Page 83 of Session 33

He interrupted again. “What, Angel? You still want him? You planning to go back to him? Is that why you kept it quiet?” The accusation cut deep, his voice raw with hurt and jealousy.

I blinked, caught off guard. “What? No! Cassius, that’s not—” I started, but he wasn’t letting me get a word in.

“You don’t get it, Angel!” he yelled, pacing now, eyes wild with frustration. “You’ve already fucked up enough in your life, butyou’re still playing these games. Do you know what I would’ve done if something happened to my son because of this shit?”

Before I could respond, the door swung open, and everybody barged in. Naomi, Silas, Charmaine, and Jonas crowded into the room, their faces filled with confusion and concern. The air was so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife.

“What’s going on?” Naomi asked, looking between us.

Cassius clutched the phone in his hand as he explained, “This piece of shit Solomon’s been threatening Angel. He’s still calling, still sending messages, and she didn’t tell me a damn thing!”

I sat down on the side of the bed, suddenly feeling a lot more tired.

Everyone’s eyes turned to me, their expressions filled with judgment. I just sat there, silent, tears welling up but holding back. Cassius finally stopped talking, his chest heaving.

“Are you done now?” I asked quietly, my voice trembling but firm.

“What?” he snapped. “Am I done? That’s all you have to say?”

I stood up slowly, wiping the tears from my cheeks, but my voice was still clear. “No. That’s not all I have to say. Ever since y’all met me, y’all been treating me like I’m dimwitted. I might be naive about some things, but I’m not stupid. I know how to protect myself and my child.” I looked away from Cassius; he was on my last nerve.

I cut my eyes to Naomi. “I didn’t tell Cassius about the calls because he’s a fucking nut. Him and Silas already beat Solomon once, and all it did was make his ass angrier.”

Cassius flinched at my words, but I kept going. “I didn’t just sit around waiting for him to hurt me, okay? I went to the fucking police, you know, the people you’re supposed to let handle shitlike this, and I reported the threats. I documented every single message. I took out a restraining order against him. And I even took my pistol out of storage.” I paused because I felt myself about to start cursing at everybody. “I’ve been on my own long before I met any of you. I can handle my fucking self.”

The room was silent. No one spoke, not even Silas, who usually had something to say about everything. They just stared, shocked, as I wiped my tears away angrily. My heart was beating so fast in my chest I thought it might explode.

“And no, stupid ass. I don’t want to go back,” I spat at Cassius, my voice cracking. “I knew when to leave. I did leave. What the fuck I look like going back? You’re the only motherfucker I keep playing stupid for. Keep letting hurt me.”

I felt the tears coming again, but I batted them away. I wasn’t about to break down completely in front of everyone. “Can y’all just get the fuck out of my room so I can change?” I screamed, my voice raw with frustration and exhaustion.

Everyone filed out slowly, giving me space. Naomi tried to give me a comforting look, but I turned away, not wanting to be coddled. Cassius was the last to leave, hesitating by the door.

“Angel—” he tried one last time, his voice soft now, like he hadn’t just called me an idiot.

I shook my head, backing away from him. “Fuck off, Cassius.”

He looked wounded, but I didn’t give a fuck.

“Angel, I’m sorry—”

“I said get out,” I repeated raising my voice. I was fed up. I understood them wanting to protect me but at this point they really did think I was incapable, but that was my fault. I had

He finally stepped out, closing the door behind him.

The moment I was alone, I collapsed onto the bed, the tears coming hard and fast now.

Chapter seventy two

Cassius wasn’t talking to me. Not really. He was there, present in the same house, but the distance between us was so thick, it felt like another wall had gone up. It reminded me of the first time he left, the silence he weaponized back then, and how it crushed me in ways I didn’t think I could recover from.

I thought we were better than that now.

He was there for Ekon, though. Feeding him, laughing with him, building Lego towers like nothing else mattered in the world. He was everything I’d always wanted him to be as a father. But it was like I suddenly didn’t exist. Like I’d faded into the background of his life.

I kept myself busy, cleaning rooms that didn’t need cleaning, folding laundry that didn’t need folding—anything to keep from spiraling. I would catch him out of the corner of my eye, moving through the house, ignoring me like I was just furniture. His eyes would flick to me for a split second, then slide away. It felt like rejection.

I was afraid that it was only a matter of time before it all came crashing down, and when it did, I knew it would shatter us in ways we couldn’t take back.