Truth
I reached for my phone and dialed Shawn's number. It started ringing immediately as I placed the call.
Shawn: "Hey. What's up?"
Me: "I'm heading home tonight. Can you come pick me up now?"
Shawn: "Did you and Kenji have a fight? I'll grab my keys and pick you up right away."
Me: "Thank you. I'll be waiting for you here."
I ended the call and took a moment to compose myself. Thankfully, Shawn didn't inquire further about why I called him. Now I was alone in the room, dealing with the aftermath of our fight. Kenji and I argued because he hadn't told me the truth.
"Who is Aztrid?" I asked again, as he hadn't responded earlier. "I heard everything... I was there the whole time, Kenji," I added.
He approached me slowly and took my hands, staring at me with a blank expression. "I'm sorry," he apologized.
"Please don't misunderstand me for not telling you the truth about Savina and me," Kenji expressed.
I slowly pulled my hands away from him. "You lied to me all this time, Kenji. You had no intention of telling me the truth?! Why?" My voice had become slightly raised in frustration.
"Savina and I were already over, and there was nothing to talk about. But then, she came back," Kenji took a deep breath and continued, "I was planning to tell you, but I was waiting for the right timing so as not to affect our relationship and our future together with our babies."
I turned away slightly, unable to face him fully. I didn't know if he was still being honest with me. I had trusted him above all else, but now I discovered that he had been hiding things from me.
"Just explain everything to me, Kenji. Who is Aztrid? What is the truth about you and Savina?" I asked him, one question after another.
"Just please have a seat first. I'll explain everything from the beginning and won't skip any details," Kenji stated. He walked over to pull out a chair for me, and I followed suit, taking a seat.
He then sat in front of me, his expression serious as he stared into my eyes. "Savina and I were in a relationship for almost three years. Our parents have a good relationship due to family business. Initially, we started as friends as our parents had suggested, but as time passed, we fell in love and ended up being together for three years. Both sets of parents were very supportive. Like any other couple, we faced numerous challenges. Savina had ambitions that didn't align with her parents' desires; they wanted her to manage the family hospital, just like our family," he explained.
"I continued to pursue my dream of becoming a doctor, and Savina understood how much it meant to me. I had to leave our hometown to study far away. That's when we met there and I took my board exams. But before that happened..." Kenji paused for a moment, his voice filled with emotion.
He gathered himself and continued, "Savina became pregnant. It was unexpected, and I was thrown into confusion. I had to make a choice between staying with her and our baby or leaving for good."
Kenji's voice cracked, and tears streamed down his face. It was the first time I had ever seen him like this.
"Aztrid. The baby's name is Aztrid," Kenji said.
"Where is the baby now?" I asked.
If Savina came back here for Kenji, Aztrid should be with her now. But where is the baby?
Kenji wiped his tears and stood up. He approached me and knelt in front of me, just as he did with Savina. "I never intended to lie to you, and as for the baby, you don't need to worry about it because it's in the past. Savina told me that the baby she was carrying is no longer with us..."
