Contents
RWIM
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Other Books By Sheena Binkley
Prologue
Asia
Dwight
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Bryon
Asia
Dwight
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Dwight
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Dwight
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Dwight
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Bryon
Asia
Epilogue
Now that Camille, Trevor, Tia, and Charles have...
With the success of the first Love, Life, &...
Music Playlist
About the Author
Reclaiming What Is Mine
By
Sheena Binkley
Reclaiming What Is Mine
Sheena Binkley
All Rights Reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by Sheena Binkley
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Editor: Jamie Fleming- Dixon
Cover Design: Aija Butler (AMB Branding Design)
Formatting by: Sheena Binkley
Published in the United States of America
Acknowledgements
Thank you, God, for continuing to bless me with this precious gift. Thank you for guiding me every day of my life.
To my husband, Ethan, as always, thank you for being my rock throughout my writing journey. You have been there for me from the beginning, and I will always appreciate that.
To my family, who has been a wonderful support system for me, you don't know how much you all mean to me.
To Isha Pascal, thank you for letting me use you as my inspiration for Asia's bestie, "Isha." You both have the same personality, so I knew this would be a great fit. Thanks, bestie!
Laurencia Smith, thank you for motivating me to write this book. I wasn't going to at first, but you encouraged me to step out of my comfort zone and write this beautiful story about Asia and Bryon. Thank you, my writing sis! I really appreciate you in my life as a confidante and a great friend.
Jamie Fleming-Dixon, thank you for being such a wonderful editor. You have always been so kind, and I'm grateful to have you working on my indie projects. I do have The Love Chronicles coming up, so I will be contacting you again soon!
Aija Butler, thank you for an amazing cover. The moment I saw the mock-up, I instantly knew it was Asia and Bryon! I hope to work with you on future covers, including for The Love Chronicles.
Victoria Johnson, thank you for stepping in and promoting my work. You have been on top of it all and promoting when I wasn't able to. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
BRAB (Building Relationships Around Books), thank you for your continuous support. I truly love this group and everything that it represents. I'm glad to be a member and to share my work with you all!
Of course, I couldn't end my acknowledgements without saying thank you to my readers for continuously supporting me on all of my projects. There are a lot more stories coming soon, so I hope you're ready to enjoy them!
Other Books By Sheena Binkley
Available Now:
In Love With My Best Friend series
In Love With My Best Friend (Camille & Trevor)
A Chance at Love (Tia & Charles)
The Wedding Part I (Camille & Trevor)
The Wedding Part II (Camille & Trevor)
Love, Life, & Happiness series
Love Unbroken (Riana & Shawn)
Trust Me (Cheryl & Marcus)
Unconditional Love (Britney & Jayden)
The Way We Were (Monica & Donnell)
Love Always (Riana & Shawn)
Redemption (Nathan)
Something Just Ain't Right series (Hayley & Morgan)
Something Just Ain't Right
Something Just Ain't Right 2
Something Just Ain't Right 3
No Other Love (Kevin, Carla, & Jennifer)
No Other Love
No Other Love 2
No Other Love 3
Our Love (Charlie & Michael)
Coming Soon:
New Series (Jayden/Britney & Zack/Dominique) – Title TBA: Fall 2015
The Love Chronicles (Andie & Dexter)- Winter 2015
Prologue
Asia
Growing up, my mom always told me that life could be unpredictable. Boy, was she right. Never in my 27 years did I expect my life to become so complicated. I wished my mom was still here so I could talk to her, because I really needed her advice right now. She was the voice of reason and gave such great advice.
I picked up my suitcase and looked around the room that my husband and I had been sharing for the past six months. Although I should have felt sad about leaving, a part of me was actually excited. I hadn't been in my own place in years, so I was looking forward to a space that was mine without having to hear anyone's nagging. If I did, I was sure I'd be stabbing someone soon. I'm not a violent person, but for the past few months, I was definitely tempted.
As I put a few things into a bag, the front door opened, and my husband walked in. He looked happy until he saw me with my suitcase; then his smile immediately turned into a frown.
"What are you doing, Asia?"
"I thought you were going to be home late."
"Don't change the subject. What are you doing with your suitcase? What's going on?"
"As if you didn't know. What did you think, Dwight? That I was going to come back and everything would be okay? I can't do this anymore. I tried to make things work between us, but I just can't."
"Can't what? Asia, I know things have been rough lately, and I'm mostly the blame for it, but I promised you before we moved in here that I was going to get us back on track. I'm going to get us back to where we were before everything happened."
"Are you? You have caused more issues trying to fix the ones we had! I've been hearing this same tune for the past 10 years, and nothing has changed. It sounds like a broken record, Dwight, and I'm tired of it. You have lied and cheated your way for the past few months, and I can't deal it with anymore."
"So you're leaving me? Where are you going to go?"
"I have somewhere I can go," I retorted. I pushed past my husband and went to the door. He grabbed my arm then pulled me to face him.
"So you're going to throw our marriage away because of what happened? I know I cheated, and I'm sorry. I regret what I did. As for our financial problems, I wasn't the only one who wasn't contributing, Asia."
"I've been doing more in this relationship than you have. I'm not going to continue living this way. I refuse to. It's best if we just walk away," I said and shrugged myself from his grasp.
I went to the door, praying that my ride was waiting for me somewhere else. I didn't want him at the house in case Dwight showed up. I didn't need an altercation to go down. If one did, that would had been another thing Dwight's aunt would blame on me.
As I walked to the kitchen, Dwight yelled my name. I kept walking, ignoring him. If I listened to what he had to say, I probably wouldn't go through with my plan. Even though Dwight and I were experiencing a rocky marriage, I was still in love with him. We'd been together for half of our lives, and it hurt to know that things had come to this. But I couldn't continue being unhappy. I had given him so many chances to change, but it never happened. To me, the line had been drawn, and it was time to move on.
I looked down the street and saw Bryon's car parked. I really didn't want to go because I knew Dwight would follow me; but if I didn't, Bryon would come to me, so I didn't have a choice. I rushed to the car and saw him sitting in the driver's seat. He smiled then quickly looked at me, concerned when he saw my sad look.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Dwight. He knows."
"Get in," he told me.
I quickly put my suitcase in the backseat and hopped in beside him. Before I could close the door, Dwight was jogging toward the car with a heated expression.
"I should have known! So you're leaving me for him?! Are you kidding me?!"
"Please, Dwight, do not make a scene."
"I knew something was going on between you two after that night. How long has this been going on?!"
"You're one to talk since you were cheating on your wife with your co-worker," Bryon interjected.
Before I could say anything else, Bryon hopped out of the car and stomped to Dwight.
"Listen, we don't want any problems. Just let Asia go so she can figure things out, okay?"
"This is between my wife and me, so I suggest you back the hell up!" Dwight shouted and shoved him.
"Dwight, please!"
Bryon grabbed Dwight by his shirt and threw him against his car, causing it to shake. The two began hitting each other, which made me a little anxious. I didn't want them to fight, because with their tempers, someone could possibly end up dead.
"Stop it, you two!" I yelled, trying to break it up. They definitely didn't need to fight in this neighborhood because one of the neighbors would be quick to call the police.
Byron sucker-punched Dwight, but Dwight shook it off and threw Bryon onto the ground. I tried to push Dwight off of Bryon as he had him pinned on the ground; instead he elbowed me across my chin, knocking the wind out of me. Before I knew it, my body hit the ground, knocking me out cold.
My life had already been a roller coaster before this night, but now, things were even more complicated. I never imagined that I would be leaving my husband for another man, but with the way things had been, it was only a matter of time before I walked away...
Asia
Six Months Earlier
I sat inside the car that my husband and I shared and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe this was happening. That our last resort had finally come. I looked out of the window and saw my husband, Dwight, taking some items from the trunk. He came over to my side and tapped on the window. I rolled it down and looked at him.
"Are you going to get out of the car anytime soon?"
I rolled my eyes and slowly opened the door. I dreaded coming here. After losing our apartment a few days ago due to being behind on the rent for two months, Dwight called his aunt, without my permission, to ask if we could move in with her until we got back on our feet. Of course, she didn't mind, but I knew she probably blamed me for us losing our apartment. She blamed me for damn near everything. Hell, the sky could be falling, and she would blame me for that shit.
Dwight stroked his goatee and sighed. "Listen, baby, I know things are a little bad right now, but I promise you, it will get better."
I sighed. I didn't see how, but I believed him. I always did.
Dwight and I had met almost 10 years ago at a club while I was celebrating my 18th birthday. Although he was fine with his smooth, medium-brown skin, hazel eyes, dimples on each cheek, and a body that you could eat off of, I wasn't going to talk to him since I had a rule about talking to guys at the club. Half of them only wanted one thing, and a relationship was not it; but there was something different about Dwight. He was nice and genuine. He wasn't just after my body, he actually wanted to get to know me. That was a plus, considering all the assholes I'd previously dated. I was just getting over a messy break-up and wanted to be by myself for a minute. Dwight understood and didn't pressure me to go out with him. Instead, we exchanged numbers and decided we would just talk or text each other.
After a few phone calls and lots of texts, I learned a lot about him. He was in college, getting a degree in engineering but worked at a clothing store. He didn't have a car but was trying to get one, and he was living with his aunt. He told me his parents no longer stayed in Houston and moved to Atlanta as soon as he graduated high school. His maternal grandmother lived there, and his mom wanted to be closer to her, and he decided to stay with his aunt and cousin. When he mentioned he didn't have a car, I was a little skeptical about dating him, considering I would be the one driving on our dates, but I realized that shouldn't stop me since he was a great guy.
A few weeks later, we were dating. He was a true gentleman and was great to hang out with. He wasn't like the other guys I had dated; instead, he went above and beyond to make me happy. That's why, after a year of dating, I decided to sleep with him. I'd wanted my first time to be with my husband, but that night, I knew that Dwight would be my husband someday; that's why I gave my all to him.
Two years later, he proposed to me, which was the happiest day of my life. He popped the question on our anniversary, and I was in total shock. It happened in a rose garden near Hermann Park, the perfect set-up.
We didn't waste any time with planning a wedding. Instead, we exchanged vows two months later at the courthouse. Although it wasn't the wedding that I had always imagined, I was so in love with Dwight that I didn't care where we got married, as long as we did. That was one of the happiest moments for us.
Or, so I thought.
All of that shit was a got damn lie.
The life that I thought I would live was a total charade. When we were dating, I thought our lives would improve since we were both in college, trying to better ourselves. While I finished my degree in marketing, Dwight dropped out and took a job working behind the counter at a video game store. His main reason for taking the job was he could get discounts on new releases.
I was the one who'd snagged the good job, working as a social media consultant for a driving school. Well, the pay wasn't all that great, but it was better than what Dwight was bringing in; so I was the one carrying all the bills. Well, I was, until I got into it with the owner over some bullshit which wasn't even my fault, and I was fired. I knew they would try and get rid of me. I was the only Black employee working for the damn company, so I knew it was coming.
Dwight tried helping with the bills while I waited to see whether I could receive unemployment, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. Everything started to fall apart, including our rent. Now, here we were, about to stay with his aunt, the woman who said that I was a "bougie bitch."
"Couldn't we have stayed somewhere else? The woman called me a high class whore in my damn face," I hissed.
Dwight sighed. "I know you don't want to stay here, but we don't have any other options."
"What about your cousin?"
"He just got married, so I highly doubt that they would want us there."
"I could always ask my dad," I suggested.
That was as bad as staying with his aunt, especially with my stepmother, who I couldn't be in the same room with for more than a minute.
"You know that wouldn't work," Dwight said.
He put an arm around me and smiled. "We won't be here for long. As soon as you find another job, we'll be straight." He kissed me on the cheek.
Dwight walked off, leaving me speechless. When I find another job? What about him? He couldn't stay a teenager forever, working for barely more than minimum wage at the game store. Besides, I had a job – as an author.
I published one of my stories close to a year ago, and it was doing pretty well sales wise. I thought I could live off of that for a little while, but I knew I had to find another stream of income. When you're an author, you'll have your good months, but there will be others when the sales will be piss poor.
"Baby, I'll find another job, but just until we're back on our feet; I was thinking about becoming an author full-time."
Dwight turned away from the trunk and laughed. "Seriously?"
"Yes, seriously. Writing is my dream. I think if I put out a couple of books, I'll make enough to take the place of my old salary."
"Asia, you have one book out now, and the sales are not that great."
"Not right now, but I'm working on the sequel, and my publisher thinks this one could really put my name out there."
"I'm not knocking your dream, Asia, but right now, that's all it is. We really need some type of income coming in. Hopefully, you can find another job since you went off at your last one. For all you know, they blacklisted you."
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