It felt strange to say this to her, but since she was strong enough to ask, I could be strong enough to continue being honest.
I nodded.
“Yes,” I whisperedand a soft smile lifted Melissa's lips.
“Then, I'm glad.”
I sat back in the chair at her side, taking her hand again. She squeezed mine in return, shaking her head.
“I should have ripped the bandage off ages ago,” she said.
“Don't blame yourself,” I said. “None of this is on you.”
She shut her eyes, her hand tightening in mine until Michelle's voice from the doorway had us both turning.
“Uh, guys,” she said awkwardly, and I could see why at once.
Behind Michelle, a tall man in a business suit with neatly cropped brown hair stood with a bouquet of flowers.
He wasn't looking at me though, his eyes were all for Melissa.
It was a strange feeling to see the man your spouse was moving on with, but I had no right to interfere at this point and I didn't even want to.
She deserved good things. She deserved the kind of love that I now had with someone else.
Swallowing, I pushed to my feet and walked slowly to the door.
Michelle looked like she thought there was about to be a fight. So did Robert. He tensed up when our eyes met, but he didn't back down or cower when I stopped in front of him.
When I offered my hand, he was so taken aback that for a second, he didn't respond. His gaze flew to Melissa's and then he reached out and shook my hand firmly while Michelle gasped, looking between us all.
I walked past them, not wanting to stick around for the next part of the visit.
Michelle caught up to me a moment later.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
I shook my head and swallowed past the lump in my throat.
“There's a lot to think about,” I admitted. “But yeah, I'll be okay. We both will.”
She let out a sigh of relief.
“Okay, good. I’ll take her to my place when she gets discharged,” she said.
I stopped walking.
“She shouldn't feel like she can't come home,” I said. “Never again.”
“I know,” Michelle sighed. “But, Iwantto take care of her while you two decide what your next steps are.”
Next steps.I hadn’t thought about those. We had to contact lawyers, divide assets, untangle from each other’s lives… The thought was overwhelming.
Michelle suddenly reached out and squeezed my shoulder.
“It's been great having you as brother,” she said.
Damn. Here came the waterworks.
