Their Choices, Their Life

Chapter Twenty-Five.

She watched him as he slept and contemplated how this would all play out. Not the conversation she was about to have with him at this moment, she knew exactly how it would end. She knew herself well enough to know what she would do. What was about to happen this morning wasn't her concern, but rather what would happen in the future; maybe two months from now or even two years from now.

"Michael. Michael!" She shook him violently as she straddled him in the bed.

"Hmm? Babe, just give me like another 30 minutes and I promise I'll rock your world." He answered, thinking she was waking him up for sex.

"Just tell me the truth, Michael. Please, babe, don't lie to me." She pleaded with him as the first of many tears fell from her eyes and onto Michael's bare chest. His eyes shot open at her.

"What? What are you talking about, Jay?" He squinted his eyes and tried to get her off of him, but she wouldn't budge.

"I can't believe you would do this to me. Is this why you've been gone and didn't want to have sex with me?" She planned to be more calm in this moment, but she just couldn't find the strength to be.

"Wait, baby. Slow down, what are you talking about?" He gripped her hips and looked up at her, silently begging her to tell him what was going on. She couldn't get a word out, so she threw her phone at him. His hand slowly grasped for the phone, afraid of what he would find on the screen.

"What the fuck?"

"That's what I want to know, Michael. What the fuck! How could you?!" She finally got off of him and wrapped her robe around herself, tying it tightly above her stomach.

Michael sat up in the bed and took another look at her phone. He saw a video on Instagram looping of he and Aja sitting on a couch. Michael's hand reached for her face before he moved closer to her. The grainy video cut off just as it looked like the two were about to share a kiss.

"This has to be old. Do you think I'd be stupid enough to do this openly?"

"If it's old, then why are you wearing the chain I gave you on Christmas?" She picked the phone up and held it so close to his face that his eyes had a hard time focusing on the screen.

He was wearing the chain she bought him. The video was taken Christmas night. He remembered being drunk and he remembered trying to console Aja when she started crying, but he certainly didn't remember kissing her. He would never do that to Janeé.

He'd done too much to get them where they were now—some things he wasn't proud of; things he's never told a soul.

"Were you with her when you missed the Lamaze class and taking me to the airport?"

"Jay, listen, it's not what you think."

"Were you with her? Hmm?" Janeé's anger and voice rose with each question she asked.

"Babe look--" he walked towards her with his hands outstretched but his action caused her to back farther away from him.

"Just answer the fucking question, Michael! Were you with her when you missed the class and taking your pregnant girlfriend to the airport?!"

"Yes, Janeé. Shit! I was with her! But it wasn't like that."

"It wasn't what? It wasn't like it was with Alex? Because you actually have feelings for Aja, right?"

"No, baby." His voice was almost at a whisper now and he had this look of shock and confusion on his face, like he was completely surprised at what was happening. "I had feelings for her, but that was before we got back together. I only love you Jay, you know that."

"I'm not sure if you love me in the way I need or deserve to be loved, Michael." Her shoulders slumped and he shook his head in disbelief and a bit of anger that she would believe a stupid video posted on social media over him.

"This isn't love. This can't be love...it just can't be," she whispered to herself over and over as Michael tried to find the right words to assure her he'd never betray her.

"Did you kiss her?" Her beautiful eyes were bloodshot at this point. Michael found it unbearable to see her slowly unravel before him—because of him. He looked at her pitifully but she wouldn't let up. "Answer me! Did you kiss her?!"

"I-I don't fucking know! I was drunk that night. I was missing you and I went to Chris' house for some drinks—I didn't even know she'd be there."

She'd heard enough of his lies. She pulled up another photo, but this time, it was much more incriminating. He could tell by the look on her face that whatever she saw completely devastated her.

The picture was of Michael and Aja kissing on a bed, half naked.

"I asked you not to lie to me Michael." Her hands shook as she handed him her phone.

"I didn't—" his words, along with his heart, stopped when he saw the photo. "Babe, let me explain."

"What's there to explain? Why would you pursue me if you wanted to be with her?"

"I don't want her, I only want you." He grabbed her arms and pressed his face against hers. "Please believe me. I need you to believe me this time, let me tell you what all this is."

Janeé so badly wanted to believe him and let him try to explain away the irrefutable evidence she presented, but she knew she deserved better than that. She'd given him another chance and he blew it, and she blamed herself for it. She was the one who let him back in, despite him showing her who he really was years ago.

His arms wrapped around her shoulders and pulled her so tight to his chest that she felt like she would suffocate under his grasp. He was going to make her listen, even if he had to hold her like this to do it. "Me and Aja have been seeing each other but—" she couldn't listen to him confess he'd given himself to her. She'd didn't think her heart could take the pain of hearing him say those words.

"Michael, I cant breathe." He let her go and looked at her trying to make she was OK. "I need some fresh air." She walked towards the front door of the villa but paused when she heard him following her. "Alone, Michael, I need some fresh air alone."

She grabbed the small bag by the door that she placed there before she woke him up and took a much needed deep breath as she took her first step outside. Her feet didn't immediately start walking, although that was the plan. She stood there frozen, peering through the window, watching Michael pace back and forth across the living room. He looked so lost.

Just as her feet turned to go back inside to hear him out, a sharp pain shot through her body, bringing her to her knees. She held her stomach—the source of the pain—and prayed for her and her baby. Despite the pain she felt, she willed herself to her feet, grabbed the bag and briskly walked away from the villa and away from Michael.

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Y'all good? 👀 Did Janeé react the way you thought she would? What chall think she gon do next?