Chapter 2

I looked at Fay and said flatly, "You followed me?"

Fay shook her head. "No. I saw your car parked out front, so I came in to check."

The people around us were furious. "You get caught with your mistress by your own wife, and you've got the nerve to say she followed you?"

"You piece of trash. Your wife's got the worst luck in the world, ending up with you."

"If my daughter married a man like this, I'd have somebody beat him to death."

The whole crowd was against me now. "Post this shameless little tramp online, expose her!"

People pulled out their phones and pointed them at her.

Alma was terrified.

I quickly blocked the phones of the ones closest, and told Alma to slip out the back.

After she left, the crowd closed in on me, and plenty of them said they were going to teach me a lesson.

Fay hurried to tell everyone, "Thank you all for helping me, but my husband loves me. He just lost his head for a moment. Please don't hurt him."

They looked me over with contempt, and one by one they left.

On the way home, Fay's legs cramped up several times, and now and then she had to lean against a wall to rest.

I said impatiently, "Why are you so slow?"

"Honey, the baby's kicking, and my legs keep cramping..."

"Enough, this is such a hassle. Take your time. I'm going ahead."

I walked on alone.

Fay's best friend, Tara Chandler, saw the whole thing from a distance.

I'd barely reached the foot of our building when her hand came flying at my face. "Herman, you've gone too far!"

"Are you insane?" I caught her wrist in time.

Tara snapped, "How can you treat Fay like this?"

"You used to be so good to her. What happened to you?"

She thought for a second, then said, "Don't tell me you think the baby she's carrying isn't yours?"

I frowned slightly.

She threw a medical report at me.

"This is the DNA paternity test Fay had done yesterday at County General!"

I picked the report up off the ground and skimmed it, quickly finding the conclusion: after amniocentesis and DNA comparison, this sample confirms a 99% match between the fetus Fay James is carrying and Mr. Herman Stewart. Herman Stewart is the biological father of this fetus.

I nodded. "Of course the baby's mine. Wasn't this a waste of your time?"

"You already knew the baby was yours?"

"What else?"

"I..." She was suddenly at a loss for words.

"Then why are you treating her like this?"

"How is that any of your business?"

"She's my best friend! We've been close since we were kids. Whatever's going on, she's your wife, she's pregnant now, and you should be taking care of her, not breaking her heart."

I looked Tara over. Red lips, white teeth, and the tight dress she wore only showed off her figure more. "You want me to be good to her? Then it depends on how well you know how to play along."

"Herman, what are you saying?" Tara's brow creased.

"We're all adults here. I don't believe you can't follow me. You've got a great body." I said it with a dirty smile.

"You, you're shameless!" Tara's face went scarlet, and she stamped her foot as she shouted.

"If you're willing to spend a few nights with me, I'll get you a three-hundred-thousand-dollar car to run around in."

"Didn't you want to help Fay? You can help her right now, and get something out of it too."

"Smack..."

A slap landed on my face.

Tara was seething. "You animal, you'd even sleep with your own wife's best friend. You're beyond saving!"

There was a sharp sound as something dropped to the ground.

I looked over, cupping my stinging cheek. Fay was standing under a banyan tree, tears falling and falling.

"Fay, whatever you do, don't be upset!"

Tara panicked and went over to hold her.

"I heard everything. He, he wanted to..."

Fay wept, tears streaming down her face.

"Fay, you heard it wrong. Herman was just joking with me a second ago. Don't take it seriously."