"She says that daddy knows her," Ian continued, surprising you all the more. "That he knows more than we think - but that he probably doesn't remember,"
Your features contorted into a puzzled expression as you turned to glance at Michael, only to see that he looked just as confounded as you.
"She says that you're my daddy," he looked at Michael before shifting his gaze to you. "But that you're not my mommy,"
"What?" Michael gawked. "What is...that supposed to mean?" he sounded as though he were directing the question toward himself.
Of course, you weren't finding it easier to comprehend anything whilst dealing with the fear that something terrible was bound to happen at any given moment.
"She says you just need to remember her," Ian added.
Shaking your head, you scanned the room briefly before looking back at Michael.
"You are my real daddy," Ian looked at him. "That's what she told me,"
You couldn't help a small laugh as you stared at your husband. "The only way that's possible is if you messed around," you continued to chuckle, obviously believing it was much too far fetched to be true.
But as soon as you had said the words messed around, a dark realization dawned upon Michael. His face turned rigid, and his whole body froze for a moment.
And his body language shook you to a harsh reality as well.
"You're....kidding, right?" you stared at him, tears already forming in your eyes as you felt your inner world crumble.
"(Y/N)...I....can-"
"Darling, come on, let's get you dressed," you shifted your focus back to Ian. Though you kept silent about it, you now saw the little boy in a different light when you faced him again. This time when you looked at him, you could...you could see a bit of Michael in him, and you felt foolish for not having noticed it before. But of course, it's not as though you had expected your husband to be unfaithful the way he had.
It was obvious that he hadn't known until the present moment, but you didn't care about that.
"(Y/N), please," Michael began to panic as you rose to your feet, silently leading Ian out of the bathroom.
Michael grabbed your wrist as you brushed past him, but you wasted no time in yanking your hand back, shooting him a deadly glare.
"Don't start with me in front of Ian," you spoke through gritted teeth before walking away from him.
Whilst Ian quietly got dressed, you began to bustle about the room, collecting a few of your belongings that you intended to take with you, because you did not plan to stay at the house that evening. Rage had now begun to bubble within you, but you kept up quite the facade.
"(Y/N), don't leave," he whispered, trying not to escalate anything whilst Ian was in the room.
Had the little boy not been in the room, he would have been a lot more active in trying to get you to stay.
"Where are you going?" Ian asked sadly, once he was dressed.
By that point, you had packed an overnight bag for yourself, a solemn expression on your face as he walked up to you.
You crouched down, bringing your hands up to cup his face affectionately. There were tears in your eyes, yet you smiled through them. "Listen, baby, mommy's got....somewhere to be tonight," you lied. "It's just for tonight, okay? You know that I love you, right? I love you so much," you pulled him into a hug.
He might not have been yours, but you adored him as though you had carried him yourself for nine months. However, you could not bring yourself to remain at the house for the evening. You didn't want to just leave Ian behind, but you also knew that you needed your space for the night.
"Don't cry," he spoke softly, hugging you back.
You managed another smile, rubbing his back before pulling away to give him a loving kiss on the cheek. When you finally rose to your feet again, Michael inhaled sharply - still desperate to get you to stay.
"You need to look after Ian," you stated firmly once you got close enough to your husband. "Whatever is happening is putting him in danger's way, and you ought to keep an eye on him until we figure it out," you slowly slipped off your wedding band, making Michael shake his head. "I'll be back, no doubt....but right now I have no desire to have this on," you referred to the ring.
"No, (Y/N), you need to let me explain," he pleaded.
"You need to let me go, because if you continue to try to stop me, it'll get ugly," you clenched your jaw. "As if it isn't ugly enough already," you raised your eyebrows. "Just....take care of Ian while I'm gone. Besides, I think you might do well with some...newfound bonding time," you narrowed your eyes before pushing past him roughly.
Michael bit his lip as he looked away. He fought the urge to break into an argument right then and there, all because he didn't want to let you walk out like that.
He didn't know where you were going, and in all truth, you didn't even have the slightest clue as to where you intended to go - but wherever it was, it needed to be away from the house that had very quickly become less of a home to you.
Mixed with the shock of your husband's unearthed infidelity was the need for answers. For some strange reason, you felt as though you were running out of time - and that if you didn't figure out what was happening soon enough, something terrible could happen.
As well as a sense of solace, you needed to find answers.
