Chapter 9
“Yes.”
His eyes widened.
“You had no right.”
There it was.
Even then.
Rights.
Privacy.
Boundaries.
Anything except the truth.
I looked at him.
“Neither did you.”
He turned back to Kayla.
“You told me the test was inconclusive.”
Kayla lowered her voice.
“It was complicated.”
“No.”
He pointed toward the report.
“This says 99.99 percent.”
“Jason.”
“You said Daniel manipulated it.”
“I said his lawyer—”
“You said Noah could be mine.”
Kayla’s face tightened.
“I said there was a possibility.”
Jason laughed.
It sounded awful.
“No. You told me you were sure.”
A couple at the next table looked over.
Now we had a scene.
I should have felt satisfaction.
I didn’t.
Watching one liar discover another liar is less enjoyable when you once loved one of them.
Kayla’s eyes filled.
“I was scared.”
Jason stared.
“Of what?”
“Losing you.”
There it was.
The oldest excuse in the world.
Jason stepped back from the table.
“You told me you waited six years to tell me because you wanted Noah to have stability.”
“I did.”
“He had stability.”
Kayla’s voice sharpened.
“With Daniel?”
“He is Daniel’s son.”
“You don’t know what my marriage was like.”
Jason laughed again.
“And apparently I don’t know what mine was like either.”
I almost admired the irony.
Then Kayla looked directly at me.
“Why are you doing this?”
I answered honestly.
“Because Noah deserves adults who know who his father is.”
She flinched.
“And because Jason was about to build decisions around a lie.”
Jason looked at me.
Something changed in his expression.
He finally understood.
“You knew before today.”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Three weeks.”
His mouth opened.
Three weeks.
The same amount of time he had spent thinking he controlled the ending.
“You knew when I gave you the papers?”
“Yes.”
“And you signed anyway?”
“Yes.”
He stared at me.
“Why?”
“Because I wasn’t fighting for you.”
That hurt him.
I saw it.
Good.
Not because I wanted revenge.
Because truth should sometimes hurt when fantasy has been comfortable.
Jason sat down.
His dinner sat untouched.
A steak.
Wine.
Two champagne glasses.
Celebration.
Kayla reached for his arm.
He pulled away.
That movement was small.
But I knew their evening was over.
Maybe their relationship too.
That was not my concern.
I picked up my purse.
Jason looked up.
“Michelle, wait.”
“No.”
“We need to talk.”
“We already did.”
“This changes things.”
I almost laughed.