She searches through my dresser, pulling out each drawer and looking under the clothes.
"Celine, what are you doing? You wouldn't put your scarf in my dresser."
She ignores me, frantically searching through my clothes. And then it dawns on me what she's doing. She thinks I'm cheating on her. She's looking for proof.
Last Sunday night I was about to break up with her but she took off before I could. I was trying to let her down easy, explaining how our relationship just wasn't working anymore. She got angry and told me it's my fault, not hers, then stormed out of my apartment. The next day, she wouldn't return my texts or answer my calls. She did the same thing on Tuesday.
Now it's Wednesday and she showed up at my apartment when I got home from work, acting like everything was fine. She wanted me to take her to dinner but I told her we needed to talk and that's when she started this frantic search for her scarf.
"Celine, stop it." I grab hold of her arm and pull her to standing. "There's nothing there."
"It's there," she snaps. "I just haven't found it."
"There's nothing to find. I'm not hiding anything."
She gets in my face, pointing her finger at me, rage in her eyes. "Who is she?"
"Celine, I'm not cheating on you. That's not what this is about. We both know this relationship isn't working. We've known for a long time."
"Just because it isn't working for you doesn't mean it's not working for me!" She shoves my chest. "We're getting married, Aiden. You are NOT leaving me!"
"We're not getting married. We were never even close to getting married. We're not a good match. We don't like the same things. We rarely talk, at least not about anything that matters. We don't even like spending time together."
"Since when?" she asks, folding her arms over her chest.
"Every time I try to plan something for us, you find an excuse not to do it. Like going to Vermont last week. You bailed on me right before we were supposed to leave."
"You know how much I hate small towns. And that inn we were supposed to stay at?" She shudders. "It's hideous. I saw the pictures online. The rooms are old and small and they have no modern amenities."
"Then why did you book a room there and say you would go?"
"Because I—" She clears her throat. "I was trying to please you. I know you like places like that so I made the arrangements."
"But never intended to go."
"I did. I just changed my mind."
"You didn't even book the inn for the right night." I stare back at her, wanting the truth but knowing she won't give it to me. "Is there a reason you did that?"
"People make mistakes, Aiden. That's all it was."
"Other people make mistakes. You don't. You check and then double check and then check again to make sure it's right."
She narrows her eyes at me. "What exactly are you accusing me of?"
"You didn't want me spending time with someone else. You didn't want her riding in the car with me so you invited yourself on the trip, knowing you had no plans to actually go. And you booked the room on the wrong night so I'd be forced to come home after the court hearing."
"Which you didn't," she snaps.
"You could've gone with me."
"And been miserable."
We stand there in silence for what seems like forever but is really just a minute or two.
"Nothing happened," I finally say.
"Of course it didn't!" she says, throwing her hands in the air. "You really think I'd be jealous of Sophie? Some farm girl from the Midwest? Seriously, Aiden?" She rolls her eyes.
"Then what is it? What exactly do you think I'm doing?"
She points her finger at me. "I don't just think it. I know it. I know you're cheating on me, Aiden. I don't know who she is but I know you've been secretly texting her. And I know you took her to Vermont instead of me. You've probably taken her other places too. All those trips last summer when you said you were going biking with Peter? You were with that woman!"
"I was not with a woman. Ask Pete. We have pictures from those trips. There weren't any women there." I turn away from her, just wanting this to be over. The drama. The accusations. The fighting. This isn't the relationship I want. I knew