The Prices I Pay ((MIKE ZACHARIAS X ERWIN SMITH X OC))

Chapter 12

"Cut to the damn chase." Silica demanded, fearful that she already knew what he was going to say.

"I discovered that he was wrestling with a woman who was on top of him, and when he flipped her over, he kissed her." Erwin finished, and from the look on his face, it was obvious that he didn't want to.

Silica let a loose breath fall from her lips at the news, and was shocked at the fact that she wasn't surprised. His distance now made sense to her. He wouldn't touch her. Look at her. Barely uttered a single word to her, and all this time, she thought he had been holding a grudge.

And good God was she wrong.

"Silica?" Erwin asked unsurely as he sat up. He tried to look her in the eye, but it looked as if she was staring through him.

"What happened after that?" She asked densely. The sound of her voice was almost startling.

"I..." Erwin cleared his throat. "I lost my temper. I'm sure he's still on base somewhere."

Silica's laced fingers tightened in her lap, and she finally found it within herself to meet Erwin's eye. When she did, the light within her iris' was gone.

"Who was the woman?" She asked.

"Silica —"

"Who was she?" She tried to suppress her yell, to no avail.

"A solider named Nanaba," Erwin told her reluctantly. "A member of his squad."

Silica couldn't help but laugh cynically. The scenario was so like men to do. Knock one woman up, and move on to the next. Her heart jackhammered in her chest, and she moved to rip off her engagement ring. She held it out to Erwin.

"Thank you for what you did," she said, this time sounding genuine as she placed the small band in his palm, along with the locket Mike gifted her. "If you see him, tell him not to ever step foot on my property again, and if he does, I'll shoot him."

"Silica, you're about to have his child —"

"He should have thought about that before sticking his tongue down some other woman's throat, and God knows what else." Silica cut him off densely, and when the carriage stopped in front of her house, she roughly opened the door and stepped out. Erwin followed after her.

He ran to catch up, and grabbed onto her wrist just before she could walk up the stairs leading onto her porch. The action elicited her to whip around, and when she did, Erwin laid to witness the tears brimming her eyes. He felt his heart shatter at the sight, and he didn't hesitate to hug her again.

"God why does this always happen?" She pounded her fists against his chest. "Why in God's name am I so stupid? Why, why, why?"

"It's not your fault, Silica," Erwin promised as he took her cheeks in his hands to get her to look at him. "He chose to do what he did. You did absolutely nothing wrong."

"What am I going to tell Amelia?" Silica gripped her hair.

"Talk to Mike first," Erwin advised. "See if what you had is salvageable."

"This coming from the man who went out of his way to kick his ass?" Silica looked up at him skeptically.

"This coming from the man who cares very much for you," his voice was softer now. "I know how much you care about him regardless of how I feel about it."

"I don't know..." she spoke no higher than a whisper.

"Think about it," Erwin said gently, and brushed her hair behind her ear. "If it doesn't work, then at least you can say you tried. All you have to do is talk to him."

Silica merely nodded in acknowledgement and allowed Erwin to hug her one last time for the night.

"Get some rest," he said once they parted. "I'll be looking for you in the morning."

"Right..." Silica hugged herself. "See you tomorrow."

Erwin forced a smile just before climbing back into the carriage, and once he was gone beyond the tree line, Silica sunk down to sit on the step of her porch with her head in her hands and only one thought on her mind.

What in the world was she going to do?

__________

Silica was on base early the next morning, and did as Erwin advised in finding Mike.

She arrived at Mike's dorm in record time, and stood in front of his door with her eyes trained on the door handle. She was terrified of what she might find on the other side, and went through what she might do if she opened it to see him with Nanaba. She didn't even recall him ever talking about her, and struggled when she tried to think of what this woman might look like.

She exhaled heavily and finally forced herself to open the door, and upon doing so, she saw the man in question sitting shirtless at his desk whilst applying peroxide to the cuts on his face.

Mike turned over his shoulder quickly at the sound of her entry, and only then could Silica see the full damages Erwin inflicted on his face the night prior.

A stitched gash slashed through his right brow, his left eye was nearly swollen shut, and the left corner of his bottom lip was puffy and split. There was a knot on his forehead that was in the process of bruising, and an assortment of small cuts decorated the parts of his face that weren't purple. Silica couldn't help but scoff at the sight of him.

"You look pathetic." She spat viciously whilst slamming the door behind her.

"Silica —"

"No," she barked as he stood. "I get to talk and you get to shut your slimy trap and listen."

Mike's brow scrunched at her words, but he didn't object whilst lowering himself into his chair again. Silica crossed her arms.

"How long have you known this sneaky conniving bitch?" Silica's words held so much hate that they felt physically painful.

"She's not —"

"I didn't ask what she was," Silica scowled. "I asked how long you've known her."

"Since boot camp," Mike sounded tense. "About fifteen years."

"Were you ever with this woman before?"

"We've dated on and off for years."

"How long have you been fucking her?" Silica's head titled condescendingly; as if he was a child being scolded.

"I —..." Mike cut himself off and looked down, ashamed. "A week... or two."

"Hm," Silica stalked toward him. "C'mon Mike, I'm sure you know the exact answer. Was it only one week? Or two? Or maybe even three?"

Silica quickly rose her boot and slammed her heel into his groin with so much force that she nearly knocked him and his chair over. He keeled over in pain with both hands latching to her ankle, and she took a fistful of his hair to angle his gaze with hers whilst digging her heel further into his lap.

"I'm sure you have all the answers," she spat in his face. "Was she good? Did you take her boozing on the roof too? Maybe give her a piss poor little necklace just to butter her up enough to get her to fuck your sorry ass? Tell me Mike, was she good?"

Mike grit his teeth in pain, and when he didn't answer her, she spit on his swelling eye and tossed his head back.

"You're disgusting," she hissed. "And I hope it was worth it, cuz you are never seeing this child or Amelia ever again. If you so much as even think of coming near me or my kids I will fucking kill you. Do you hear me? I'll kill you!"

She dug her heel into his lap one more time for good measure before pushing off of him and leaving his dorm room.

Levi was right in his previous doubt of their engagement, and even more so for his weariness of Mike in general. Never would Silica have pegged Mike to do such a thing, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

No man was exempt from then on, and she would be sure to remember that.