heard a low chuckle behind her.

Joanna turned, her body going stiff.

In the dim recesses where the sunlight failed to reach, a man leaned casually against the wall, amusement flickering in his eyes. It was him-the man from last night!

Her stomach twisted again. She had thought it was nothing more than a drunken mistake. But now, it was clear; this man had worked with Norene to ruin her reputation.

Rage erupted inside Joanna, a wildfire coursing through her veins, burning so hot it felt like she might explode.

The intensity in her eyes made the man hesitate. Such defiance. He had only witnessed her humiliation, yet she looked at him as if she wanted to tear him apart.

He had no desire to add to her embarrassment. But before he could turn away, Joanna stormed up to him.

The man stared at her, puckering his brows. "What? You want an apology?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she lifted her hand-and slapped him across the face.