Chapter 546 Michael Is Lying
Ronan glanced at me cautiously after his delivering his report. I felt shocked and to be honest, a little flustered at the news. “You mean he accompanied a woman to the hospital yesterday?” I pressed on, trying to suppress the panic rising in my chest. “Who is she?”
“I don’t know,” he admitted hastily in response to my scowl. “I heard it from the nurse. She might have been mistaken.” “He didn’t come home last night,” I blurted.
I really wanted to believe Michael, but Ronan’s discovery made me doubt everything Michael had ever said. I was thoroughly unnerved.
If he accompanied a woman to the hospital yesterday afternoon, could he have been with that same woman last night? “He didn’t come home last night?” Ronan repeated in surprise. As if suddenly recollecting something, he looked into my eyes over several moments of silence before speaking again.
“Don’t overthink it,” he said bracingly. “You should know by now how much he loves you. There must be something else you’re not aware of. You two should talk about it when you get home.”
I knew that Ronan only said that to comfort me. Truth be told, I saw from his expression that he was just as shocked as I was that Michael had spent the night outside. Though he did not want to admit it, I was certain that he had already arrived at the same conclusion I did.
“I see. Thank you for your help. I should get going for I have something to attend to.”
No longer in the mood to hang around any longer, all I wanted to do was to put this mystery to bed once and for all.
Back in the ward, I told my mother with vague excuses that I had to leave. She did not force me to stay but instead told me to have a safe journey.
I drove back to the Shaw residence. Along the journey, my mind was reeling from the conversation I had with Ronan. Who the hell was Michael with last night?
Michael must have been exhausted from the night before as he was still asleep when I came up to the bedroom.
If it was any other time, I would have let him rest. However, I felt as if I can no longer suppress my emotions by that point. The dread of what I might find out gnawed at me.
“Michael.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and whispered his name in as level a voice as I could.
Being a light sleeper, he opened his eyes as soon as I call out his name.
“Why are you back so soon?” he frowned suspiciously. “Don’t you have to care for Janette at the hospital?”
“Janette’s feeling much better. Since I’m not needed there as much, I thought I’d come back to rest.”
“You really have been overworking yourself for the past two days. Come lie down with me for a nap.”
Michael did not even seem to notice anything different about me. Without waiting for a response, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
There was a possibility that I had imagined it, but I had the distinct feeling that he was unusually cold toward me that day.
“Michael, what did you do with your friend last night?” I asked nonchalantly as I lay beside him.
Michael opened his eyes to regard me imperiously as if my question had offended him.
“This again! Haven’t I already explained it to you this morning? Don’t you believe me?”
“I didn’t mean that,” I said at once. “Can’t we just chat normally like every other married couple? There aren’t any secrets between the two of us, are there?”
The feeling of unease became stronger as I waited for the answer to my question that did not seem to come.
“I drank with some clients last night. We were celebrating our partnership in a new project,” Michael explained placidly as he averted his gaze before closing his eyes again. “I’ve had a little too much to drink, so I didn’t come back.”
I studied the silhouette of his cheekbones and felt a little sad because I knew he was lying to me.
What clients? He was obviously in the hospital last night. To my dismay, I realized that the man I trusted the most in the world was going to cheat on me.
“You never drink too much for work,” I pressed on with as much nonchalance as I could muster. “What kind of project is it to necessitate you drinking past your limits?”
“What has gotten into you today?” Michael asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. “Why are you asking so many questions all of a sudden? You never used to care about my job.”
“I’m making an effort now, ain’t I?” I said, trying hard to suppress my emotions. “I’m just concerned for you for working so hard that you couldn’t even come home to sleep. What happens if you fall ill?”
“Don’t worry,” he said gruffly. “My body will never break down. I still have to care for you and Amaury, don’t I?”
My lie seemed to have appeased him. He squeezed my cheek affectionately and smiled.
I gazed back at him with a blank expression I had never expected to be in a situation where my courage would fail me in confronting him.
“Though I appreciate your concern for me, I think it’s time to drop it. I’m still dead-tired. Try and get some sleep too, will you?”
Without another word, Michael held me and promptly closed his eyes again.
Laying quietly in his arms, I studied his face without moving. Suddenly, it felt as if I hardly knew him.
I never thought that this day would come. Now that it has, I don’t even know how to convey my sadness and disappointment of having been lied to. How naive of me to have believed that there were no secrets between us!
During my multiple rehearsals of the confrontation I was going to have on the way back, every scenario ended with him telling me the truth. I certainly did not prepare for the other eventuality.
I couldn’t sleep. His face, which used to make my heart flutter, just reminded me of the marital vows he broke. Unable to bear it for another second, I removed his arm around my waist and got out of bed.
I sat alone in the living room, haunted by the regret of not confronting him point-blank when I had the chance to.
But I didn’t dare to say it. I did not know whether to feel relieved or disappointed with myself. If I had said something, I might have uttered words which I would never have been able to take back.
As much as I hate to admit it, I felt weak and foolish for wanting to preserve our relationship.
