Page 48 of Session 33
He had made his momma’s soup, fresh-squeezed juice, and filled my fridge with fruits, vegetables, and a couple of meals he prepped.
“Solomon... I don’t know what to say.” I was so touched I could have cried.
“You don’t have to say anything,” he replied, wiping his hands. “I have to go. But call if you need anything. I left a few meals in the freezer. Just rest. Please.” When he bent and kissed my forehead, I damn near exhaled.
After he left, I sent him a text, thanking him again. His response was simple, but it made me feel less alone.
“Anytime, Angel.”
Chapter thirty eight
The doctor put me on bed rest at thirty-four weeks, but resting just made me restless. I couldn’t sit still, couldn’t stop my mind from racing. So, despite the doctor’s orders, I decided to go to the mall. I told myself I’d just pick up a few things for my son, even though he didn’t need anything else. Shopping always relaxed me, and I needed that.
At Nordstrom, I started filling carts with baby clothes—anything cute. It didn’t matter that they wouldn’t fit him for a year—I bought them anyway. Then I bought Naomi’s son clothes and shoes too. It felt like I was preparing, like I was taking control of something in my life. My feet were the ops that day though. Two hours of walking, and they were throbbing. I had to pee every few minutes.
Instead of going directly to the car, I headed to the food court. One of the restaurants had a gelato I knew I shouldn’t be eating. Shopping bags heavy in my hands, I turned the corner headed in the direction, and I froze. I blinked hard to make sure I was seeing what I was seeing.
It couldn’t have been Cassius sitting outside the Whiskey Cake bar—I just knew it couldn’t have been. Not when I hadn’t seen or heard from him in almost two months. That shit hit me directly in the heart.
He was sitting with a brown-skinned girl on his lap, laughing as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Two other women sat across from them, giggling and clinking glasses. In the middle of the table was a cake with a single candle burning. It was someone’s birthday.
My heart stopped. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t fucking breathe no matter how hard I tried. I just stood there, my eyes locked on him, hoping this was some horrible mistake. He had to have a twin, a doppelganger. As if feeling my gaze, Cassius looked up. Our eyes met, and everything else faded away.
He stood.
My first instinct was to run, to get as far away from this nightmare as possible. I panicked and turned on my heel, rushing into the first store I saw—a Macy’s—as fast as my big belly would allow. I could hear him calling my name, his voice echoing through the noise of the mall, but I refused to stop. My side started cramping, but I didn’t care. I pushed through the pain, heading straight for the family bathroom in Macy’s. Once inside, I locked the door behind me and leaned against it, my heart pounding.
Cassius was outside the door, knocking, whispering, begging. I ignored it. I sat there wishing I was strong. Wishing I could have smiled in Cassius’s face through the pain. Wishing my anger had taken over. Angry me wouldn’t have run. Angry me wouldn’t feel so broken.
With shaky hands, I pulled out my phone and called Naomi. As soon as she picked up, the tears I’d been holding back spilled over.
“Naomi,” I choked out, my voice barely a whisper. “I just saw Cassius. He was with some girl. She’s real pretty, like Keisha. I... I didn’t know what to do.”
“Where are you? I’m coming to get you,” she said.
I collapsed onto the toilet seat, feeling pathetic as the tears kept coming. All the emotions I’d been holding in for weeks—fear, anger, hurt—came crashing down on me.
I thought about the nights I’d spent alone, wondering where he was, what he was doing. I thought about the times I’d called him, only to be met with silence. And now, here he was, flaunting a new girl, as if I meant nothing. As if our baby meant nothing. But it was my own fault. Naomi had warned me, and I hadn’t listened.
I sat there crying until I heard a knock on the bathroom door. I heard an employee asking Cassius to leave the store. She asked me if I was okay. “Yes, ma’am. I just need a minute.”
About ten minutes later, there was another knock on the door.
“Angel, it’s me,” Naomi called out. “Jonas and I are here. Open up, sis.”
My racing heart slowed a bit. I wiped my face with the back of my hand, trying to pull myself together, but when I opened the door, the tears were still falling. Jonas was there too, and he helped me out of the dressing room.
Jonas carried the bags as we headed out of the store. “You okay, Angel?” he asked, concern etched on his face.
I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
As we approached the exit, I saw Cassius standing outside Macy’s, just across the way. Our eyes locked again. I could see the regret in his eyes, but I didn’t care.
The girl he’d been with was beside him, trying to get his attention. She was pretty, her skin glowing. When he didn’t look her way, she stepped in front of him. And the way he looked at her, his eyes softening, told me everything I needed to know. Shewasn’t like Keisha. She wasn’t a mistake. She was someone who mattered to him.
“Oh my God,” I whispered to myself, the realization hitting me hard. “We’re over. It’s the end of us.”
Naomi was watching the same thing, her anger radiating off her in waves. “You a fuck boy for this, Cassius,” she spat, yelling at the top of her lungs. Jonas was blocking her from approaching Cassius. “Got this girl out here running from your stupid ass, while pregnant. I swear fore God, soon as I drop this baby in a few weeks, I’mma beat your ass.”