2
Tom and I both looked towards the door.
It was Faye, Tom’s childhood friend.
She threw a bunch of photos on the floor in
front of me, yelling.
“I was at this hotel a few days ago for a
business meeting, and I saw you with some
guy.
“I didn’t know how to tell Tom. I waited two
days and finally came over.
<
“And now I find out you’re pregnant?”
Tom let go of me and started picking up the
photos.
He looked worse and worse with each one.
His hands were shaking.
Finally, he threw the pictures in my face.
“So much for ‘I’m innocent‘!”
“Tell me, who’s this guy?”
“You’re something else, Lily!”
Tom’s voice was so loud, it hurt my ears. I
grabbed the pictures and looked.
L
It was me and another guy, and the pictures
definitely looked romantic.
He was giving me a gift, holding me back
from a car when we entered the hotel, and
wiping my mouth at dinner.
I looked up at Tom, who looked like he was
about to explode.
“Tom, that’s my brother, my brother,
Michael.”
“He just got back from overseas the other
day. I was picking him up and taking him to
his hotel.”
“I was going to tell you and ask you to come,
but you were busy at work. I didn’t get a
chance to mention it.”
IV
Faye jumped in before Tom could say
anything.
“Oh, please. Anyone can say that’s their
brother.”
“Everyone knows your family lives abroad.
Why would he suddenly come back?”
“And even if Tom was busy, you couldn’t even
make a phone call?”
I froze. I had found out Michael was coming
back at the last minute and tried to call Tom.
But he hung up on me a few times. I was
worried I’d be late to pick up Michael, so I
went by myself.
く
I sat back on the floor, looking up at Tom.
“I called you. I called you a bunch of times,
but you hung up.”
“It’s true, Tom, I swear. Your phone will show
that.”
The more I talked, the tighter Tom’s eyebrows
got.
He pulled out his phone and threw it at me.
“Look for yourself! See if there’s any record
of it!”
“Lily, you’re still lying!”
“We’ve been together for five years. How did I
not realize what a horrible person you are?”
My hands trembled as I frantically scrolled
through the call log.
Nothing. There really was nothing there.
Faye snorted.
“Lily, you don’t know how good you have it.”
“Everyone in town knows Tom is crazy about
you. You want the moon, he’d try to give it to
you.”
“But you? You make a huge mistake like this,
and you’re still making excuses.”
I took a deep breath and looked Tom in the
eye.
“Tom, this is the last time I’m saying this. I
didn’t do anything to hurt you, and this is your
baby.”
“The guy in the pictures is my brother.”
“I just want to know, do you believe me?”
There were plenty of ways to prove this.
We could do a paternity test for the baby, or
just ask my brother. The truth would come
out right away.
Tom didn’t say anything. Faye snatched the
phone away from me.
“Tom is sterile. He can’t have kids!”
<
“And about that brother story, how come
Tom’s never met him before?”
“Lily, get real!”
When Tom and I got married, my family
company was expanding overseas.
My brother, Michael, was so busy, he couldn’t
make it to the wedding.
For years, Michael has been carrying the
family business. My brother and I haven’t
seen each other in years, let alone Tom.
But more than that, I was wondering why
Faye knew about Tom’s condition.
I looked up at Tom.
<
“Why does she know you’re sterile?”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”
