I arrived to my destination. The car stopped at a last house on the end of the street. The neighborhood was quiet and the only sounds that were heard was a barking of a nearby dog. The place still looked the same, the only difference is the house being painted a different color.
I turned off the car and got out. I placed my keys into my pocket as I proceed to walk up the short steps that led to the front door. The wooden porch steps made my footsteps loud enough to hear. Once I got to the door, I knocked on it twice. I didn't even notice the small door bell that was next to door. I rang it once.
Momentarily, the door opened. Anna, whom, I haven't seen since 3 years now, looked at me with a surprised look. She titled her head, trying to observe my face, as if she no longer recognized it or something. I greeted her with a simple smile.
"Hey," I spoke.
"You tracked down my house?" She responded.
"Not necessarily...well yes. I had no other choice, we need to talk Anna." I tried to explain.
"I told you I have nothing to say to you," she spat, clearing emphasizing that her long years of anger and grudge against me was still there. I couldn't blame her, I cut her off possibly at the worst timing without thinking of how it would effect her. I was selfish when I shouldn't have been.
"Look, I know we haven't been on the best terms but I can't leave without talking."
"About what? Tell me what could you possibly want to talk about after 3 years Michael." She crossed her arms.
"I know about the pregnancy," I finally said. "That you hid from me." She freezes once she hears the words come out of my mouth. She hardens her face and knits her eyebrows. "How do you know that?" She then says.
"Can I come in so we can talk it over?" I said, hoping she would let me in. She creaked the door open and stepped to the side, inviting me in.
The atmosphere of the place felt odd. It almost felt like I was having deja vu. All of the memories from my past suddenly kept flooding in. The nights I would spend here. The long hours of laughter, cooking, game nights....it felt unsettling as if there was a huge guilt roaming around.
"You want something to drink?" She says, keeping a foot distance away from me. I stood there in the middle of the living room, not sure if I should sit down or wait for her to tell me so.
"I don't think that's necessary," I said, denying her offer. Silence passes between us for a moment. Then she took a seat on the couch. She looked up at me briefly and then the empty spot next her. I took the sudden expression as a signal that she wanted me to sit down.
"Can I just ask why?" I said, jumping back to the subject. "I mean...a call or notice wouldn't hurt. Why did you not tell me?"
She scoffed and shrugged, "I didn't think it would be any of your business," she said bluntly. "I mean you already have a family, what difference does it make?"
"What difference does it make?" I repeated her question which was the stupidest thing I've heard if we're being honest. If the child was really mine then it makes a huge difference. "Anna, it's my child too, you don't have the right to run off and hide it from me."
"Run off?!" She laughed. "You threw me out of your life, I didn't run off you told me not to show my face around you and your wife again!" Her voice echoed the entire room.
"Is that why you didn't leave? What happened to the large amount of money I gave you? Did you use it for the baby?" I questioned. She ran her hands through her hair, a familiar motion she would partake in when she's either impatient or annoyed. "I gave you half of my funds Anna and you didn't do what I asked."
She turns to me, with a cold stare. "I'm sorry Michael.....is that what you want to hear."
"I didn't come to start an argument, I'm sorry if I'm upsetting you, this is a lot for me to take in right now and I'm more confused about it all." I tried to explain without hostility. "Where's the baby now?" I asked.
"I didn't leave because of the baby and I didn't want to make that huge risk of going somewhere alone moments after finding out I was pregnant," she finally admitted. "More importantly I contemplated about telling you, I was a hundred percent sure you'd be the father because at the time you were the only man who I exposed myself like that too," she cleared her throat. "I-I knew if I told you, there wouldn't be any joy as a reaction, and it would've almost ruined your life and marriage so I kept it to myself." There was a single tear that slid down her cheeks. "You don't understand how happy I was for a second about being a mother and all that happiness disappeared in a matter of seconds when I faced reality and saw how wrong the situation was."
I stay quiet, even though the hard agony of guilt was eating me alive at the moment.
"I hid that pregnancy for your sake. I didn't tell you about it because I already thought of getting rid of it. I ended up getting an abortion instead. I used the money to pay off the medical expenses, I couldn't leave after," she finally finished. She wiped her face with her sleeve. "So there is no baby but I'm sure that's a relief for you."
"I'm so sorry Anna," were the only words my mouth could let out. "I'm sorry I couldn't give you the life you wanted and I cut you off like that, I was scared for myself. I love Sierra dearly and I didn't want to lose her, at the time—I may have been in a darker and delusional state of mind. The way I treated people was unacceptable. You obviously deserved much better." I honestly didn't know how to apologize enough to her. I'm more thankful that I've come to known such a thoughtful person like her. She could've easily ran to Sierra and told her everything but she thought about my consequences and made a huge sacrifice. Thinking about the way I treated her back then sickens me and frustrates me. She deserved better and somehow I just wish I knew a way to make that happen for her.
"I know bringing this up was the worst timing but once I heard it I almost couldn't believe it—"
"Wait.....heard it?" She said confusingly. "By who?"
"Veronica...she already told me about you two bumping into each other." I clarified. She looked puzzled by the name, as if it's her first time hearing it. I didn't know if she was playing dumb right now or she didn't have a clue what I was talking about. "She said you two had coffee together, thats the only reason why I came here."
"Veronica? I never had coffee with anyone named Veronica. I don't even know who you're talking about," her face was still scrunched up in confusion.
"Well that wouldn't make any sense? Maybe you forgot her face or something." I chuckled. "How else she know about your pregnancy, let alone who you are."
"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not the one to forget faces easily. I'm sure I would remember who I had coffee with recently," she responded with a much serious tone. "Have you been telling my business to other people?" She questioned.
I was now confused. "No. She said you two have met, she came to my work and told me about it."
"I have absolutely no clue who she is," she almost yelled getting impatient.
"Veronica!" I repeated again. "If you don't know her then why would she tell me about meeting you." I took a moment to put two and two together. If Anna has no clue about who she is, then that obviously means Veronica was lying about the encounter. I actually find it disturbing that she would go beyond measurements to dig that deep into my personal life. How does someone go that far back into someone's past and pull out information about someone I knew 3 years ago. It almost makes me wonder what other private and personal information she dug up about me and how long she's been stalking me. What does she gain from it? Did she tell me about the pregnancy to get the pleasure of watching me get stressed and worked out or possibly endure the feeling of fear? Is this one of her sick games? This has become more than obsession. This is a form of harassment at this point.
I got up and started to pace around the room. I continued to think of the reason for her to lead me all the way over here. "This is probably what she wants. To make me feel intimidated and to blackmail me," I started mumbling to myself.
"Michael can you please explain to me what's going on?" Anna said. "Who is this Veronica."
"Veronica is a crazy, obsessed, and manipulative person who won't leave me alone and I'm afraid she's been stalking you too." I explained to her. "She won't stop until I give her what she wants."
"Why would she care about me? And why haven't you gone to the police about this?"
"She's digging up my mistakes and she thinks that's a way to control me or get me to comply with her wants," I said while briefly thinking to myself.
"I think you should leave. You heard what you wanted to hear and I don't think you should waste any more time. I'm sure your wife is wondering where you're at," Anna said.
She was right. It was past 7 pm. Sierra is expecting me to be home for dinner at 8 pm. I haven't even sent her a text about running a little bit late and I'm sure she's been calling me nonstop. "I'm sorry I didn't catch up with you all these years and to waste your time like this." I apologized before grabbing my belongings and walking towards the door. She followed me from behind with her arms crossed. I stepped out the door and faced her once more to say my goodbyes.
"Please don't call or visit me again. I'm past whatever happened between us. I'm focusing on my own life and you should too," she said with a slight smile. "I've heard about the arrival of your baby, boy or girl?"
"Girl...her name is Starr," I said almost feeling bad about answering the question. "She's wonderful."
"Congratulations," with my surprise, she closed the door in my face. It was a cold and swift move that I wasn't expecting. I didn't put too much thought into it, I left and proceeded to my car.
I checked my phone to see if there were any missed calls from Sierra. There were three. I made sure to send her a text about coming home in a moment. Below Sierra's calls there was also a missed call from a number I didn't recognize. The number also left a voicemail. I quickly got into the driver's seat and played the the voicemail.
"Hey Michael this is Lance from the police department. Im sure you remember me when you came to the station with your wife. I'm calling to tell you that your assumption of Veronica may be right. I have a feeling she's a suspect to one of our cases. Call me back as soon as possible and we'll discuss furthermore."
Veronica's POV:
I sat in the car, parked a few meters away from the house. I tried to keep a low profile and watch him as he approached the door. He was doing exactly as I expected of him. I've only said those things so I can get a clear shot of what I wanted to see. As soon as the door opened, I brought my Canon digital camera out. I let the tinted window down a little, enough for me to get the lenses out in the open. I positioned the camera at an angle that would get me a good shot of him. He stood there talking to the tall and lean brunette woman. She was paled skin with hazelnut brown hair. I must say Michael, your taste is very diverse and all over the place. I zoomed in further took the first photo. I couldn't make out what they were saying but I'm sure it was about what I said to him at his work. Why else would he clock out so fast and run out through those doors. I, of course, was intrigued and had no choice to follow him here. I know one thing, he probably didn't even call his wife to let her know where he was at. More importantly, who he was with.
I took several more photos. So I thought to myself, I should just be generous and save him all the hassle. This photos should be a clear outline of where he was and exactly what he was doing. I could just spare her the impatience and questioning by sending them to her.
Moments after, the door slammed shut and both of them were inside. I mentally cursed myself, realizing I had no visionary eye on him during the time being. I couldn't hop out of the car and go up to the house myself either. So I had no choice but to wait for him to come out.
During my wait, my eyes trailed on a nearby neighbor, a house that faced across from the house Michael was in. The person was standing by her porch with her eyes directly on my car. I could only sit and wonder why she had her eyes closely on me. Then I observed my surroundings. Each car in this neighborhood looked almost nearly the same, such as each houses did. Family sized vehicles with clear windows. Even Michael's car was blending in with the pattern. The only car that's out of place is mine. I didn't know if that person were speculating something about me or possibly the dark tinted windows were sending off a wrong message. "Why can't people mind their business," I cursed.
The neighbor continued to stare, I kept my composure and thought of something that wouldn't cause me to look suspicious. I searched through my bag for any spare paper or any empty envelope. There was a postbox located just a few feet where I was parked. I ended up finding a ripped out envelope from the glove compartment. I got out the car and walked toward the postbox. After dropping the useless envelope into the box, I walked back to the car. The neighbor who was standing there were no longer outside.
Seconds after, Michael came out the house. He said something to the woman before the door was slammed in his face. There was a surprised look on his face, which made me curious of what he just said to her. I watched him get into his car. At that moment, I took out my phone and scrolled across the screen until I saw app titled, "Canon camera connect." It was an app that connects through bluetooth from the digital camera to my phone. Whatever pictures I take, it instantly transfers them to file on my phone, making it easier to access them. I went to the file and saved the pictures into my camera roll. Afterwards, I scrolled through my contacts and clicked on a specific number. I composed a text message, in the text, I attached the photos I took, and pressed send. Michael's car drove off past me, and I smiled at the thought of how clueless he was. It feels good to always be one step ahead of him all the time.
Michael's POV:
I arrived to the gates of our temporary home. The time on my phone read 8:54 p.m. I already missed dinner and I'm hoping Sierra isn't too mad about staying in the house alone with the baby for too long. I punched in the 15 digit security code that unlocked the gates. Once I was inside, I parked my car and walked up to the front door. Our dog was sleeping peacefully by the steps, I patted his head and knocked on the door. It took me a second to realize, the door was already unlocked, which is odd. I let myself in. The spacious house was quiet for moment, until I heard the sound of Sierra's voice coming from the kitchen.
"Sierra," I called out. "I'm home." It's weird that she isn't walking up to greet me with a kiss like she usually does. I set my belongings on the couch and walked towards the kitchen. "Didn't you hear me?" I said once I walked in and saw her standing near the counter with her phone in her hand. "Who were you talking to?" I said curious to why she was in her by herself.
"I just got off the phone with a friend," she answered in a low tone. There was another response following her vague one.
"Okay?" I said, "I'm sorry I'm late, something came up at work, I should've called."
"Yeah you should've. You missed dinner," she said in a passive aggressive tone. She then turned around to face me with her arms crossed. "You usually call when you're late."
"Yeah well I was busy, I'm sorry. Next time I will," I responded. I walked up to her to plant a kiss on her lips, until she leaned her head back, preventing me from doing so. "Is there something I've done?" I laughed at how unridiculously mad she was being. There are days where I'm running two hours late, and she doesn't even give me this much attitude.
"I've ordered pizza, there wasn't much to cook around here anyways. I put your leftovers in the fridge," she tried to change the subject.
"Great, I'm starving." I bolted to the fridge where the box of pizza was placed. I grabbed two cheese slices and put them on a plate. I went to the microwave to heat them up. "Where's Starr? It's awfully quiet in here."
"I found the credit card that had our emergency funds. And figured out the unusual transactions," she continued to speak. I kept my ear on her words while I took the pizza out the microwave. I faced her, giving my full attention to her again.
"You called the bank?" I asked, while taking a big bite into one of the slices.
"Yes, they said the money was spent at an expensive hotel in downtown," she responded. "There was additional transactions made this morning too, right after you left for work."
"Was it at the hotel again?" I said, not sure how any money could be taken out if the card was physically in our home. "Where did you even find the card?"
"Deep inside one of your sweats," she then took it out from the pockets of her shorts and threw it across the counter.
"Did you tell the bank to place a hold on it? Something obviously doesn't seem right with the transactions," I mumbled through as I continued to eat.
She shrugged, "That was the first thing I thought of when I called them, but once I spoke to someone about it, they said I didn't have no authorization over what happens to the card because of you."
"What?"
"You told them you completely signed off your name on the card rather than co-signing it with me. On top of that, you changed the pin," she said. "Then my suspicions grew even more, I asked them to read me back the transactions that was made this morning, $500 worth of lingerie, candles and roses."
I nearly choked on my food once I heard her accusations, "Why would I sign off my name on the card? I haven't even used or seen the card in years."
"Do you think I'm fucking stupid?" She suddenly shifted emotions. She stared at me coldly, and it was enough to tell me that she was accusing me of something I haven't even done and the thought that was circling in her head was pushing her frustration.
"Sierra you really don't think I did that—" I said, examining her face. "What is the matter with you, why do you constantly think I'm doing something behind your back?"
"Because you are! And you always lie to me about it! If you don't give me an explanation, I swear to god Michael..."
"Explanation for what?" I raised my voice. I sighed loudly. "What do you want me to say? Cause I'm obviously as confused as you."
"Why did you change the pin to the card?"
"I don't know, I haven't changed anything, I'm telling you the truth."
"I'm gonna give you another chance to tell me the truth, did you make those purchases on that card for any given reason that you're not telling me?" She asked. She kept her eyes locked on mine.
"No I haven't," I responded truthfully. She let out a slow sigh and rubbed her eyes on her face. Her face turned a bright red color. "What reason would I have for me to do so?" I then said.
She grabbed her phone afterwards and threw it at me. "Does that jog your memory?" She demanded me to look at the screen. I looked down to see a photo of me from a far distance, standing outside Anna's doorstep. Anna was also in the photo, as she stood a feet from me and was leaning against her door. My eyes widened at what I was looking at. This wasn't even taking no longer than an hour ago. If these photos exist then this means someone was obviously following me, and my mind could only come across to one person who could've done this. Other than me, she was the only one that knew about the situation with Anna and she knew I would go confront her afterwards. This was her plan, she's making it seem like I was having another affair. The hotel, the lingerie purchase, candle, and roses.... It tops it off and was enough for Sierra to think otherwise. That's the only reason why she told me about Anna's pregnancy. I've fallen into her obvious trap. Son of a bitch.
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