I am not yours
“How dare you!” Dora burst into Austin’s cabin without knocking, her voice sharp and furious.
Three heads turned toward her, Austin, Nathan, and another senior colleague, all deep in discussion. Austin waved a hand. “You guys carry on. I’ll catch up with you later.”
As Nathan left, he gave Dora a questioning look, but she ignored him, her focus locked on Austin.
“Next time, knock,” Austin said coolly, leaning back in his chair.
“To hell with your rules!” Dora slammed her hand on his desk. “How dare you write your name on me like I’m some kind of property?”
Austin smirked. “I warned you to change your dress. You didn’t listen. Now you’re mad because I marked what’s mine.”
“I’m not yours!” Dora shot back, her eyes blazing.
“Legally, you’re still my wife,” Austin said, standing and walking toward her. “And I can tell you what’s right and wrong.”
“Fuck you!”
Austin’s lips curled into a sly grin. “Oh, trust me, I’d love that.”
Dora’s hand flew up to slap him, but Austin caught her wrist, twisting it behind her back. “Easy there, tigress,” he said, his voice calm but laced with warning. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
“Let go of me!” Dora struggled, her face red with anger, tears welling in her eyes. She looked like an angry kitten—fierce but helpless.
“Go ahead, shout,” Austin taunted, pulling her closer until her body pressed against his chest. Her wriggling only made her more aware of his warmth, which sent a shiver of fear through her.
As her anger faded, fear took its place. Austin noticed the shift and loosened his grip slightly. “Now that you’re listening, let’s talk. First, that dress, did you see how men were staring at you? Second, I marked you because I want everyone to know you’re mine.”
“I’m not yours!” Dora spat. “And I wore that dress to attract customers. Remember? You called me a whore. Why do you care now?”
Her words hit a nerve. Austin’s eyes darkened. “Let’s see who dares to touch you,” he growled, grabbing her hair and tilting her head back. He began kissing and sucking her neck, marking her as his.
Dora punched his chest, yelling for him to stop, but he didn’t relent until he tasted her tears. He pulled back, guilt flashing across his face as he saw her crying, her eyes closed, her body trembling.
“Why did you stop?” Dora sobbed, her voice breaking. “Go on, embarrass me, hurt me, humiliate me. I’m so tired, Austin. What do you want from me? What have I ever done to you?”
Austin stepped back, releasing her. He turned away, raking a hand through his hair. “I just wanted to keep you safe. You have no idea how those men were looking at you.”
“And what were you doing just now? Marking me as your whore?” Dora’s tear-filled eyes accused him, piercing his heart.
Unable to face her, Austin muttered, “Sorry,” and left the cabin.
The office buzzed with gossip about Austin’s name on Dora’s back. Sienna helped her cover the hickeys on her neck, but the marker tattoo was harder to hide. Dora knew the whispers would follow her no matter what.
Meanwhile, Austin sat alone, regret gnawing at him. He hadn’t meant to hurt Dora, but his jealousy had taken over. His mind raced with conflicting thoughts.
Why are you so concerned about her? She cheated on you. Karma’s just doing its job.
But another voice countered, You’re scared, Austin. Scared that someone else will take her away. That’s why you marked her. Admit it.
“Yes, so what?” Austin muttered to himself. “Legally, she’s still my wife. I won’t let anyone take her.”
Love her if you love her. Don’t just claim her.
“And what about her betrayal?” Austin argued with himself. “She lied to me, got pregnant with his child, and tried to pass it off as mine. I would’ve forgiven her if she’d just told me the truth.”
His inner battle was interrupted by his phone ringing. Seeing the caller ID, his mood shifted instantly.
“Paulina,” he answered, forcing a smile. “What a pleasant surprise.”
Her sharp, accusing eyes felt like a knife to his heart. Unable to bear it, he left the cabin, muttering, "Sorry," before walking out.
"I’m going to beat him up! Who does he think he is?" Sienna shouted angrily, ready to storm off, while Douglas tried to hold her back.
"Calm down, baby. Take care of Dora first," he said, trying to soothe her.
"Dora! Oh, Dora! I’m so sorry, sweetheart. How are you feeling now?" Sienna’s anger faded a little when she saw Dora’s sad state. The people around them stared curiously, but they quickly scattered when Sienna yelled, "What are you looking at? Mind your own business!"
The news about Austin’s name written on Dora’s back spread quickly in the office, and soon everyone was giving her strange looks. Sienna had helped her hide the hickeys on her neck, but the tattoo Austin had drawn with a permanent marker was impossible to hide. Dora laughed bitterly to herself. She could cover the hickeys or the tattoo, but how could she stop the gossip? Many people were just waiting for a chance to bring her down.
Meanwhile, Austin was trying to figure out how to fix the mess he’d made, but nothing worked. He wasn’t worried about his own reputation, but he knew this would make things harder for Dora.
He sighed, regretting his impulsive actions that had landed them both in this mess. The more he tried to avoid complicating their already strained relationship, the worse things seemed to get. He didn’t regret trying to protect Dora from her coworkers, who often had inappropriate thoughts about her, but he did regret how he’d gone about it.
"Why do you even care about your cheating ex-wife? Didn’t she betray you before? Isn’t this just karma coming back to her?" his darker side whispered to him. "She has a new boyfriend now. He’ll take care of her, just like you used to."
Yes, she doesn’t need me to fix this. Even though I caused it, I did it for her own good. She just wouldn’t listen," he muttered to himself.
"You’re scared, Austin," his better side chimed in. "You’re scared because she’s found someone who loves her more than you ever did. That’s why you’re acting this way. Take responsibility for what you’ve done."
"You’re scared Douglas will take her away from you. That’s why you wanted everyone to know she belonged to you. Isn’t that why you wrote your name on her?"
"Yes, so what? Legally, she’s still my wife, and she dares to be with that guy?" he argued with himself.
"Don’t try to claim her. If you love her, just love her."
"But what about her betrayal? She even got pregnant with his child and tried to say it was mine. I could have forgiven her if she’d been honest and sorry. I love her, damn it! I would have accepted her, flaws and all."
"And you can’t ignore her betrayal. You have all the proof."
His thoughts were interrupted by a phone call. Seeing the caller’s name, his mood instantly brightened.
"Paulina, what a nice surprise!" he said, smiling
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