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“What will you do if she is your daughter?” Moira asks me.
“I haven't gotten that far yet. I'm still reasonably certain that she's not mine.” I hate standing here having this discussion in front of this little girl even though she is sleeping. Nobody needs to have these kinds of thoughts rattling around in their heads for the rest of their lives.
“You were at Club Red tonight.” Moira’s words are so quiet I almost don't hear them.
“Yes, he was meeting me there,” Cynthia says. “We danced for quite a while. And then kissed before coming back to his place. That's the real reason he was mad. I had my kid in the car. He thought he was going to get something.”
Moira looks like she wants to throw up, and I stare at Cynthia, stunned. “What a disgusting lie.”
Cynthia seems proud of herself and swishes her dress back and forth.
“I was at Club Red because my friend Hunter called me to help get rid of Cynthia. She was threatening to make a scene unless he called me and got me to come talk to her.” I can't hide the disgust in my voice, and I hope that Moira believes me over Cynthia's ridiculous story.
“I... I need to go.” With that, Moira turns to leave.
And my heart breaks as I watch her go.
I stand in stunned silence until I hear that door close. Then I turn to Cynthia.
“You're going to take your daughter and leave right now. You are never going to come back to my home. You are never going to call me again. You're never going to attempt to contact. If you do, I'll call the cops for harassment and stalking.” Her eyes widen as I speak.
“My lawyer will be in touch about the paternity test. Now get out.”
Chapter Twenty
Moira
I close the door to Michael's house and resist the urge to lean against the wood and slide down to sit on the ground with my knees to my chest.
I want to stop and sob like a child.
I can't believe what just happened. The bombshell he just dropped on me and what Cynthia was saying.
I feel so bad for the little girl sleeping on the couch. Not just because she has Cynthia as a mom, but because Cynthia doesn't seem to know who the dad is and she's blaming two different men. I can't help but wonder if this is some weird scam she's trying to run where she gets child support from multiple men to take care of her child.
Though he hadn't outright denied the child was his, he did say he didn't think she was.
It bothers me that I don't know who's telling the truth or who's lying. Mostly because Michael never told me there was even a possibility that he had a child. I would never have gotten involved with him had I known he might have a kid.
It feels like complete dishonesty on his part. But then again, if she did walk out of his life for a long time and hadn't come back until only recently, maybe it makes sense that he wouldn't tell me.
I make my way to my car, realizing I'm not going to find any answers standing outside his house. I drive away, the thoughts still swirling round and round my mind.
Does he have a daughter he never told me about?
It's not fair for me to expect him to tell me if he didn't know.
I can't believe Cynthia cheated on him with the man she wound up marrying.
That makes me feel much more confident that he has no feelings for her. How could he? Cheating is one of the deepest betrayals someone can do in a relationship.
It's clear that she still wants to be with him, but I’m completely certain that he is not interested in her and just wants her gone. Which makes me wonder if this is all just a ploy for her to weasel her way into his life. Maybe she hopes that in the time it will take for the paternity test to come back that he will wind up falling in love with her like some bad sitcom or romantic comedy.
She does seem like that particular brand of deluded and sad.
But does any of this really matter? What am I going to do if I find out that Michael has a kid? If I find out he doesn't, the answer is easy. I want to be with him. If he does, that's going to make things a lot more difficult.
My heart aches as I think about walking away. I don't want to lose him. I like him a lot. But I also don't want to be a stepmom. I'm already sick and tired of Cynthia's drama, and I don't want to get dragged into a mess. My life already feels like it's enough of a mess without adding someone else’s to the insanity.
