In the end, I did not utter a single word, and both of us went back to Natalie’s house without saying a word.
Natalie approached us as soon as we entered the door, and she smiled when she saw that I had returned with Yuval. But her smile froze on her face the moment she saw the clothes that I was wearing.
I was wearing the shirt that Michael had worn yesterday. Natalie was bound to remember that because Michael had always been the center of attention.
“You’re back, Anna.”
Natalie held my hand and her expression turned a little awkward.
“I’m back. Are you alright, Natalie? Does your face still hurt?”
Although one night had passed, Natalie’s face was still swollen and bruised. Even the corner of her mouth was swollen with traces of purple and blue.
It was despicable of John and that woman to do this to her.
“I’m fine, and I’m much better now. I’m sorry you got dragged into this mess. Your face wouldn’t be like this if it weren’t because of me. It’s all my fault, Anna.”
Then, Natalie gave me a hug and looked at me apologetically.
“It’s okay. We’re good friends, aren’t we? Friends stand by each other in time of need. I couldn’t just watch while you were being bullied.”
I didn’t feel that I’ve been wronged even though I was beaten up. That’s because it’s all for my best friend, Natalie.
“Hello, Mr. Lambert.”
Natalie glanced over my shoulder and gave a tight smile as she greeted Yuval.
“I called Anna a few times, but my calls went unanswered, so I came over to check in on her. It so happened that I ran into her downstairs when she came home.”
Yuval’s tone was impassive, and he was no longer smiling.
“I called you last night because…”
“Anna, why don’t you go take a bath and change into something else?”
I wanted to explain, but before I could finish speaking, I was interrupted by Yuval. He was still bothered by the clothes I was wearing, and he even asked me to take a bath. Am I that filthy to him?
But I could understand why he would think that way. Any man would be disgusted if their woman slept with another man.
It was just that I disliked the way Yuval was behaving now. I knew it was my fault, but I would rather he yelled at me than being emotionally abused by him.
“Yes, Anna. You’d better take a bath. You look terrible.”
Natalie knew me better than anyone else. She was aware that I was upset with Yuval, and before I did anything stupid, she quickly stood up and ushered me into the bathroom.
Once Natalie pushed me into the bathroom and shut the door, I eventually regained my composure. I kept telling myself to have a little patience. After all, Yuval had every right to be angry with me.
I turned on the shower and let the hot water spray over my body. I became even more frustrated when I thought about my relationships with Michael and Yuval. I had no idea how to resolve this mess.
Half an hour later, I changed into my clothes and walked out of the bathroom. Natalie and Yuval were still having a conversation in the living room.
I went and sat across Yuval. Unable to meet his gaze, I hung my head in guilt.
“Natalie just filled me in on what happened after I left last night. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to help. I was busy with a client when you called, and I didn’t hear the phone ring. I’m sorry…”
Before I could speak, Yuval beat me to it. I thought he was going to chastise me, but instead, he apologized to me.
All the resentment I had for him disappeared into thin air after I heard his sincere apology. No matter what happened yesterday, I was in the wrong. I should have been the one to apologize, not him. And for that, I was moved by his gesture.
“I should be the one to apologize. Last night, I….”
Yuval’s apology made me feel even more guilty. I ought to be contented to have someone like him who was so forgiving and considerate towards me. After all, I was the one who was in the wrong.
“That’s enough. Whatever happened last night is in the past. I don’t want to talk about it anymore, and I don’t want you to bring it up again. Both of us are in this together, and we sincerely want this relationship to work, don’t we? I hope what happened last night won’t happen again. As a man, I won’t be able to tolerate another round of betrayal.”
Even though Yuval intended to forgive me, he still couldn’t pretend that whatever happened between Michael and me did not happen. If I were him, I would have ended this relationship a long time ago. I found it hard to accept that this matter had left a stain on our relationship. Just like how it was with Justin.
“I’m sorry. I promise that it won’t happen again. It was really unexpected…”
Although the fact remained that I slept with Michael, I didn’t do it willingly. This relationship with Yuval meant a lot to me, and I knew that I shouldn’t do anything to betray us.
“Do you have a first-aid kit, Ms. Xavier?” Yuval turned and asked Natalie.
“I do. I’ll get it right away.”
Natalie immediately stood up and went to fetch the first-aid kit in the room. When she returned to the living room, she handed it over to Yuval.
Yuval took out a topical ointment for reducing swelling from the first-aid kit and then came over to sit next to me.
He applied the ointment on my face with a cotton swab. Although a night had passed, the bruises on my face were still swollen. He was gentle with me when he applied the ointment, as though he was afraid of hurting me.
Seeing that Yuval was attending to me, Natalie went back to her room with a smirk on her face.
I couldn’t help but recall how gentle Michael was last night when he tended to my wounds, and he was not a man to be associated with gentleness.
Once again, Michael’s face popped into my mind. I shook my head in irritation to stop myself from thinking about him anymore, but my head accidentally bumped into Yuval’s hand. I grimaced with pain as my bruised face came in contact with his hand.
“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
Yuval shot me a concerned look.
“N… No.”
I quickly assured him that he didn’t hurt me. He was already gentle with me, and it was I who knocked into his hand by accident.
“I shouldn’t have left last night. If I hadn’t left, you wouldn’t have gone to the police station.”
As Yuval looked at me, I could tell that his heart ached for me.
“This has nothing to do with you. You left because of work, and no one would have expected something like that to happen. Fortunately, Natalie and I were able to leave the police station safely. Otherwise, I really don’t know how long we would be stuck in there.”
Yuval’s face was filled with self-loathing. But this had nothing to do with him, and no one could foresee that incident to happen. Fortunately, Michael arrived just in time to prevent us from signing anything against our will.
