Page 33 of Love Delayed

I could feel what she was saying, and I was so relieved that she didn’t have a desire to sleep around with other men behind her husband’s back. I polished off my drink and gave her the soundest advice that I could muster up. “Listen, I know that you love Josh and you also miss the fun side of him. I just think that you need to be honest and share with him how much you miss the things that y’all used to enjoy together. Be honest in letting him know how you feel and give him the opportunity to fix it.

“Let him know the things that you need to be happy, and if he doesn’t budge, let him know that you will be making new friends, and some might be male. Just don’t be dishonest and disloyal.

“I’ve never loved Evan as deeply as I loved Marcus, but I had mad love and respect for our marriage and for him to betray me hurts so much more than the love loss. I would have given him a divorce and his out if he had just said he was no longer happy with me, sis. The pain that Evan put me through was more about the betrayal because I trusted him, so don’t betray Josh, just talk to him and be real, and let him know what it is. Don’t make him suffer later because of your selfish actions. No one deserves that bullshit.”

She nodded. “You’re right, and I don’t want to hurt, Josh. That man has been too good to me, but the last year and change, he has just fallen off his game, and I need something to keep me excited,” she expressed. She got up to refill her glass, and I didn’t reject her refill. I had to be there, and the tipsier I got, the less preachy I’d be.

She ended up staying late to help me pack more of my things and load them into my SUV. By the time she left, she was a bit more sober, and she made sure she called me when she got in. Before I was about to call it a night, I heard the garage door open, and I knew it was Evan. I cringed because I wished I had gone to sleep before he got in. He had gotten so bold that he’d walk around the house talking to women on speakerphone as if I cared.

He’d do annoying shit like leave a mess in the kitchen after he’d have friends over like I was his gotdamn maid. Some nights, he didn’t come home, which didn’t bother me one bit, and I was happy to be moving on, and I couldn’t wait to be gone for good.

Chapter Fifteen

Eliana

My heart was thumping so hard I thought I would have a heart attack right there in my doorway, landing while searching my purse pocket for my 5-carat ring. It wasn’t there! I fished for my phone, powered it on, and requested an Uber, putting Rush’s address as the destination. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long because there was a driver in the area. Rush was the only person who could have it, and that bitch was breaking all the rules pulling this stupid shit. As soon as I shut the Uber door, I called him.

“Damn, Rush! What tha fuck, bro? Why would you take my ring?”

He laughed and replied, “Because you need to know who is in control.”

I wanted to blast on him, but I stayed calm.

“I know the rules, Daddy, but stunts like this will get my ass dumped. This man is my cash cow. At least five years of being married to him will set us all the way up, but you doing dumb shit is going to fuck it all up. So, chill the fuck out, or we’re going to end up with nothing. I’m spending every dime and using every resource to pull this off. So, stop doing stupid shit, Rush. Damn! For this to work, you are my crazy-ass ex, okay? We need to stay in character to carry out this damn mission. Why in the fuck do I have to explain this to your ass?”

He let out a sigh. “You right, lil momma, and yo’ man apologizes. I was being an ass and thought it was funny,” he chuckled lightly. “I’ll meet you at the gate.”

“Bye,” I said and hung up furious.

When my Uber pulled up to the gate, I got out and walked over to where he was waiting. He opened the gate and tried to kiss me, but I dodged his attempt.

“My ring,” I demanded, extending my left hand with my palm up.

Smirking, he shook his head and pulled the ring out of the front pocket of his jeans. He took a few moments before finally placing it in my hand. I took it and then hit the button on my car’s key fob to unlock the doors.

“That wasn’t cool. Again, I’m sorry,” he said, grinning as I climbed into the seat of my Mercedes.

“You’re right. It wasn’t,” I said and slammed my door shut.

After cranking the engine, I backed the hell out of there. I had to figure something out, or Rush was going to blow this for me. All the shit I went through with Rush, and he could never provide the lifestyle Marcus would. Yes, he had a King Kong dick, but that didn’t account for shit. I had to get my head back in the game and get Marcus on board with leaving Chicago and relocating to Las Vegas, or I would have to kill Rush. It would probably be the only way I’d be able to get away from him for good.

I called Marcus back-to-back, but he didn’t answer. I figured he had gone to his place after noticing I had left, so I drove straight there. When I let myself in, I found him watching TV on the sofa.

“I can explain,” I whispered.

“I’m listening,” he said, not even looking in my direction and in a tone that let me know I was treading on thin ice.

“I freaked out. I thought my ring was in my bag, but it wasn’t there when I went downstairs to get it. I panicked. All I wanted to do was get to the parking garage where my car was parked. Last night, I was upset and hurt. So, I called Monica and asked her to meet me at Passion’s. I thought about calling off the engagement, so I took off the ring and put it in the console. I don’t drink, baby. You know that. I had one glass of wine there. Monica knew I was upset, so she suggested we go to her place to talk. When we got there, she kept pouring me glass after glass after glass of wine while we were talking. Hell, I lost count and ended up passing out. Then, when I finally woke up, she had left a note saying she had an important meeting this morning. Not wanting to wait for her to get back, I decided to catch an Uber home. By the time I got home, I was so sick that all I could do was vomit and try to sleep it off. I’m so sorry, Marcus,” I said, breaking down into tears. “Thinking I had lost my ring scared the shit out of me, and last night, I certainly didn’t make good choices. I’m sorry, baby,” I added, crying harder.

Hell, I was putting on such a performance that I was falling for my own act.

“Eli, I love you, too,” Marcus said, standing up to embrace me. “And I’m sorry for making you feel insecure. I promise you nothing going on with me and Zamora. There is nothing left for her. I am with you, baby,” he said, and I honestly believed him.

For the first time since it all started, I felt bad because I was the only fraud in the room. I loved the lifestyle he could provide for me, not him. Sometimes, I wondered how I could be so heartless. I knew the man who opened himself up to love me would choke me dead if he ever learned my motive. So, I could never let that happen.

Chapter Sixteen

Zamora