Michael covered his mouth when he heard what Sarah had just said. His facial expression was troubled. He still clearly remembers what happened that time.
It was part of his process and hard work before he became what he is today, and Michael has never forgotten how difficult it was.
However, his meeting with Elizabeth was not something to be proud of. Michael was always proud of the hard work he had done in the past, therefore to remind himself that he had come this far with great struggle, but not what he did until he finally met the blonde woman.
He still remembered it, but he was too embarrassed to say it.
Sarah laughed hollowly and then formed a sad smile when she saw Michael just silent. Is it so difficult to explain what happened between the two of them?
Was the woman's privacy so important that Michael couldn't explain what was going on?
"Okay, I get it," Sarah answered quietly and then stood up.
She thought, today she would get an explanation of what happened between Michael and that woman.
But it seemed that her guess was right, that the two of them had a relationship.
Well... after she thought about it again, they did it for nine years. Is their relationship really only limited to sex partners without string attached?
"Wait! I'll explain it!" said Michael when he saw Sarah standing and taking her bag.
Sarah looked at Michael with a tired look. Did she have to listen to the man's explanation when Michael seemed so eager to protect that woman?
"Please, I'll explain everything this time," Michael said desperately when he saw Sarah's gaze.
To be honest, he didn't really want to say that to anyone, but seeing Sarah's expression looking at him with that hurt look, Michael knew he had to say it.
He had to tell the shameful secret he'd been trying to keep and wouldn't tell anyone.
It was so shameful that he swore he would take it with him till he died, but he didn't want to see Sarah looking at him like that.
Sarah sighed, then put her bag back and sat back down. One last time, she would give Michael a chance to explain.
Michael took a deep breath, he had a strained expression on his face. It was much more tense than when he wanted to talk about his relationship with Elizabeth.
"Do you still remember MCGames?" asked Michael, starting his story.
Sarah nodded.
"That's your company, right?" Sarah asked back. "Oh yeah, what happened to that?" continued Sarah suddenly curious.
When she married Michael, the man in front of her did have his own company, even though it was just a start-up. After Sarah thought about it again, she had no idea what had happened to Michael's company.
"It went well," Michael replied with a smile. "Games released by my company are selling well, you could say my company is very successful," he continued, looking proud when talking about it.
Despite the many ups and downs, coupled with his divorce, Michael managed to keep the company from going bankrupt and being able to grow to be like that.
Sarah just opened her mouth when she heard that. To be honest, she knew nothing about Michael's company. She even knew it was engaged in gaming, from the obvious name.
The atmosphere between the two of them then became silent. Michael remained silent, trying to figure out where to explain it, while Sarah was lost in her thoughts as she realized she didn't know anything about Michael's company.
"Back then... my company almost went bankrupt," Michael said softly with a bitter smile, reminiscing about those difficult times.
Sarah's eyes widened at that. She didn't know anything about it.
Okay, she did know that it wasn't easy building a company from scratch, but she didn't expect Michael to have such a hard time.
"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Sarah, feeling like an idiot for not knowing that.
Even then, she was Michael's wife back then.
"I didn't want to worry you," Michael replied with a smile. "You always look exhausted when you come home. I don't want to make my problems a burden on your mind," he continued.
Sarah's expression looked disbelieving when she heard Michael's reasoning.
"I was your wife back then! Isn't that what we should be doing?!" Sarah asked in a rising voice. "So that's why you seem lost in thought and look stressed?!" she continued.
Now it all seemed to make sense when she looked at Michael who had been absent-minded at times. Well... at that time she thought that Michael was fine. She couldn't blame Michael completely.
Still, Sarah was annoyed.
"Sorry," Michael replied.
He really didn't want to worry Sarah at the time, but it seemed he was wrong and shouldn't have done that.
"Why did you tell me about this?" Sarah asked confusedly. Right now she was asking about what happened to Michael and the woman at the hotel. Their Relationship.
Why did Michael even tell her about his company?
Michael then said that he had finally found a sponsor to help him. He waited for the sponsor until evening, and the person asked him to come with him to a bar.
"He wants me to testify to his wife later if she asks why he came home late."
"Okay, so his wife forbade him to go to the bar? Then? Just get to the point, Michael!" said Sarah impatiently. The thing she wanted to know right now wasn't that!
"I met Elizabeth there," said Michael, finally mentioning that woman's name.
"It's a hostess bar, and Elizabeth works there," added Michael.
"Hostess bar? You mean...?" Sarah did not continue her words. Even though it sounded foreign, she understood what kind of bar it was. It's just, Sarah doubted whether it was what she thought.
Michael nodded.
"Yeah, it's a bar that provides women to accompany their guests, and company here includes sexual services. That's why I'm telling you that it's her privacy, I have no right to tell you that."
Sarah was speechless when she heard that. She was surprised to hear that Michael had gone to such a place.
"So..." Sarah could feel her voice shaking. Her heart suddenly ached. What she had been imagining all along turned out to be true. Michael cheated on her with the hostess bar.
They slept together, so that's cheating, right?
"You sleep with her," Sarah continued with a sad smile. She had known it, she had guessed it. But when it did happen, Sarah couldn't help but feel hurt.
"What?" Michael looked surprised "No, I didn't sleep with her!" said Michael in a high pitched voice.
"I didn't even touch her at all, Sarah!"
Sarah's expression changed when she heard that. Michael didn't touch her?
"You can tell the truth, Michael! You two went to the hotel! She thanked you for what you did at the hotel!" Sarah said with a hurt look on her face.
"We didn't go to the hotel!" said Michael, raising his voice, feeling wronged..
"No?" Sarah's expression changed again when she heard that.
"Yeah." Michael then sighed.
Michael then told her about the bar which belongs to the hotel, and he was waiting for his sponsor who was having sex, then suddenly there was a knock on the door of his hotel room and Elizabeth came into his room because her boss told her to do it.
"But that night, we were just talking! I didn't sleep with her, Sarah! She thanked me for letting her into the room so she wouldn't be scolded by her boss."
Sarah fell silent hearing that. Michael... didn't sleep with her?
"I may be a scumbag who has sex with a woman who I didn't have romantic relationship with, or a sex maniac like you once said. However, I'm not a cheater, Sarah. Please believe me," said Michael with a tone that sounded pleading and desperate.
He didn't know how else to get Sarah to believe that nothing happened between him and Elizabeth that night.
So... Michael really didn't sleep with her? Michael never cheated on her?
"What have I done...?"
Sarah's tears suddenly flowed down her cheeks. Her hands covered her open mouth, and her chest seemed to be shaking violently.
Michael wasn't having an affair. It was her own fault for assuming that, and she... easily asked for a divorce from Michael.
If only she hadn't asked for a divorce so easily just because of her assumptions. If only she could be more patient like she is now and talk to Michael. If only...
Sarah regrets it. Really regret it. If only she hadn't done that, she would have Michael by her side.
She won't go through her difficult life alone. She... has made a big mistake.
"Sshhh... Don't cry." Sarah could feel a hand tugging at her body, making her head hit something hard, but not painful, and the next second she felt her body warm from a hand embracing her.
"I'm sorry, Sarah. I'm sorry," Michael whispered as he continued to pat her on the back.
He really couldn't see Sarah crying like that. His heart ached to see her crying too.
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