HOUSEWIFE DESIRES

Chapter 1: I Welcome the New Neighbors and Feel Their Eyes Undress Me

The doorbell cuts through the heavy silence of the new house like a blade.

I freeze in the middle of the half-unpacked kitchen, heart suddenly racing. Mark left at dawn for another one of his endless business trips. Three weeks in Singapore this time. He kissed my forehead, told me he’d call, and then the front door clicked shut behind him, leaving me alone in this too-big suburban dream we barely afford.

Loneliness has been sitting heavy between my legs for months now. A constant, throbbing ache I try to ignore with chores and wine...