Chapter 26 My Wife
There's silence for a moment and I hold my breath.
I'm not the only one.
I can feel it in the entire room. That particular quietness that falls over people when they're waiting for something significant to happen.
Mrs. Michael has gone very straight in her seat. Her hands are folded neatly in her lap, her eyes fixed on the door. I can tell from her eyes that's she has prepared herself for whatever is coming. Whether Caius or not Caius.
Vanessa hasn't moved either. Her eyes are on the door, and there's something in her face that I find quietly interesting. For the first time since I sat here, she looks tense. The pleasant composure is still there on the surface but underneath it something is pulled tight. And I understand why. She is not certain about how this will go if Caius is the one that arrived.
But then, the door handle moves.
All three of us watch it.
The door opens wide and Caius steps inside.
I release the breath I've been holding through my nose, trying not to let either of them see how much I needed that door to open. He's here.
Caius is here now. Finally, after hours of silence and unanswered calls and sitting alone in this living room with these two women,
Caius is here.
But that relief lasts about four seconds.
Because then I actually look at him.
He's wearing the same clothes I last saw him in. The shirt is creased and his hair is disheveled. There are shadows under his eyes that I don't remember being there yesterday.
He looks like he hasn't slept at all.
He looks... Tired.
Then his eyes move.
They sweep the room quickly taking in his mother and Vanessa.
And then they find me.
No, they don't just fine me, they settle on me. On my face. Like out of everything in this room, I was the specific thing he was looking for and he's found me and now he's checking.
He stares at me for a long moment before he exhales quietly.
Then he parts his lips. He's going to say my name. I can see the shape of it forming. But before a single word can leave his mouth, Vanessa moves.
She rises from the sofa and crosses over to him, her hands already extended for a hug.
"Caius," she says. She breathes his name out. "You're finally here. We've been so worried."
She reaches for him. Her hands go toward his arm to hold him, but something happens.
He steps back.
Vanessa's hands find nothing but air. She lets them fall back to her sides slowly.
"What are you doing here, Vanessa?" Caius asks coldly.
Vanessa tilts her head.
"What do you mean?" she asks, her voice soft. "You told me I was always welcome here. You said that yourself. Don't you remember?"
"That was a long time ago," Caius says. "And things are not exactly the same anymore. You should know that. So I’ll ask you again, what exactly are you doing here, Vanessa?"
Vanessa is quiet for a moment, not expecting that response from him. She looks at him with those beautiful eyes and I watch her recalibrate.
"I came because I was concerned," she says finally. "I heard you weren't answering calls. That no one knew where you were. I was worried about you, Caius. Is that so difficult to understand?"
She presses her lips together.
"I care about you, Caius. I don’t think it’s unreasonable for me to show up when I think you might be in trouble. Or is that a problem now too?"
"You came to speak to my wife," Caius says simply. "That's what this is."
The word wife makes Vanessa's pleasant expression to disappear. She turns to me, jaw clenched tightly then turns back to Caius with a small smile.
"I came to have an honest conversation," she says. "Since you seem unwilling to have one yourself."
"There is nothing," Caius says calmly. "That you and I need to discuss that requires you to come to my home uninvited and sit with my mother and speak to my wife while I'm not here." He pauses. "Nothing, Vanessa. Nothing at all."
The room goes quiet immediately. His eyes harden.
"If you wanted to speak to me, you could have waited until I was available. Showing up like this crosses a line, Vanessa. A very clear one.”
Mrs. Michael, who has been watching this exchange looks shocked too at her son's cold responses.
Vanessa looks at him for a long moment.
"She doesn't belong here, Caius," she says quietly. "You know she doesn't. Whatever this is, whatever arrangement you've built, it isn't real. And you know that too."
Caius doesn't reply her. He just holds her gaze with a cold expression for a long time.
Then after some time, he speaks.
"I think," he says, "that it's time for you to leave. Vanessa. Now"