DEIRA
I had steeled myself for a fight when I called Cassius, so I was surprised when he agreed not to contact us. I almost felt bad, but then I remembered the way it had felt when Makayla was missing. I went over all the reasons that had led me to this decision. It had been nothing but chaos since he'd come into our lives, and I needed some time to let things calm down, and to figure out exactly how we could move forward.
It had obviously been a mistake, jumping into some version of a happy little family where he could watch Makayla while I worked overtime. I blamed myself for that as much as I blamed him, because there was no way he could have known how unprepared he was to be a father. But I should have known. I had decided I couldn't let him back into Makayla's life this time until I was sure that he understood all the responsibilities that came with that. The trouble was, I didn't know how to be sure about that. There was no test for parenthood. Would I know in my gut when he was ready? Should I make a list of things he needed to prove? I truly had no clue.
Staying away from him for now was the best idea I had. Especially since it would help keep my own complicated feelings for him from clouding the issue.
Little did I know that staying away from him wasn't going to be so easy. I'd been totally focused on Cassius and never suspected that someone else from his life would make an appearance in ours. But that was exactly what happened.
Leaving work on the same day I'd called Cassius, I had just gotten to my car when I heard a woman's voice behind me.
"Excuse me," she said, and I turned to see a woman walking over to me. She was absolutely gorgeous, like a model, but she was dressed like a businesswoman. She had an air of authority about her, like she was used to people doing what she said. I immediately felt intimidated.
"Yes?" I asked. She smiled, a beautiful smile that somehow made me feel a little chilled.
"You're Deira, right? Cassius's new girlfriend?"
I felt a little panicked. No one was supposed to know about our relationship.
"No, I'm..." What was I supposed to say to that? I wasn't his girlfriend. But it's not like we weren't... entangled. Still, I had no idea who this woman was. I didn't owe her any explanations.
I frowned and said more firmly, "No, I'm not." She raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow.
"No?" she asked. "Hmmm. Okay. But you're the mother of his kid, right?"
My whole body went cold.
"His kid?" I whispered.
"Mm-hmm," she said, nodding. "Makayla, right? Pretty name."
"Who the hell are you?" I demanded.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she giggled. "I should have introduced myself. I'm Michelle, Cassius's wife. I mean," she rolled her eyes and smirked, as if telling a joke, "Ex-wife, technically."
"His ex-wife?" I asked. He hadn't mentioned an ex-wife, or a wife of any kind.
As if reading my thoughts, she said, "Ah, I guess he hasn't mentioned me. I'm sorry, this must come as a shock, then." She didn't look sorry. "Then again," she continued, "it was a bit of a shock to me, finding out about you and your daughter. We were together for years, and he never mentioned either of you."
"We're not..." I started to say, and then stopped myself. I didn't even know this woman was who she said she was. I shouldn't give her any information.
"What do you want?" I asked. She smiled that beautiful, cold smile again.
"I just wanted to warn you, woman to woman. I had a hunch he wasn't being truthful with you, just like he wasn't truthful with me. And I was right. I thought it was only fair, now that I knew about you, that you also knew about me. Female solidarity, right?"
"Right..." was all I could manage to mumble. I wanted to ask her how she knew about me. I wanted to scream at her to tell me how she knew my daughter's name. But I also felt like she was tricky and possibly dangerous, and that I shouldn't give away anything more than I already had.
"Okay, thanks," I said. "I'm sorry, but I have to go now."
"Of course. My apologies for the ambush. I know what it's like." She gave me a sympathetic look, and for a second, I thought she really might be on my side. Incredibly confused, I just pulled open the car door and got in. She gave me a small wave as I pulled away.
I turned the conversation over and over the whole way home. This woman had admitted to being his ex, and she had seemed quite pleased with herself, almost as if her point was to drive us apart. She obviously didn't really understand our relationship, since she had thought that I was Cassius's girlfriend. Would Cassius have told her that I was his girlfriend? That seemed odd. It was as if she knew a lot about us, but was still missing crucial pieces of information.
And yet, I couldn't think of a way that she would know about Makayla, unless Cassius had told her. Even if someone had seen me with him, or seen us with him, no one from his circles should know her name. It had to be him that had told her. Didn't it?
My head was spinning, and I finally decided the only way I would get the truth was to talk to Cassius himself. I thought about calling him, but I really wanted to see his reaction. I felt like I would be able to tell from his expression whether or not he knew anything about his ex and what she'd been up to. I thought about going to his house, but I wasn't sure I could remember where it was, so I resolved to wait until I went into work. This whole episode had only made me angrier with him. Not only had he lost Makayla, but now his ex was showing up and practically harassing me.