Bitter Truth

Chapter 71

Vanessa stood awkwardly at the door, holding a few of Melissa’s shopping bags that she had mistakenly taken with her. The air in the room was thick with tension, and she knew instantly she had walked in on something she wasn’t supposed to witness. Michael was pacing, his face flushed with anger, while Melissa stood a few feet away, arms crossed and her eyes blazing with fire.

“I, uh… I think I grabbed some of your stuff by accident,” Vanessa mumbled, holding up the bags. Her voice felt out of place in the charged atmosphere.

Melissa barely acknowledged her, her attention fixed on Michael, who looked like he was ready to explode. The silence that followed was deafening, and Vanessa shifted uncomfortably, regretting her decision to come back.

Michael’s eyes darkened as he took a deep breath. “We’re not done here,” he muttered, glancing at Melissa one last time before grabbing his jacket from the back of a chair and storming out of the house, the door slamming behind him with