When Shayla’s Phone Is Off and Anthony Sees What He Wasn’t Supposed To
The sun was barely peeking through the blinds when Anthony sat in his car, staring at the contact name on his phone: Shayla. Her number had gone straight to voicemail for the third time that morning. His thumb hovered over the call button again, but something told him to stop.
They had been through too much lately — the paternity drama, Amber’s surprise reappearance, and now, this wall of silence from Shayla. It didn’t sit right. Shayla wasn’t the type to ghost people, especially not Anthony. They’d shared too much. She trusted him with her secrets, her emotions… even with Kai. Or so he thought.
He tried one last time. Straight to voicemail. Again.
Anthony shook his head, tossed the phone on the passenger seat, and started the engine. But instead of heading to work, he found himself driving toward Shayla’s apartment. Something didn’t feel right, and he couldn’t ignore the pit growing in his stomach. Maybe she was sick. Maybe her phone died. Or maybe — just maybe — there was something she didn’t want him to know.
When he reached the apartment complex, Shayla’s car was parked in its usual spot. That meant she was home. He took a deep breath and got out. The door was slightly ajar, which was unusual. Shayla was always cautious. Always.
“Shayla?” he called out as he stepped inside.
No answer.
He saw Kai’s toys scattered across the living room floor. The television was on pause, stuck on an old cartoon. Her purse was sitting on the counter, and right next to it — her phone. Face down. Unlocked.
That’s when it happened.
He didn’t mean to snoop. But the screen lit up as he walked by. A message preview popped up:
"Don't forget, Arby doesn’t know we met up last night. Let’s keep it that way. 💋"
Anthony froze.
The sender’s name: Pamela.
He blinked, unsure if he read that right. Shayla and Pamela? Meeting up behind Arby’s back? And for what?
His hands trembled as he picked up the phone. It was already unlocked. Curiosity battled with decency, but pain overpowered them both. He tapped on the message.
There it was — a thread of conversations that unraveled everything Anthony thought he understood about Shayla. It wasn’t just one message. It was a string of them. Mentions of secret meet-ups, hush-hush favors, and a cryptic line that read:
"I couldn’t tell Anthony. Not yet. He’ll never understand why I had to lie about the baby."
Anthony’s knees buckled, and he slumped into the armchair behind him. The baby? Lie? What was going on?
He scrolled further. Pictures. Dates. Voice notes. One from Shayla herself.
"Pam, if Anthony ever finds out that Arby might not be Kai’s father… I’ll lose everything. I know he’s stepping up. I know he’s been there more than Arby ever was. But I’m scared. He’ll never trust me again."
His breath caught in his throat.
Everything made sense now — the hesitations, the sudden distance, the overly sweet apologies. Shayla had been hiding this truth all along: Arby might not be Kai’s father. And Anthony… he had been loving that child like his own. Unconditionally. Blindly.
And Shayla let him.
Suddenly, the front door opened. Shayla walked in, holding a bag of groceries, humming a soft tune to herself.
She froze when she saw him.
“Anthony?”
He didn’t say a word. Just held up her phone, the screen still showing her text messages.
Her face went pale. “You went through my phone?”
“You weren’t answering,” he said quietly. “I was worried.”
She placed the bag down slowly, her voice trembling. “Anthony, I can explain—”
He laughed bitterly. “You always say that. You always have an explanation, don’t you? But this… this isn’t just about you anymore.”
Tears welled up in Shayla’s eyes. “I didn’t mean for it to happen this way. I was going to tell you. I swear. I just… I didn’t want to lose you.”
“You already did,” he snapped, standing up. “You let me love that child. You let me fight Arby, defend you, give everything I had — all while hiding the truth from me.”
She stepped closer. “Anthony, I wasn’t sure myself. And when I realized what I had with you… it felt real. I thought if I told you, you’d leave. And I couldn’t bear that.”
“I deserved to know,” he said, voice cracking. “You don’t get to choose which truth I can handle.”
Silence fell between them. Heavy. Cold. Unforgiving.
“I do love you,” she whispered.
He nodded slowly. “But love built on lies ain’t love at all.”
He walked out without another word, leaving Shayla frozen in the middle of the room, holding the pieces of what used to be their future.
Outside, Anthony took a deep breath of the summer air. It was warm, yet he felt nothing but coldness inside. He looked up at the sky, blinked back tears, and made a silent vow: to never let anyone play with his heart like that again.
For a long time, he thought he was the missing piece in Shayla’s puzzle. But now… he realized he was just a placeholder in someone else’s lie.
Final Thoughts:
This moment changed everything. Shayla’s phone being off wasn’t just a coincidence — it was the start of the unraveling. Anthony saw what he was never supposed to, and it shattered the fragile illusion of trust they had left.
But sometimes, the truth comes when you least expect it — not to destroy, but to free you from a lie too heavy to carry.
And for Anthony, freedom had a cost: heartbreak.
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