"Hey. How is everything?"
"Everything is good. I should be asking you that since it looks like you're about to pop," I said.
"I wish. I can't wait to see Vanessa, but I know it's going to take some time," she said, taking a seat beside me.
"Oh, Maxine, this is my best friend, Isha. Isha, this is Maxine, Bryon's sister-in-law."
"Oh, nice to meet you," Isha said, shaking her hand.
"Likewise."
"How far along are you?"
"Almost nine months. I think I've looked like this since I was six months, though."
"I'm not saying anything. I was in your shoes not too long ago."
"Wow. So you understand."
"I most certainly do. This little outing is the first I've had in close to six months, including the time I was pregnant. I can definitely relate."
Maxine smiled then turned to t me. "So, I had a chance to finish your book, and I loved it. I wanted to tell you sooner, but I don't have your number."
"You really loved it?"
"Yes! It had all the elements of a great story. I was literally screaming at my Kindle until Jason took it from me. I'm surprised he hasn't said anything about it."
"We've all been so busy with work that we don't really talk about outside stuff."
"Humph." Isha smirked.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"Maxine doesn't know what's going on between you and Bryon, does she?"
Maxine looked lost, and I blushed. I was so anxious to tell Isha what had happened, I told her on the drive to the bistro. Of course, she was surprised but eager to know the details, which I wouldn't tell.
"Know what? What's going on?"
"I guess your husband doesn't tell you a lot of things," Isha replied. "He probably knows that A and Bryon are officially together; well, once she gets a divorce and all."
"I knew something was going on with you two, but I just thought that since you were married that anything serious wasn't a possibility. But I should have known when Jason said you confronted your husband about cheating on you."
"Yeah, I did. Anyway, Bryon took me out, and we had an amazing time."
"Complete with hot bedroom action," Isha added with a laugh.
"Wow! I do have to say, Bryon is smitten with you, and I think you're the first."
I smiled but noticed the uneasy look on Maxine's face. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, everything's fine. Just be careful, Asia. Bryon is wonderful, but there are some things you still probably don't know about him."
"Is there something I should be concerned about?"
She shook her head. "He's just been in a lot of relationships, but when he met you, he fell hard. I don't think he ever really loved anyone, but every time anyone mentions your name, he gets this look on his face, showing how much he admires you. I think he's in love, Asia."
I leaned back in my seat, not knowing what to say. Could that be possible? I knew the look Maxine was talking about because I'd seen it a couple of times.
"From the times I've been around you, you seemed like a really great person; I just want you to be careful with his heart. If anything bad happens, I don't know how he'll take it."
"Wow, Asia; you've really got him sprung," Isha said.
I looked between the two and sighed. I didn't want to admit it to anyone, but I thought I was falling in love with him, too. I didn't want to say it in case he didn't feel the same way, but after what Maxine said, maybe I should let him know how I felt.
***
After spending a little more time with Isha and Maxine, I met up with Bryon at his place. We
lounged around and caught up on some alone time, then I decided when I wanted to go by the
house to get my things. I sat on the bed, while Bryon put his clothes on. I really didn't want him
to. If I could, I'd stare at him all day.
"You sure you want to do this?" he asked.
"Yeah; I have to eventually, right?"
"You're right. I just didn't think you'd want to see Dwight so soon."
"There's no point in delaying it, so I might as well get it over with."
"And as promised, I'll stay in the car."
"Promise me that you will."
"I will, Asia."
I smiled then kissed his cheek. "Let's get this over with."
He nodded, and we went out of the door. I prayed that this would go smoothly and that nothing
would happen.
***
The drive to Jordan's house was long and nerve-wracking, and I spent the time staring out of the window. I was too nervous to give Bryon directions, so he asked for the address and used the GPS on his phone. He took my hand and squeezed it, making me feel a little better.
I asked him to park away from the house so no one would be suspicious if they saw an unfamiliar car in her driveway. In this neighborhood everyone knows everyone, so they would quickly notify Jordan if they saw a strange car around her house.
When I got there, I went to the garage and opened it then proceeded into the house. I thanked God that Jordan wasn't there. That should make this a lot easier to do.
I went into the room that I'd shared with Dwight. I looked around with feelings of guilt and sadness. I wasn't sad that I was leaving; I was actually looking forward to being on my own. It was the idea that the marriage I'd tried hard to salvage just didn't work. Dwight and I were two different people now, so I figured there was no point in being upset over something we couldn't fix. I'd stuffed half of my clothes into my suitcase, and I was in the living room, putting a few things into a bag when the front door opened. Dwight walked in. For a second, he looked surprise that anyone was even here, but then he smiled.
"Asia! I didn't think you would come back. I'm glad that you did, though, because we really need to talk."
He looked down and saw my suitcase, and his smile turned into a frown.
"What are you doing, Asia?"
"I thought you were coming 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 to blame for it, but I promised you before we moved in here that I was going to get us back on track. I was going to get us where we were before everything happened."
"Are you? You have caused more issues trying to fix the ones we had! I've been hearing the same thing for the past 10 years, and nothing has changed. It's 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 told him. I pushed past him and went to the door. He grabbed my arm and pulled me to face him.
"So you're going to throw away our marriage 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. That's why it's best if we just walk away," I insisted and shrugged myself from his grasp.
I walked through the kitchen and to the garage as Dwight yelled my name. Even though we had a rocky marriage, a part of me still loved him. We'd been together half of our lives and it hurt to know that things had come to this, but I couldn't continue being unhappy. I'd given him so many chances to change, but nothing never happened. To me, the line had finally been drawn. Not only that, but since Bryon had entered my life, there was no point in denying what I felt for him. It was just best for me to cut all of ties with Dwight and move on.
I looked down the street and saw Bryon's car parked in the same spot where I'd left him.
I walked towards him. He looked concerned when he saw my sad expression.
"What's wrong?"
"It's Dwight. He knows."
"Get in," he demanded.
I quickly threw my suitcase in the backseat then hopped in beside him. Before I could close the door, Dwight was rushing to the car with a heated scowl.
"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 replied.
"I wasn't talking to you."
Before I could say anything, Bryon jumped out of the car and stepped to Dwight.
"Listen, we don't want any problems. Just let Asia go so she can figure things out, okay?"
"This is between me and my wife, 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. They began hitting each other and making me a little anxious. I knew this was going to happen; that's why I didn't want Bryon near the house. I didn't want them to start fighting, because with their tempers, someone could end up dead.
"Stop it, you two!" I yelled as I tried to break it up. They definitely didn't need to fight in the neighborhood because one of these neighbors would be quick to call the police.
Byron sucker-punched Dwight, but Dwight shook it off and threw Bryon on the ground. I was trying to push Dwight off of Bryon since he had him pinned on the ground. Dwight's elbow went across my chin, knocking the wind out of me. Before I knew it, my body was heading to the ground.
"Asia!" Bryon and Dwight yelled.
That was the last thing I heard before I blacked out.
Asia
I slowly opened my eyes, wondering where the hell I was. I tried to get up, but I felt two pairs of hands push me back down. I looked to the side and saw I was in Jordan's living room on the couch. I looked to the other side and saw her, Dwight, and Bryon staring at me with concerned expressions.
"What happened?"
"You were knocked out by him," Bryon said, sneering at Dwight.
"It was an accident, A, I'm really sorry," Dwight apologized with a sincere look.
"I know it was, Dwight. How long was I out?"
"Not too long. We're just glad you're okay. Now, I need to know what the hell happened outside and why I shouldn't call the cops on both of you!" Jordan exclaimed. That only made my head hurt even more.
"I think we should take her to the hospital," Bryon suggested.
"She's fine. She woke up, didn't she?" Jordan asked, sarcastically.
"She might have a concussion," Bryon continued.
"Nothing but rest will help her. Now, were you cheating on my nephew with him? I should have known you were."
"Ask your nephew what really happened. He was the one who's been cheating on me for months."
Jordan looked at Dwight, while I slowly sat up. Bryon placed his arm around me, which made Dwight furious.
"Get your hands off of her!"
"You lost that right when you started fucking your co-worker."
"Alright! You get out of my house! I won't allow you to disrespect my nephew or me for that matter!"
"I'm not leaving until Asia comes with me," Bryon said. He wasn't backing down, and that gave me butterflies.
"I suggest you wait in your car before I call the cops on you. Now, leave!" Jordan yelled.
"Please, let him stay. I'll be leaving soon anyway," I interjected. She rolled her eyes at me, and Bryon shook his head.
"I'll go. I'll be in the car," he told me. He kissed my cheek then went out of the door. Jordan looked at me with a smirk.
"Look at you, after I allowed you to come into my home."
"I was never the problem, Jordan. It was your nephew the entire time. But of course, you're not going to blame him for anything, no matter what he's done. I'll always be the problem."
Dwight sat down at the other end of the couch and looked at his aunt. "Can you please leave us alone, Aunt Jordan? Asia and I need to talk."
"Whatever, but I want her gone when I come back in this living room," she asserted. She gave me the evil eye before going into her room and closing the door.
"With pleasure," I mumbled with a chuckle.
"Don't worry about her. How are you really feeling?"
"I'm fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me, literally."
"I'm really sorry, A. I didn't mean to hit you."
"It's okay. I know you weren't trying to. I guess I got in the way."
"You were defending him."
I turned to Dwight, while he looked down at the floor.
"I was trying to get you off of him."
"But you were still defending him."
"Let's not do this, Dwight."
"You're right, we shouldn't. But I need to know how long you and him have been together."
I sighed. "It's not what you think."
"I'm sure it is if he was here and defending you. And it's not just that, I've noticed a change in
you ever since you started working for him. You seemed happier; that's when I knew something
was really up."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I didn't know he'd picked up on some of the things
that were happening, but I should have known .
"I was that obvious?"
"You were, but I shouldn't be upset. I gave you reasons to step out on me."
"It wasn't that, Dwight; there were a lot of issues we couldn't solve, even though we tried.
It just didn't work."
"Did you sleep with him?"
I quickly turned my head, and he sighed.
"I shouldn't be, but I am sorry, Dwight."
"You're right; you shouldn't be sorry. I've been with Tonya for the past six months, so I'm surprised you waited this long. But you've always been a strong one who didn't give into pressure. I'm the one who's weak-minded."
"Neither one of us should have cheated. We're both married. We should have either worked out our problems or just separated."
"But we didn't. So what are we going to do now?"
"I still think we need time to figure things out separately."
"Are you going to do that and be with Bryon?"
"Are you with Tonya?"
"There's really nothing going on with us. That was just sexual. But I think you and Bryon is the real deal. You have feelings for him, and I'm sure he has them for you. He would be stupid if he didn't."
"He does, Dwight."
"I really wanted us to work."
"I did, too. I think when we got married, we didn't understand the concept of being equal in everything. We were supposed to work as a team, not individually. We shouldn't have expected one person to do everything; we should have been able to lean on each other when things got rough. Instead, we turned to other people."
"I should have been there for you, A. I let you take on the load when it should have been me doing it all."
I sighed. "Listen, we both made mistakes in our relationship; now, we're owning up to them."
"So what now? Do you want to be with Bryon?"
I looked at the floor. I didn't want to tell Dwight that I did, and a part of me didn't know what I wanted. I did want some time to myself to possibly get myself together. I didn't want to rely on Bryon, even though he didn't mind. I also wanted to regain my independence, even if that meant being away from Bryon for awhile.
"I don't know, Dwight. All I know is that I want to start over, and I think you should do the same. Just like I said in that motel room, you have so much potential, but you're scared to use it. You need to take a chance and do something that you've always wanted to do. I did it with my writing, and I think you should, too."
"And I didn't really support you
on that."
I shook my head. "There's no point in talking about that, D. What's done is done."
I slowly got up and stood for a second before going to the door. Dwight got up and gently grabbed my hand. He looked in my eyes, which made my heart ache. When I first met Dwight, I loved everything about him: his looks, his personality, and his drive. I didn't know what had happened between then and now, but I thought it had a lot to do with him becoming comfortable with how things were and knowing I would do everything I could to keep things going. After I couldn't do it any more, he just gave up. Now, it was time for me to do the same.
"I'm sorry I let you down, Asia. I really am."
"I'm sorry, too."
I went back into the room we'd shared to retrieve a couple of more items so I wouldn't have to come back. Dwight told me that if I forgot anything, he'd send it to my dad's. I nodded, then I gave him a hug. We held each other for a long time, realizing that 10 years of our lives were quickly coming to an end. I couldn't lie, it hurt like hell, but I was excited to see what was in store for me.
"If you want to start with filing for divorce, I won't stop you," Dwight said.
I nodded and went to Bryon's car, which was parked at the curb. I opened the trunk and placed my remaining items inside. As I moved to open the door, I looked back and saw Dwight staring at me. I waved then got inside. I sat there in silence, not sure what to say as Bryon pulled me into his arms. Whether I wanted it or not, this was the beginning of my new life. Now I have to slowly put the pieces of my life back and reclaim who I was.
Bryon
We drove to Jason's in silence. I knew she didn't want to talk so I didn't push her. When we arrived, she got out and took her things from the trunk. I walked over to her and put down a bag she had in her hand.
"Talk to me. I know you're hurting right now."
"There's nothing to talk about. I just need to get myself situated."
I looked at her as she continued getting her things. Suddenly one of her bags slipped, and she almost lost her balance. I grabbed her before she fell.
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