A Picture Of Us

Chapter 26.

A Picture Of Us.

Lyla Atelo.

I struggled to walk straight as I approached the steps to my porch. I knew that Sage was still watching me from behind, he hadn't driven off after dropping me off at home. He wanted to make sure that I got in safe. That warmed my heart. I almost blushed when I remembered how hard I tried to convince him not to walk me to the front door. It was wrong, but still...

The door gave way when I touched it, and I turned around to wave Sage off. The minute I stepped into the house, the lights were turned on.

"Michael!" I gasped in shock as he stood in the middle of the living room. His arms were folded around his body. "You're awake."

"Where have you been, Lyla?" His tone was really low, but I could feel his anger bubbling just beneath the surface. "Were you cheating again? Have you forgotten the fact that you're married? Don't you have any sense of shame? What will the neighbours think?"

Guilt. That was all I felt as I stared at my husband. My desires got the best of me.

"I... I....no... Why would you say that?" I stammered, trying so hard to steady my breath. He didn't know, did he? I had to keep it that way.

"Liar!" He fumed almost immediately. "Do you think I'm still a child? Is that how low you think of me?" His annoyance knew no bounds. "School closes by three in the afternoon, but here you are... and it's almost nine in the night. Where did you go this time, huh? The club? A party? His house? Was it the same guy, or are there multiple men now?"

"I was in school, Michael."

"Liar!" He stomped towards me. "I have left more than thirty calls, and you answered none. Not even the texts. Don't you dare lie to me, Lyla. In fact, let me see your phone!"

I didn't react fast, and my phone was snatched from my hands immediately. My heart leaped to my throat at the thought of what he could find on the phone. I could only pray and wish that Sage wouldn't send any messages to me. I wouldn't know how to explain that.

I knew I was sweating beneath my dress, but I struggled to keep calm under this atmosphere. Michael could get violent if he was really riled up, and I didn't want that to happen now. I only wished. My eyes scanned his face as he scrolled through my phone. The way my heart raced...

A slight frown crossed his face, and I felt like I died and resurrected again. I inched closer. What did he see?

"Get well soon?" His frown deepened as he read the contents of the messages out loud. "Why is your message box filled with a ton of messages asking you to get well soon. Did something happen to you at work?" His anger seemed to fade into worry.

Relief flooded my chest at once. "About that... yes," I sighed heavily. "I fell into the swimming pool in school."

His eyes widened in shock. "But...you can't swim. How did you... How were you able to...?"

"Um, a student carried me out, I guess." I told him.

Even if I could not remember the details, I knew that Sage had carried me out of that freezing water. At the thoughts of Sage, I pressed my legs together, the wetness between them served as a reminder of what had happened between us. My cheeks flamed in embarrassment. I couldn't keep my head up in case Michael saw through me.

"Carried?" It was like he was mocking me. "You weigh over a ton, Lyla."

"Are you serious? Is that all you can say?" My voice was cold as I snatched my phone from his hands.

His expression turned somber almost immediately. "No, that's not what I was trying to say. I wanted to lighten the mood and..."

"Even after accusing me of cheating on you?" I grew bolder as I spoke, even when I knew his accusations were the truth.

There was panic in his eyes as he tried to explain things to me. "It's not like that, Lyla. I thought..." He paused l, trying to find the right words to convey what he wanted to say. "I just thought you let Kendra's words get to you. I know she's your friend and you guys basically did almost everything together for the past six years... I just thought..." His shoulders sagged. "I'm so sorry, Lyla. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. I accept it... I am insecure and—"

"It's okay." I told him calmly.

"Besides, you shouldn't even be working. You could be a stay-at-home wife and mother for our incoming kids. I should be the one providing for us, and not the other way around."

He came closer and had my hands in his. His expression looked genuine, it always did. It always tried to convince me that my husband was a good person when he wasn't.

"Please, Lyla. You can resign, I promise to take things from here." He continued, squeezing my palms.

I carefully extracted my hands, feeling a little disgusted that he was touching me. My mind went back to my last conversation with Sara Hewitt. She had said that Michael was using the money my grandmother had left me to spend on women.

I didn't want to react yet until I found out if it was true.

"I'm really tired, Michael. And I also have classes tomorrow. I need to get some rest."

Dinner wasn't even on my mind. I didn't feel hungry. I didn't wait for him to respond before I walked out on him, painfully aware of the slippery mess between my thighs.

And it only got me aroused once more. It made me want Sage again, but this time, I wanted his cock in there... Pounding...

I shivered at the thought of it as I climbed up the stairs. I needed to have a really cold bath.

*

An hour later after I had settled into bed, my phone pinged with a message. My entire body jerked in shock.

"Stay away from Sage!" The message read. Attached to it was a video of Sage bending forward to peck my forehead. I wasn't wrong. Someone had indeed taken a picture of us.