CHAPTER 2
1156 Words
---
**The Man I Love**
That night I didn't sleep at all.
Outside, the roaring wind was not as loud as the storm in my heart. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face.
The boy's, not James's. His eyes shared James's rich brown hue. His smile was familiar, modest, and tiny.
I reclined on the bed's edge and turned to face the window. Upstairs, James had not arrived. He had scattered roses throughout our room, and I could still smell them. They felt like falsehoods in bloom now, though.
It buzzed on my phone.
My dearest friend Cara sent me an SMS.
**Are you still having an anniversary celebration? Remember the cake photos! **
Unsure of how to respond, I gazed at the letter.
Are you having a party?
What a farce.
Without responding, I hung up the phone.
There was a gentle knock on the door.
My heart pounded.
"Lily?" The voice of James.
I didn't respond.
Slowly, he opened the door. His eyes were worried, and his face appeared worn out.
"May I enter?"
Without glancing at him, I nodded.
In order to keep us from touching, he perched on the edge of the bed.
He said, "I stayed downstairs with him." He was afraid. He was unwilling to sleep by himself.
I bit my lip.
The boy wasn't to blame. He didn't request a covert birth. He didn't beg to enter my life and completely upend it.
However, I was still in pain.
After a while, I said, "I believe you." "About not knowing."
James looked across at me. "I'm grateful."
"However, that doesn't make it any simpler."
He gave a nod. "I understand."
I turned to face him. "How are you going to proceed?"
He let out a sigh. " I require time. I'd like to know him better. Lily, I missed five years. Five whole years.
I took a deep breath.
What happened to me after that?
"I don't want to lose you," he hastily added. "To me, you are everything."
"Then defend me," I muttered. " Don't just say it." Show me.
I resisted his hand as it reached for mine.
James, I need room. I must think.
Slowly, his hand fell. "Are you suggesting that we take a break?"
I gave a headshake. " I had no idea what I was saying. I cherish you. However, love isn't always sufficient.
He appeared to have taken a punch to the chest.
I went on, "I don't want to break up." "However, I can't act as though nothing is wrong either."
"I get it," he murmured quietly.
We sat quietly. It felt heavy in the air between us.
After some time, he responded, "I'll sleep in the guest room."
I gave a nod.
He got up, stopped at the door, and left.
I started crying as soon as he left.
I sobbed for the now-ruined surprise supper.
I wept for the boy who had my undivided attention despite not knowing me.
And I wept for my beloved—
Who was now the father of someone.
---
I brewed coffee like a machine the following morning. My hands moved, but my thoughts were elsewhere.
The boy and Victoria had left. After breakfast, James had summoned a car for them.
He appeared to have not slept either when he entered the kitchen.
He declared, "I'm heading to the office." "I have a meeting that I can't miss."
I gave a nod. "All right."
He took a step toward her. "Let's chat later."
"Perhaps."
After giving me a gentle forehead kiss, he leaned in and walked away.
I stood looking into my mug for a long time.
---
Cara and I met up at our favorite café later that day. Even before I spoke, she sensed that something was amiss.
She put down her cup and asked, "What happened?"
I filled her in on everything.
She leaned forward after gasping. "Are you serious? Victoria? That serpent?
I gave a nod.
"And the boy—he's actually James."
"It looks exactly like him."
Cara gave a headshake. Whoa. The poison of that woman. She was fully aware of her actions.
"I understand."
"How are you going to proceed?"
“I don’t know,” I responded honestly. "I adore him." However, it seems like I'm losing him already.
Cara covered my hand with hers. "He will make sure you don't feel inferior if he truly loves you."
"I hope so."
She paused. "What if Victoria desires more?"
I scowled. "What do you mean?"
"What if she wasn't only there to get the boy?"
I blinked.
No. She wouldn’t.
Would she?
---
That evening, I sat in the living room when James stepped in.
He appeared anxious.
"Something else," he murmured softly.
My heart was already sinking as I stood.
He remarked, "Victoria isn't only coming to introduce me to him." "She's looking for something else."
"What?"
She desires to remain in the city. In order for the boy to see me frequently, she requested if I could assist her in finding a location near us.
I gazed at him.
"She wishes to relocate here?" My voice trembled as I asked.
James gave a nod. She said, "Just for the boy."
The lump in my throat went down my throat.
"And you concurred?"
" No, I didn't say. I promised to give it some thought.
Consider it.
I felt sick to my stomach.
"She might be telling lies," I said. "She may desire more than co-parenting."
He cast his gaze downward. " I'm not sure. However, I'll find out.
I moved away.
"Lily..."
"I need air," I said as I grabbed my jacket and headed for the door.
He didn't chase me down.
Despite the cold weather, I felt like I was on top of fire.
I required room.
I required time.
I required the man I loved to pick me.
Then—
I froze when I turned our street's corner.
Victoria stood at the end of the block.
Grinning.
On the phone.
I'm laughing.
And next to her...
James's hand was in hers.
Not the boy.
James.
I blinked, and for a second my heart stopped.
James couldn't be that person.
Only a few minutes ago, he had left the house. When I left, he was inside.
However, the man standing beside Victoria had a head tilt, a walk, and a build that were all too familiar.
He muttered something that made her laugh, and she leaned in to put her arm around him.
I gasped.
Was this a devious game?
Or was there a secret twin of James that I was unaware of?
With my heart pounding, I took a step back.
Victoria turned abruptly, her gaze meeting mine.
She also grinned.
With knowledge.
When Lily witnesses Victoria holding hands and laughing with a man who resembles James, she asks herself the horrifying question: is she plotting something more sinister and dangerous?
- Writer
