I glanced at the woman next to Michael as she was picking which clothes to try out. She was tall, her skin was fair, and whenever she smiled, she looked as graceful as a princess. All in all, she was a very pretty woman.
“Let’s go, Anna,” Natalie exclaimed after she walked out of the changing room.
That idiot! Now Michael definitely knows that I’m here! I thought to myself as I trembled in fear.
Just as I expected, Michael arrived in front of me. However, his gaze contained many complex emotions that I couldn’t understand.
I didn’t know if I should greet him or, as he mentioned before, pretend not to know him if we ever see each other in public. It was quite awkward for both of us to stand there in silence.
“Michael, what do you think about this dress? Do you think it suits me?” The woman approached him with a dress she picked out from the rest.
Michael didn’t answer her and still stared at me.
The woman raised her eyebrow in suspicion. She examined me for a bit before she whispered to Michael, “Do you know this lady?”
I could tell she was looking at me antagonistically.
“No.” Michael took one last look at me before leaving.
I thought he would at least say that I’m one of his company’s employees. I wasn’t sure how to react to his answer.
“If you like it, you should try it out,” said Michael softly to the woman.
“Wait here then. I’ll be back in a moment.” The woman glanced at me, kissed Michael on his cheek, before going into the changing room.
Naturally, that whole scene made me want to cry.
“Why are you here?” Michael asked coldly after making sure the woman couldn’t hear us anymore.
“To look at the clothes, obviously.” I did my best to put up a calm demeanor.
He was staring at me intensely. I could tell that he was wondering if I was stalking him.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave now, Mr. Shaw.” I couldn’t bear his deep gaze anymore, so I turned, grabbed Natalie, and left.
Michael furrowed his eyebrows and didn’t try to stop me from leaving. He also didn’t explain what his relationship with the woman was, which made my heart ached more.
I was pretty upset after leaving the mall. Regret started to seep into my heart. If I hadn’t agreed to go shopping with Natalie, I wouldn’t have met Michael and his woman.
“That Michael has gone too far! He even pretended not to know you, even though you two spent so much time together! He’s a terrible man!” Natalie heard our exchange and was getting angry on my behalf. She didn’t say anything earlier because it would just make things worse.
“Our relationship is an indecent one. It’s only normal that he pretended not to know me.” I smiled bitterly, despite stating the truth.
Natalie stopped dead in her tracks and faced me with a serious expression. “But you’re clearly upset. Tell me honestly, Anna. Are you in love with him?”
I averted her gaze because I didn’t know how to answer the question.
“You can tell me anything, Anna. I know what kind of person you are, and I know that if you have no feelings toward Michael, you wouldn’t have agreed to become his lover, she said anxiously.
“So what if I have feelings for Michael? I’m just his mistress. Things between us could end at any time,” I admitted.
I always knew there wouldn’t be a happy ending for the two of us, and today was a great example of my prediction.
The woman next to Michael must’ve been his official girlfriend if she was allowed to be so intimate with him. He would never bring me to a public place like the mall.
“When did you become so unconfident, Anna? If you like Michael, then just tell him that you like him. Maybe he likes you as well!” Natalie seemed even more anxious than I was.
“Michael and I live in two different worlds. He won’t like me. When we made a deal, we promised that this would only be a casual fling and nothing more,” I depressingly clarified.
Michael made that very clear to me. If I told him I liked him, he would probably just think I was harboring some bad intentions.
“All I can say is that, even if the two of you live in very different worlds, the problem can be solved if he likes you.” Natalie pouted. She clearly didn’t understand why I was being so worried.
Sometimes, I admired how bold Natalie could be. If I had a personality like hers, I bet I wouldn’t be living so miserably.
“Let’s not talk about this anymore. I’m tired, and I want to go back home and rest. You should head back home too. We’ll meet again some other time.” Seeing Michael hanging out with another woman totally killed my mood for shopping, and I didn’t want Natalie to see how sad I was.
