I rest back against my seat, closing my eyes. I’m just about to doze off, but the door to the room swings open with a loud bang and I jump. Blinking, I watch as a tall, slim woman with long mahogany hair strides across the room and over to the bed.
“Henry, my darling,” she cries theatrically. She turns to Michael beside the bed. “What did you do to my baby?”
He starts explaining, but I can’t follow his words. Because at Michael’s side, stands Mel. Mel, worried about Michael’s son, Henry.
Her son, Henry.
Their son.
There’s an icy trickle of dread down my spine as I gape at the two of them together, shell-shocked. This cannot be happening.
“How could you do this?” Mel spits at Michael. Her usually friendly voice is laced with venom and I glance at the door beside me, feeling a sudden, desperate urge to not be here. Mel has her back to me, and I send up a silent prayer that I can escape unseen as I carefully lift myself out of the chair.
Michael shakes his head in disbelief. “I’ve been asking for those allergy test results for weeks.”
“Oh, so this is my fault?”
“No, but—”
“I can’t believe you let this happen,” Mel hisses, lowering herself into the chair at Henry’s bedside.
I’m inching back towards the door now, groping along the wall for the handle. I have to get out of here. This is too surreal.
“I knew you couldn’t be trusted.” Mel glares at Michael with such hatred I half expect him to burst into flames. “You’re so—”
I grasp the handle and the door opens with a loud click. Shit.
Mel’s gaze swivels to me, and as she narrows her eyes, I feel my blood run cold. “Why are you here, exactly?”
I give her a weak smile before glancing at Michael uncertainly. He takes a step closer, slipping his arm around me and tucking me into his side.
“Alex is my girlfriend. She saved Henry’s life. She had her EpiPen, and that’s what saved him.” He turns to me, remembering his manners. “Sorry, Alex. This is my ex-wife, Melanie.”
“Yes,” Mel says coldly. “We know each other.”
Michael looks between us in confusion.
“Through Cat,” I mumble.
“Oh. Yes, of course.”
“And she’s been writing for our website,” Mel adds.
“Oh.” Michael glances at me, loosening his arm as realization breaks across his face. “Right.”
“Yes,” Mel continues as if I’m not even here, “Alex writes about how fabulous it is to be single.” She gives me a pointed look, and beside me I hear Michael sigh.
“Uh, I’ll let you guys talk.” I yank the door open and slip out into the hallway, and almost immediately they start arguing. I know I shouldn’t, but I hover by the door, anxious to hear what they say.
“Jesus, Michael. This is so fucking typical of you.”
“What took you so long to get here, anyway?”
“I had a date. I came as quickly as I could.”
There’s silence for a beat, then Mel speaks again.
“I can’t believe you’re dating Alex, of all people.”
“Don’t talk about her. That’s none of your business.”
“You know she’s like half your age, don’t you? That’s pretty fucking sad, Mike.”
“She’s not half my age, Melanie.”
“Well, she’s certainly not in her forties. But this is just the sort of pathetic mid-life crisis I’d expect from you.”
There’s muttering and I hear a chair scrape back and footsteps heading for the door. I leap across the hall and lean against the wall, inspecting my nails as if I’d been there the whole time.
Michael appears, his face in a scowl. I’m immediately reminded of the man I met—the grumpy man in the suit who was always frowning, the man who was in court battling to be able to see his son. Now I know why he becomes that man. The things she just said to him, the way she spoke to him… My heart aches for him.
His expression softens when he sees me, and he takes my hand. “I’m going to get some coffee. Want to come?”
I nod and we wander down the corridor in silence, coming to a vending machine by the elevators.
Michael turns to me, rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m sorry about Melanie. She’s so difficult. But I guess you already know that.”
I watch the coffee machine, saying nothing. She hasn’t been difficult with me. In fact, she’s been lovely to me, and I know she’s one of Cat’s closest friends. But it was like meeting a different person back there.
Michael hands me a coffee and we head back down the corridor, finding some chairs. I try to sip the hot, bitter liquid, but my head is still spinning. Mel is Michael’s ex. Stunningly beautiful Mel. Despite everything, I find myself wondering how it’s possible he could actually like me after being with her.
And then another thought occurs to me, one that pushes everything else out of my mind: Mel said her ex cheated on her—that she found him in bed with another woman.
I inhale sharply as realization hits me square in the chest. Michael cheated on Mel and that’s why their marriage ended.
Fuck.
38
I steal a glance at Michael. He’s leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees. His face is tired and drawn, his hair is disheveled. He’s cradling his coffee in his hands, gazing down at it. In this moment he looks defeated, even a little broken, and there’s a tug in my heart. This kind, sweet man, cheated on his wife and destroyed his family? Is that even possible?
No. I refuse to believe he would do that. I may have only known him a few months, but I feel like I know him—the real him. And the Michael I know would never do that.
I stare down into my coffee cup, my mind in free fall. Why would Mel have lied, though? She didn’t even know that I knew
