Josette couldn’t get Isaac’s words out of her mind. Had Rebecca and Michael slept together? Were they still sleeping together? Her arms folded across her stomach, she paced the bedroom she shared with her husband, wondering if she’d ever share the bed with him again. How much was she expected to take from Michael? Their whole life together was based on lies, lies that seemed to grow each day. What had she done to be such a victim?
Nothing, she told herself. All she’d done was fall in love. “What have I done to you, little one?” she said, speaking to the baby inside her. “And what should I do now? You need your daddy, but I don’t know if I can live in a marriage of lies and deceit. What kind of life would that be for you?”
Josette went to the bathroom and sat on the stool in front of her vanity. Though she was sad, her eyes were clear and dry. She didn’t have the tears or the energy to expend on Michael and what he might do. Her only concern now was for her baby.
The beep of the exterior door alarm sensor told her that Michael had arrived home. There was a time when she would have rushed down the stairs to meet him. Those days were long gone. He called out to her but she didn’t answer. She wasn’t ready to speak to him yet, as she was unsure what she would say.
Hearing his footsteps coming up the stairs, she began cleansing her face to give herself something to do.
“Didn’t you hear me calling you?” he asked when he entered the bedroom. “Why didn’t you answer?”
In the mirror, she watched him walk toward her, yellow roses in hand. Now that was a surprise. When he reached her, he pressed his chin on the top of her head and smiled into the mirror at her. “How’s Mommy doing today?”
Josette felt her heart soften toward him. He was such a charmer! “Mommy’s had a long day,” she said, her voice not as flat as she would have liked.
He handed her the roses. “I thought these might cheer you up.”
She took them from him and smelled them. “Thank you, Michael,” she said.
He spun her around on her stool. “Nothing but the best for my lady,” he said, before kissing her.
Josette’s heart began to harden as he kissed her. She knew that kiss. It was meant to dominate and to control, to show her how much she needed him. She forced herself not to respond. His reaction was to deepen the kiss. It didn’t work.
He lifted his lips from hers. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Instead of answering, she got up. “I need to put the flowers in water,” she said, stepping around him. She headed downstairs with Michael behind her.
“Have a bad day?” Michael asked as she put water in a vase.
She placed the flowers in the vase. “I’ve had better.”
“Didn’t you have lunch with Deborah?”
She nodded.
“Did she say something to upset you?”
She turned to him. “Deborah? No. We had an enjoyable lunch. Afterward, I stopped by to see Isaac.”
He leaned back against the counter. “Ahh, I think I understand.”
“Understand what?”
“You see Isaac and all I get is attitude. Don’t let that man come between us, Josette. You can’t trust him.”
Josette couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “You’re kidding me, right? I can’t trust Isaac? It’s you I can’t trust.”
“What’s he been telling you?”
She looked up at him. “What are you so worried about, Michael? It’s been a long time since you’ve been this interested in my moods or my comings and goings.”
“Look, I don’t like the idea of another man hanging around my wife.”
Josette was beginning to feel like she was in the middle of a bad dream. “Isaac is not another man, Michael. He’s your half brother. Why can’t you accept him as such?”
“He’s no brother to me.”
Josette studied him. “Maybe you’re right. You and Isaac Martin are as different as night and day. I’ve had more serious conversations with him lately than I’ve had with you.”
Michael reached out and pulled her to him. “I won’t tolerate your even thinking about starting something with Isaac.”
She pushed out of his embrace. “And I won’t tolerate you sleeping with Isaac’s wife!”
“You’re talking crazy.”
When he would have turned away, she reached for his arm. “Are you sleeping with Rebecca?” she asked.
“I don’t believe you’re asking me this,” he said. “I’m insulted.”
“You haven’t answered the question. Are you sleeping with her?”
“No, I’m not sleeping with her,” he said. “Are you happy now?”
She studied him. “I’m not sure I believe you.”
“I swear to you that I’m not sleeping with Rebecca.”
“Have you ever slept with her?”
“Let’s not go down that road, Josette. I never claimed to be a virgin before we married, and at the risk of being rude, neither did you.”
He was right, but he still hadn’t answered the question she needed answered. “Let’s cut to the chase here, Michael. Have you slept with Rebecca since we’ve been married?”
He brushed a finger down her cheek. “I haven’t cheated on you with Rebecca. I would never cheat on you.”
Josette allowed Michael to pull her into his arms. Her dry eyes were now wet. She didn’t believe a word he had said.