My wife and I were out at a beachside cafe. We were both in slightly above-average shape, the kind of couple that works out moderately at home and at the gym but never takes it very seriously. This beach is a popular destination for spring breakers and foreign tourists. There are dance clubs within walking distance, tennis courts, basketball courts, volleyball nets, calisthenics bars, and yachts ever on the horizon. “Some...

I entered my marriage fully confident in the common-sensical axiom that a woman's past, her sex life before meeting and becoming sexual/romantic with me, doesn't matter very much as long as there was nothing too crazy, like she did sex work or bestiality or something. My wife-to-be hadn't given me any indication of an unusual history, and she didn't seem the type to have any notable records for the big books. I hope I'm n...

Afternoon Friday, May 9th, 2025 Lyrou met Marc in the subway station, as planned. She saw him first, adjusting his collar in the reflection of an ad. Freezing still, hands on his collar, he spotted her also in the reflection. Turning, he laughed and approached, a fine smile forming at the sight of her in her long white dress, a cut down the side of the right leg from just above the knee to the knot of her ankle in its whi...