He Stole My Money Not My Power

PROLOGUE

They say the moon doesn't choose you. It finds what's already inside you and sets it free.

I didn't know that yet — not the night I sat alone in a restaurant, watching a stranger walk through the door and telling myself it meant nothing.

I didn't know it the night he promised me forever, or the morning I woke up certain I would be his wife.

I didn't know it the night he left me broken on the floor of my own home, certain I would never walk again — let alone come looking for him.

He was wrong about that. About all of it.

This is the story of how I fell in love with a man who destroyed me, and how the thing that rose from what was left of me was never going to let him forget it.

My name is Mabel.

This is how it started.

Chapter 1

The moment the door closed behind her, Jason turned toward me and pulled me into his arms. I softened against him as he held me close, and I rested my head against his chest.

This is love.

This was him. The man I had been looking for. Where had he been all my life? Why had I met him only now?

Looking back, I know what I should have seen in that moment — a man capable of screaming at a woman who had just walked in and kissed him, doing it to defend a stranger he'd known for ten minutes. That should have been the end of the story, not the beginning. But I didn't know that yet. All I knew was that his arms felt like the safest place I'd ever been.

I didn't care what anyone in the restaurant thought of me. I didn't care about the whispers or the curious looks following us. All I cared about was him. Jason pulled out his handkerchief and gently wiped my tears, and I looked into his eyes and smiled.

"Are you feeling better?" He stared into my eyes.

"Good." I blushed, staring back.

He gave me a small smile, and we left the restaurant together. I unlocked my car, and he got into the passenger seat.

As I started the engine, I glanced at him. "Where are we going?"

He looked at me. "Wherever you want."

I smiled. "Then you're coming home with me."

And that was the first mistake I made with Jason.

---

My house was spacious and beautiful, more like one of the expensive suites seen in five-star hotels, only larger and far more personal. I dropped my keys on the table in the living room, watching Jason to see how he would feel. Jason looked around, taking in the expensive furniture and carefully decorated interior. He tried not to look impressed, but I noticed the way his eyes moved around the room.

"You like it?"

"It's beautiful."

I smiled. "Wait here."

I went into my bedroom and changed into something more intimate.

When I returned, Jason stopped breathing, his eyes traced my silhouette, and he dissolved into someone entirely unmoored.

I walked toward him, and whatever distance had remained between us disappeared.

He groaned in relief as he ravaged me, and we had sex on the floor of my living room. It was one of the greatest sex I'd ever had with a man.

We went on another round, both of us panting in ecstasy, and later, we lay together, both of us quiet, catching our breath.

Then he looked at me. "I love you." Those three words made my heart flutter.

I smiled. "I love you too."

I got up, freshened up and slipped into a housecoat before heading into the kitchen. I decided to make lasagna. It was one of my favorite meals, and I wanted to do something for him.

By the time it was ready, Jason had refreshed himself and joined me. We sat together and ate. For the first time that day, everything felt perfect.

He told me about himself that night — that he worked at an auto repair shop, that he'd grown up moving between towns, that he didn't have much family left to speak of. I told him about mine — my father, my brothers, how close and overprotective we all were. He listened as if every word mattered. He asked questions no one had ever thought to ask me before.

By the time he left the next morning, I already knew I wanted to see him again.

We did. Again, and again, until "again" became every day, and every day became something that felt permanent.

Three months passed that way — dinners, late-night calls, weekends that blurred into each other. He met my friend first. Cherry adored him instantly. My family took longer.

It was three months to the day we met that my father finally insisted on meeting him properly — a family gathering, the kind my father used every excuse to throw, and the kind I knew he'd use this time to size Jason up in front of everyone.

I should have known that was the night everything would start to unravel.

---

We arrived at the Party, and the sound of music and laughter spilled out to meet us before we reached the door. Jason held my hand as we stepped inside. The living room was packed- friends, family, the usual faces my father always invited. Heads turned as we walked in.

We ran into Trinidad, the last of the lads, dressed elegantly in a pricey suit, a golden wristwatch, black shoes and a sky-blue tie. He was the family's eye - he could distinguish a faded red amid red.

He grinned as he drew me away from Jason's embrace, subtly asking him to excuse us.

"Who is he?"

"Who?" pretending I don't know who was asking about. "What is wrong with you? Do I look like a teenager to you, huh? Look, I am twenty-seven years old and can be with anyone. My Gosh." I rolled my eyes as I mumbled quietly to him.I know you can be with anyone, but not him.”

Trinidad was always correct, so my heart missed a beat. He could detect lies with such precision.

I forced a firm swallow as I resisted giving up.“Well, you are wrong this time. Jason is the most kind-hearted, caring, and supportive man I have ever met.”

“Be careful.” He said and departed.I was sad, but knew I was right concerning Jason. He was excellent in bed and so considerate — I could never be wrong. Jason approached me when he noticed the sad expression on my face and gently slid his arms around my waist, which comforted me.

"What is wrong, sugar?" He looked at me deeply.

To verify Trinidad's claims, I stared him directly in the eyes. But all I could see were those seductive eyes. Something about his gaze unsettled me — a flicker of wrongness I couldn't name, gone as quickly as it came. I told myself it was nothing. I was too captivated to care about anything else.

"My bro,ther said you're not real," I said, looking away.

His eyes flicked toward my brothers. For the briefest moment, surprise crossed his face, followed by a faint uneasiness that quickly disappeared. Then the corner of his mouth lifted, almost as though he found their suspicion amusing. He looked back at me, his expression soft and charming again and then lifted my chin and kissed my forehead. "Do you believe him?"

He stared deeply into my eyes, waiting for my answer, and I stared at him, searching his face for the answer I desperately wanted to hear. My heart seemed to pause as I silently pleaded for him to give me a reason to doubt him.

"I am real, sugar. I am real." He tightened his hold on me, his voice dropping lower, steadier. "I will love you until eternity, Mabel. I will never let anything happen to you."

He said it so confidently that I believed him. Paschal was watching us. I was certain Trinidad had told him what he thought of Jason because of the sour expressions on his face. Both were now watching me as if I couldn't decide for myself. The irritation prickled under my skin. I was tired of being treated like a little girl. If they thought their disapproval would make me leave Jason, they were wrong.

At that moment, Paschal, my older brother, approached us.

"Hi." He waved at Jason.

"Hi."

"I'm Paschal."

"I'm Jason."

They shook hands.

"Lovely one you got there, hmmm?" Paschal said, looking at me.

"Yeah. Lovely," Jason replied, holding me firmly.

Paschal studied him. "You look familiar. I've seen you somewhere, but I can't remember where."

His friendly expression didn't fool me. He was sizing Jason up, looking for something that would expose a lie.

Jason looked at him calmly. "Hmmm. That's bad."

"Do you work at the management consulting firm on Silver Street?"

"Nope. I don't."

Paschal narrowed his eyes. "I bet I've seen you somewhere. Where do you work?"

I knew exactly what my brother was doing. And, secretly, I wanted to know the answer too.

"I work at an auto repair shop."

That confirmed it.

"Hmmm." Paschal nodded. "I might go there soon. How good are they?"

"So good you won't want to change your car."

"Wow." He nodded again. "Why don't you give me your card? I'd like to try them out."

I sighed in relief when Paschal examined the card and apparently found nothing wrong with it. I rested my head on Jason's shoulder.

"Can you leave us alone?" I told Paschal. "You're ruining the moment."

He gave me a look before walking away. Something in it — as if disappointment, maybe, more than suspicion — sat uncomfortably in my chest for a moment. I brushed it off. He'd come around. He always did.

A server passed by with a tray of drinks, and Jason reached out to steady it before it tipped from a bump in the crowd. "Careful there," he said, giving her a small, easy smile. "Long night?" The girl blinked, surprised, then smiled back, thanked him, and moved on. He didn't make a thing of it. He just turned back to me as if nothing had happened.

Jason and I danced to the music playing in the background. We laughed. We whispered things into each other's ears. For a while, I forgot about my family's suspicions.

As the conversations around us continued, I felt a connection with him unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Then something happened that I couldn't explain, something I would cherish forever.

We kissed.

The feeling was surreal. For a moment, it felt as if we were the only two people in the world. I promised myself I would never let him go.

By 11:30 p.m., we had left the party and returned to my house. We made love. I ignored my father's calls. Then my brothers'. By the end of the third round, I had three missed calls from my family. Three.

One of them had left a voicemail. I almost didn't listen to it, but I did. It was Paschal. "Mabel, just checking on you. Let us know you're okay. Where are you? Call one of us back, alright?" His voice was calm, not angry. Just worried.

I stared at the number for a moment, and something in my chest tightened. Guilt, maybe. Or the beginning of doubt. But then I looked at Jason, asleep beside me, and I told myself they just didn't understand what I'd found. I turned my phone face-down and let it go quiet.

The next morning, Jason left for work, and I did the same. I entered my office still glowing from the night before. Cherry immediately noticed. She came over to my desk, a small smile tugging at her lips as she looked at me over.

"Hmm. Girl, you look so excited. Come on. Tell me what happened."

"Nothing." I tried to sound casual.

"Oh, please. Boyfriend?"

I smiled.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed. "You're glowing, girl."

"Shhhh. Keep your voice down. They'll hear you."

"Who cares? Your happiness matters."

Just the thought of him made me bat my eyes and sway a little in my seat. I grinned. "I am going to marry him."

"OMG! You don't mean it."

"Yes, I do."

"Congratulations!"

I grinned, giddy. "You know, my parents don't like him. Neither do my brothers."

"Oh, screw them. What do they know about love?"

I laughed, but something in me flinched a little at how easily she said it — like they were strangers, not my own father and brothers. Still, I shrugged it off. That was what I liked about Cherry. She was brave. She was never the mushy type.

Still, her words brought me a wave of relief. She wasn't questioning my choice or warning me to stay away from Jason. She simply believed that my happiness mattered. Somehow, having her support made the happiness inside me feel even bigger.

My thoughts drifted to Jason, and excitement fluttered through me. I imagined us together in the future, building a life of our own. I could see myself walking down the aisle toward him in a beautiful wedding dress, watching his face light up as he saw me.

I was going to marry Jason. I was certain of it. So I had thought.