The Woman He Married

32. Let's Talk

Zane was standing at the front door when Mae reached home, just waiting for her to return to their house. Mae walked in while Zane pressed the button on the wall beside him to lock the front gate. She walked past him after sparing him a quick glance and head straight to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of cold water. It was the least she could do to calm down.

"Let's talk," Zane said calmly.

Mae glanced at him, and for the first time in a while, she simply couldn't stand him despite how pulled together he looked. She sat down and took a moment to pull herself together, scared that she might be mean to him and start a fight. The kitchen has always been their safe space' a place where they feel free as they talked and share ideas with one another even before he knew she was his wife. It was a comfort space, and Mae did not want to ruin it.

Zane sighed, and it made her heart sink to the pit of her stomach. She just knew where the conversation was headed - to the ruins.

He stared at her as their eyes met, "Did you try to mindlessly cross the road because you think you saw what you weren't supposed to?"

"I don't know," Mae clenched her jaw, then released it. She hummed, "Why is there such thing as something I shouldn't see, to begin with? Were you hiding something from me?"

Zane kept his mouth shut, but his pupils wavered as he looked at her. He was shaken for some reason, as if the incident was a surprise for him as it was to her. He paused, allowing an interval to let the pressure out because he was scared she might explode.

Mae shook her head as she avoided his gaze, "I have nothing to say."

With every second that passed, Zane felt the distance growing between them and he was not sure where and how to begin closing the distance once again. He took a deep breath and held it in. Mae took his gesture as some sort of hesitation.

"I have something to tell you, and I've been meaning to tell you this all along. I just... I don't know when was the right time to tell you."

Mae braced herself, gripping her thumb tightly in her palm which was hidden under the kitchen counter. She thought she would be ready for the worst, but she did not see it coming.

"Ruth... She's pregnant with my baby."

Mae lowered her gaze, nodding as she bit down the inside of her lip until she tasted blood. "God..." She felt her feelings for Zane swirling down the drain.

"But please, listen to me."

"When did you find out?" Mae asked, frowning at him.

"She was at the airport right before we left for the honeymoon... Told me she was pregnant and wanted to get rid of it--"

"So you knew she was pregnant before we even left for the island," Mae shook her head in disbelief. She stood up and walked to the other end of the kitchen, throwing her gaze out the window for a second. "When did you sleep with her...? Have you been cheating on me?"

He immediately denied it by shaking his head, "No. It was a mistake and it happened once, on the night I was drunk, after we got married."

Mae inhaled sharply, "That explains a lot."

"I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry," she shook her head, "I forced you into this marriage."

"Mae, please... Don't say that. I'm sorry," Zane said softly, then he approached her while trying to explain himself. "It was a mistake, I was drunk and she took advantage of it."

"Don't come any closer," Mae stepped back and looked away from him. She inhaled deeply, shutting her eyes while trying to clear up her head for a second. She looked at his reflection on the window and said, "Please don't call it a mistake, it'll grow on you and you'll think about it every time you see the baby."