Cedric shook his head as I walked away. I passed through the great room, eyeing the young chick as she stood and wiped her mouth.
“Do—”
“Evelyn, don’t,” Cedric warned. “Go to my office. I’ll be there shortly.”
I kept my mouth shut. Didn’t want to say anything to the stupid broad who probably had no clue what she was getting herself into, like Kayla. I knew Cedric more than anybody did. He had taught me a lot, even within the last month. The truth was, Cedric didn’t give a damn about anybody. His love was for the almighty dollar and that was it. Women were good for one thing and one thing only. That was sex. Love didn’t live in his heart anymore and thanks to Kayla’s lies it hadn’t lived there in a long time.
See, he and I had a lot in common. That was why Cedric appreciated me, more than he did anyone. I wasn’t the kind of woman who griped all the time about every little thing, but if I ever felt that he had crossed the line he would surely hear about it. The chlamydia thing crossed the line. And the way he spoke to me that day made me look at him in a different way. He showed his true colors. I had to prepare myself better for what was to come.
I sat on a comfy sofa in Cedric’s office with my legs crossed. The bay window brought in much light, but some of the light was blocked by the silky brown curtains that draped down to the floor. His oak-wood desk was cluttered with papers and the bookshelf behind his desk was filled with books. Cedric was a brilliant man and even though he had his flaws, I admired a man who knew how to make millions. For that I gave him credit. Relationship-wise he wasn’t shit. I saw a picture of him and Jacoby on his desk, but there were no pictures whatsoever of him and Kayla. Not even on the twenty-seven-inch monitor that sat on his desk or on the walls, where there were pictures of him and his business partners.
The door squeaked open and he came inside. A cigar dangled from the corner of his mouth and he tightened his robe before taking a seat behind his desk.
“You know I got work to do, so shoot. What’s up?”
“Did you know Trina was a lesbian?”
“Yes. I’ve known for a long time. I’m surprised that it seems to be breaking news for you. I told Kayla that I thought she was, but she didn’t believe me.”
“So, Kayla didn’t know?”
“She may know now, but as of a month ago she told me I was out of my mind for telling her something like that.”
“Well, Trina told me about her status today. Her boyfriend was shot by her lover, and the police killed her lover for trying to kill her.”
“What? I didn’t know she had a boyfriend.”
“It’s that Keith dude. Anyway, enough about them. What’s up with you and Miss Youngin’? Is she the one who gave us chlamydia?”
“Don’t start that shit again, all right? Did you take your pills?”
“Of course I did and I can tell you this right now. We won’t have sex again without using condoms. I mean it, Cedric, and when you come to me you need to be prepared. I know I will.”
“Just like you were prepared the other night, right? Let that bullshit go, Evelyn, you’re better than that and no need to be petty.”
“It’s not being petty. You should be more careful, especially since you enjoy sex so much. You’re too old for me to be schooling you, so I’m going to move on to the next subject. That would be my living arrangements. Without me working, I can’t keep up with the rent. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find a job soon or not, and with me being pregnant I don’t know if I can handle work anyway. So, I’ve been thinking. You have plenty of room here, and as you can see from my reaction to your head blower, I won’t get in the way. When the baby is born, I’ll already have everything set up. I’ll cook, keep the house clean for you, and I’ll continue to make myself available to you sexually. Now, what man would want more than that?”
Cedric responded by shaking his head. “Sometimes, I wonder about you, Evelyn. There are times when I wholeheartedly admire you, and then there are times when I honestly believe you need to see a shrink. I see that you’ve put much thought into this, but let me stop you before you get ahead of yourself. Jacoby is my son, and in case you forgot, he lives here too. I get that you’re pregnant, but since our last conversation I’ve given this situation more thought. I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to live together, or be together as a couple, because I have too many things going on that you won’t approve of. I may decide to make arrangements for you and the baby to live in a better place that is suitable for the two of you. The loft that you have isn’t bad, and if rent money is what you need, I’ll see what I can do. Meanwhile, you do need to get back to work, because I will not be supporting you. As far as the pussy thing goes, you’re not doing me any favors by making yourself available to me. So are many other women, so your pussy ain’t a big deal.”
Cedric occasionally irritated me by saying the wrong things. I stood and walked over to his desk. “It sounds like you’re trying to leave me out in the cold, but I told myself that I wouldn’t come here to argue with you, so I won’t. But let’s be clear about some things then we can figure out the correct way to move forward. Jacoby is not your son and you know it. You’ve been playing the fatherly role for too long to a child that isn’t yours. It’s time to give it up.” I pointed to my stomach. “This baby here, however, is yours. He or she will be your first. He or she will carry on your legacy, so therefore, he or she will need to be your number-one priority. With that, all I’m asking is that you consider what I said. I thought it was a wonderful offer, but please know that the offer won’t stay on the table for too long. Let me know what’s up soon. As for now, I’m going to let you get back to what you call work.”
“Thank you. Be sure to close the door behind you and try like hell to have a good day.”
“Oh, you too.”
I rolled my eyes at him and walked out, thinking that his ass may have been better off dead than he was alive.
Chapter Twenty
Kayla
So much had been happening that I hadn’t made much time for myself. I was doing my best to be there for Trina, and being there for her helped push to the back of my mind all that was going on with my life. Trina told me about her conversation with Evelyn and the way she reacted was a shame. Then I thought about my reaction too and understood how Evelyn probably felt betrayed. Still, I left it up to them to settle their differences. When all was said and done I was sure they would.
The one thing I was glad about was that I had been speaking to Jacoby more. He’d been calling me and I’d been calling to check up on him. Everything seemed to be okay with him, but he did tell me that he thought a new relationship with Arnez wasn’t the right thing to pursue now. I was glad that he had made that decision and it was a decision that only he could make. It took him to see Arnez in that condition for Jacoby to realize he wanted no part of it.
We talked about Cedric filing for divorce and Jacoby asked what I intended to do. Right then, I wasn’t sure. I was on my way to see a lawyer, just so I could know what my options were. Unfortunately, I had signed a prenup back in the day, saying that if we ever divorced, what belonged to him was his and what belonged to me was mine. I signed that stupid thing, having no idea that Cedric would one day make all of this money. Surely we both had hopes that things would prosper, but I never envisioned that it would get to this level. Apparently, he did. He was always ten steps ahead of me and I regretted that he was in control of so many things, including my life.
Before meeting with the lawyer, I stopped by Cedric’s office to see if he was there. I was banned from entering the building, but the receptionist told me that Cedric was working from home. Knowing that Jacoby was at school, I drove to the house so I could look him face-to-face and be sure that this divorce was what he really wanted. When I got there, however, I saw Evelyn’s car parked in the driveway. I had no idea what she was doing there and the fact that she was kind of upset me. I drove past the house, but as I turned around at the end of the stre
et, that was when I saw her coming out the front door. A mean mug was on her face and she shielded her eyes with glasses. She hopped into her car and sped off down the street, going real fast.
After she left, I pulled in the driveway. I went to the door and it was unlocked. I walked inside and looked around. I missed being here and this still felt like home to me. I heard Cedric talking to someone and made my way back to his office, where he was. When I opened the door, his conversation came to a halt.
“Clay, let me call you back,” he said through speakerphone. “Give me a minute to look that up, okay?”
“Sure. Call me back when you check that out for me.”
Cedric clicked the button to end the call.
“I just ran into Evelyn—well, not really ran into her, but she sped off before I pulled up. What was she doing here?”
“What do you think she was doing here?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I asked.”
“Money, Kay. She came here to ask me for some money. I told her to get the hell out of here and she left upset. I guess since she hasn’t been able to hit you up for cash anymore, she thought she could come over here and ask me. It’s not going down like that and you know it.”
I couldn’t believe that Evelyn was that darn desperate—then again, yes, I could. She knew better, didn’t she, and what nerve? I made a mental note to call her and go off on her for doing something so sneaky and ridiculous.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t give her one dime. I’ll be sure to call and talk to her about her greed later.”
“Don’t worry about it. You know that people try to hit me up all the time for money and you’ve had experience with that too. I don’t want her to feel embarrassed, so just let it go.”
Cedric was right. Besides, I wasn’t there to talk about Evelyn. I was there to talk about us. “I will let it go, but I don’t want to let our marriage go. I received the divorce papers the other day and I can’t tell you how much my heart is bleeding right now. I think this can be worked out, Cedric. I also think you’re making a big mistake. I haven’t been perfect, I’ve made plenty of mistakes, but so have you. Can’t you forgive me, as I’ve forgiven you? I’ve been so miserable and I’m here to claim my life back again. I want to come home and be the best wife that I can be to you, and the best mother that I can be to Jacoby. Allow me to do that and let’s end all of this nonsense today.”
Cedric put his hands behind his head and swayed back and forth in his leather swivel chair. “I wish it were that easy, Kay, but it’s not. I am not trying to hurt you by divorcing you and you need to be clear about one thing: Love. I don’t love you anymore. I have not loved you for a very long time. I have no other choice but to set you free and get on with my life. I’m not going to make this hard for you and it’s not like I’m going to leave you out there in the streets. I just don’t want you here, living in this house with me anymore. My advice is that you consult with your attorney, have him check out what I proposed, and let’s get this rolling as amicably and quickly as possible. Delaying this process will be the only thing that hurts. Don’t continue to do that to yourself and one day you’ll realize this divorce is for the best.”
I stood in front of Cedric with tears streaming down my face. It had finally hit me that this was the end of us, of our family, of everything I had always wanted. I had given up so much for him, as well as for my son. This pain I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy and to hear Cedric say that he didn’t love me anymore tore at my heart and soul.
“Please,” I begged as tears rolled over my trembling lips. My hands were shaking and I felt as if I were on the brink of a nervous breakdown. My heart was heavy and I could hear it pounding rapidly against my chest. “Don’t do this to me. This is not about you giving me money and please know that money will not heal my broken heart. I still love you, Cedric, and you’re just still bitter about me lying to you. That anger will pass and . . . and you will—”
“No. No, I won’t forgive you and I will never forgive you. I know how hard this is for you, and if you need counseling I’ll be happy to pay for it. But this is done, baby. This marriage is done and you will have to accept that.”
I could barely catch my breath from crying so hard. Cedric was so cold. I couldn’t bear to stand there and allow him to see me so broken like this. I wiped my flowing, salty tears and turned to face the door.
“I am sorry that it has to be this way, Kay, but you brought this on yourself.”
I didn’t bother to respond. Maybe I did bring this on myself and now my chickens had come home to roost. I staggered my way to the door like a zombie. When I got to the car, I dropped my head on the steering wheel and clenched my chest. “This isn’t over,” I said in a whisper. “By no means is this over with yet.”
While sitting in my car thinking, I called Evelyn to see why she had stopped by to see Cedric. She didn’t answer, but I left a voice mail, telling her to meet me at Trina’s place. It was time to get to the bottom of this.
Chapter Twenty-one
Cedric
I was a man who, with no question, had a conscience. Seeing Kayla that way broke my heart, but the damage was already done. With all that had been going on with me and Evelyn, there was no turning back. With all the lies that Kayla had told, there was no way for me to ever forgive her. I couldn’t go back to the life we once shared and things weren’t always like this. But today was a new day. I wanted my freedom and I wanted her to go seek the happiness she deserved.
Thinking about all that had been transpiring, I massaged my forehead and lowered my head on the edge of my desk, lightly pounding it to knock out my headache. I wanted to go get some aspirin, but my body and eyes were so tired from not getting much sleep these days that I found myself fading. Resting my eyes caused me to enter into a deep sleep, but I woke up about an hour or so later.
My headache was still throbbing, so I got up to go to the kitchen. As I passed by the stairs, I heard the floor squeak from upstairs and thought it was Jacoby.
“Jacoby, is that you?” I yelled up the stairs. There was no answer and when I looked at the clock on the wall it was after six o’clock, so I figured he was home.
I jogged up the stairs and entered his bedroom. He wasn’t there, so I turned off his TV that must have been on all day. I roamed his room being nosy, and when I picked up a picture that sat near his computer of us playing basketball, I smiled. Jacoby was a good kid and my son or not, I still intended to look out for him. I hated that he was caught in the middle of all of this, but I wanted him to know the truth about me not being his real father. I could have told him a while back, but in my world timing was everything.
I heard footsteps again, so I put the picture down and proceeded down the hallway to my bedroom. One door was already opened, but when I opened the other one, I was met with the barrel of a shotgun that was aimed directly at my face. The person holding it was in disguise. All I could see at first were the eyes behind the black mask that was pulled over the person’s head. I tried to quickly decipher if the body behind the baggy clothes was that of a man or woman, but I couldn’t.
“Wha—what do you want?” I asked in fear, with my hands in the air. “Take anything you—”
No response, so I continued to plead with my intruder. “Please,” I begged. “Don’t do this. I’ll give you anything you want. What is it that you want?”
The intruder released one hand from the trigger and placed one finger against her lips, as a gesture for me to be quiet. The lips looked kind of familiar to me, but I still couldn’t make them out. As she took several steps forward, I backed up. When she moved, I moved. I paid close attention to the sway of her hips, trying to get myself familiar with who they belonged to. I wasn’t there yet, but I was getting there.
I stopped backing up at the top of the stairs and as the shotgun remained aimed at my face, it hit me. I knew who was behind the mask, but the moment I opened my mouth, she lowered the gun and squeezed the trigger. All I remembered
was the loud, blasting sound that popped my eardrum. I saw fire spark from the gun and I felt myself tumbling down the carpeted stairs. The ceiling was spinning and my entire body was numb. My eyes watered, but I could see a blurred vision of the woman standing over me. She pulled the mask over her head and wiggled her fingers through her hair.
“Don’t you know, Cedric,” she said with a smile on her face. “Too much pussy ain’t good for you.”
After that, my eyes fluttered some more, and I saw darkness with a flash of white, bright lights.
Chapter Twenty-two
Trina
Thank God Keith was doing much better, but he would have to stay in the hospital for some days yet. I spent every hour that I could by his side, making sure that he would be okay. I was also very appreciative of Kayla being by my side, but as for Evelyn, she had seriously let me down. I don’t know why I expected anything different from her. I should have prepared myself better for her reaction. I didn’t know if we would ever be able to mend our friendship again, but I was at a point where I didn’t care anymore.
Keith turned in bed and looked at me sitting in a chair with my legs pressed against my chest. The room was kind of chilly, but I did have a blanket over me to stay warm. Keith had beads of sweat on his forehead. He cocked his head from side to side while looking at me.
“You’re still here,” he said with a slight smile.
“Where else am I going?”
“I don’t know. You could go to work, go for a walk, to the mall . . . something.”
“Nope. I’d rather be here with you—that’s if you don’t mind.”
“Of course not.”
He licked his dry lips and looked around at the get-well-soon balloons and many cards. They were from coworkers, family, and friends. Keith had a lot of love, as well as support.
“Have my mother and father been here?”
“They were here earlier, but you were sleeping. Your mother said she would be back around seven and your dad said he was coming back tomorrow.”
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