*
*
Nothing changed over the next few weeks. Faith tried as much as possible to avoid being alone with Sterling. It hadn't been that difficult when they had stayed with his mother.
The more time she spent with him, the harder she had to fight to remain indifferent and cold.
Her heart managed to clench each time she caught him playing with Maya. It made her crave for things she shouldn't.
She would be a fool to give in to the illusion that they could ever be a normal family.
The resentment she held towards him was the only thing she had. She would grasp onto it, she couldn't allow herself to forget the monster he could be.
He might be a good father, but that didn't necessarily make him a decent human being. He was only nice when he wanted to be.
He hadn't held any objections when she had informed him that she wanted to visit her mother but hated the fact that he had insisted on coming along with her.
She didn't even have the freedom to visit her mother alone!
She had no choice but to suppress all the rage she felt inside.
Faith had not been surprised that her mother was very welcoming of Sterling, not only did she regard Sterling as her benefactor but also the father of her only grandchild.
Faith didn't blame her mother when she severally tried to match the both of them, after all, she was unaware of everything that had transpired between her and Sterling.
"As much as he's taking responsibility for Maya, you shouldn't be with him, not after everything you told me, he's not a good choice for you and Maya."
Faith sighed at Julian's words, How many times would she spell it out to him that she had no other choice, Sterling had cornered her to the wall!
Her eyes shifted to where her mother and Sterling seemed to be having a normal conversation in the living room. His smile and gestures were so fascinating, that she knew that even her mother was charmed by him.
"Since he won full custody, you don't have to live with him in his house, you could let him have Maya, at least for now before we can appeal the case again."
Leaving Maya with Sterling would be a blow to his ego, but she couldn't abandon her daughter, it would be too much for her to bear.
She had already lost to him once, what would stop him from repeating some trick to make her stay?
She knew one thing for certain now, If she wanted to win, she had to be more ruthless than he was.
It wasn't a question of whether she could be vicious or not. She had to be.
She was left with no choice but to force him out of their lives, not only for her sanity's sake but also for Maya's future.
She had already come up with a plan.
"I know what I have to do." She muttered. The determination in Faith's eyes made Julian instantly curious.
"If he lost everything, do you think he would still be as cocky and arrogant?" For the past few weeks, Faith had given much thought to her plan. It was dangerous, but she would see it through to the very end.
"What do you mean? What are you planning?" Faith stared at the mix of curiosity and concern in Julian's eyes.
"It doesn't matter if I run from him or try to fight back, the end is always the same. He has more money, influence, and power, so it's easier for him to win, I'm going to take away everything from him."
"And do you think that he will just allow you to do that? " Faith met Julian's disbelieving look with one of determination. She knew her task sounded impossible, which was exactly why she was going to test just how much Sterling was infatuated with her.
"I've already spoken to the lawyer to proceed on the documents, It might take some time, but this time, it will be my victory."
Tomorrow she would return to the city with Sterling, she would once again be back in his world.
*
*
Dinner was excess, and Faith suddenly thought about Michael, he was their next-door neighbor so it wasn't as though she had to walk some far distance.
So, here she was with packaged food in her right hand, she lifted her left hand to knock when the door clicked open.
"Hey!" She greeted cheerfully when Michael appeared in front of her. He looked stunned by her presence.
"Is that you Faith?" His eyes squinted as though he didn't believe that she was really in front of him. Faith didn't expect him to suddenly hug her.
"There's not a day that I didn't ask about you! Where did you disappear to?"
Faith wiggled away from his arms when she decided that the hug was longer than necessary and was slightly uncomfortable.
"I made extra and thought I should bring you some!" She extended the dishes towards him.
"Why don't you come inside?"He offered and Faith started to refuse, The last thing she wanted was another confrontation with his girlfriend, she couldn't forget how toxic she was.
" No, I can't, I mean I was just stopping by to give you these__"
"We haven't spoken in so long, even for just a few minutes, You can also see Collin, he missed you more than anyone. Don't forget that you took care of him, even more than his parents_" Michael looked away as though in shame.
The mention of the baby was enough to convince Faith, She stepped inside his apartment, and she couldn't help but notice the change. It was kept neat, the faint smell of baby powder lingering in the air.
A huge grin broke out from her when she saw the toddler.
"He can walk now? He's so much bigger than I last remember!" She spoke in disbelief, wasn't it just a few months ago since she last saw him? She couldn't help but scoop him into her arms while her eyes searched around the house as though she expected Michael's girlfriend to jump on her any moment.
"Anastasia is not here," Michael spoke as though reading her thoughts.
"We broke up a month ago, it wasn't working, so she left." He muttered.
Faith nodded, It wasn't her business, but a part of her was relieved that Collin wouldn't grow up with such a woman by his side. It seemed Michael had changed as well, his eyes were no longer as bloodshot as they used to be, she hoped that he had changed for his son's sake. She looked up to find him studying closely.
"How's it going with you? How's your baby girl?" He asked and Faith smiled, suddenly recalling the day she had given birth to Maya.
"I didn't get the opportunity to thank you for your help that day, who knew what might have happened if not for you__"
"It's nothing, I was glad to be of help."
They stood in silence for a while. It was starting to get awkward and Faith decided that it was time for her to leave, that was until he spoke.
"So, when am I going to see your daughter?"
"We're traveling back tomorrow, I'll bring her just before we leave."
Michael's face fell noticeably. "You are leaving? But you only just arrived. I missed having you around, there are some things I wished I could have told you then."
Faith met his stare and started to feel nervous. She knew what he was going to say. If he said it, things would only get awkward between them.
A loud knock on the door had the both of them jolting, Faith couldn't have been more relieved.
The knock sounded a second time, louder and impatient this time.
"Who the fuck! Hold on." Michael cursed, storming towards the door.
She silently blessed the person who caused the distraction, that was until Michael yanked the door open to reveal the very last person she wanted.