Kim and I hug tightly before she leaves. I don’t really want her to go but I know she has to return home to Kirk. Besides, she’s pregnant. She doesn’t need the added stresses and complications of my life!
I go with her to the door and watch her as she walks to the elevator, but when it pings open, Michelle steps out with Anya. Kim throws me a knowing look before she disappears.
This is it. This may be my chance to speak to Michelle. I have already decided to move out of this apartment by the end of the week. I’ll find somewhere else to rent first before I buy a new place. I have to sell this one first.
Anya comes running over to me when she sees me at my door. I lift her up in my arms and give her a kiss. Michelle is smiling as she comes towards us.
“We went for pizza and gelato!” Anya exclaims. Even though I can physically feel my heart hurting, I can’t deny how good Anya instantly makes me feel. It’s her innocence. Her devotion to me.
I just hope that the conversation I am about to have with Michelle doesn’t cause a complete upheaval in Anya’s life again. Who am I kidding? It probably will if Michelle decides to leave the relationship—which any straight-thinking woman would.
I give Anya a tight hug as she tells me about her day. I hope that I’m actually helping her. Maybe all this will make Trevor see that he needs to make some serious lifestyle changes for the sake of his daughter. He can’t carry on like this. He can’t treat other women like this. What kind of example is he setting for his daughter?
“Hey, Anya, do you think you want to go play for a bit while I talk to Michelle?” I suggest.
Michelle is already opening the apartment door. I have no idea if Trevor is inside or not. She looks at me now, a little surprised. Obviously, she has no reason to believe I have anything of importance to say to her.
“Okay, but will you play with me soon?” Anya asks.
“Of course I will, honey, real soon,” I reply, patting the top of her head. I make a personal vow to try my best to spend some time alone with Anya before I leave this apartment. I’m not sure if Trevor would allow that, but I will have to try.
Anya leaves us, and Michelle moves towards me.
“Is everything okay?” she asks.
I’m having a hard time looking at her directly.
“I don’t know. I guess it’s not. I just thought you should know the truth…about Trevor. About him and me…”
Michelle breathes in deeply, her shoulders square. It almost seems like she saw this coming. I push myself to move on with my speech quickly before I end up changing my mind and back out.
“Trevor and I were seeing each other for a while. It was very short-lived. And by seeing each other, what I mean is that we were…I’m sorry, I know this is hard to hear…we were sleeping together.”
Michelle licks her lips as she stares at me, then she nods her head. I was expecting a bit more of a shocked reaction. She seems to be very well-put-together and in-charge of her emotions, given what she has just discovered about her boyfriend. Or is this so commonplace that it doesn’t even bother her anymore?
“Yes, I know, Trevor mentioned it briefly to me,” she finally replies.
My hand rises up to my heart. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Did he really tell her about us? How are they still together?
“Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t realize you knew.”
Michelle shrugs. “Yeah, he told me on the night I arrived and you were in the apartment.”
“So his emergency was to go and pick you up from the airport?” I ask, and Michelle offers me a faint smile.
“Yeah, my mother hasn’t been doing very well, so I took the first flight back to the States and arrived here in the middle of the night. Trevor offered to pick me up from the airport and I was so tired and worried about Mom that I agreed. I should have just taken a cab instead of bothering him. Bothering you.”
I am having a difficult time coming to terms with the fact that Michelle is so casual about this whole thing.
Was I wrong? Have I been mistaken this whole time? Maybe Michelle isn’t…