Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
He follows me up the steps. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you limping?”
I turn on him, and for the first time, I raise my voice to him. “Don’t. Just don’t. You don’t care, so don’t act like you do.”
I try to move faster, ignoring the pain shooting in my ankle. I grab my suitcase from the closet and start throwing things in the bag. He’s leaning against the door jamb, arms crossed over his chest and staring at me with hatred.
I disappear into the bathroom, and whatever I can grab in my two hands, I pick up. The rest I can just buy later. I dump it into my bag, and it’s all so haphazard, I struggle getting it zipped up.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I wipe the stupid tears from my face. “I’m leaving.”
I yank the bag off the bed onto the floor and start to roll it. As I walk next to him to get out the door, he puts his hand up on the door frame to block me. “If you’re pregnant, that’s my kid too. I have a right to know.”
I can’t even look at him. “I wouldn’t keep your child from you, King. Can you please just let me go?”
“Of course, I’d want a paternity test because how do we know whose kid it really is?”
I lean over because it feels like I’ve been kicked in the gut. “Please… I need to leave.”
He lifts his arm and lets me go. I get to the top of the stairs and struggle with the bag on the staircase. I get a few steps down when King calls my name. “Haven.”
I stop, a part of me hoping he’s going to say he realized he’s made a mistake. That he was wrong and that he loves me, but what actually comes out of his mouth is nothing like that. “You played your part well. I actually thought I’d fallen in love with you. That’s what I was coming to tell you. That’s what I had planned for tonight. I’m a fuckin’ fool.”
I clench my eyes shut and grip onto the banister of the stairs to stop from falling. Unable to take another second, I toss the suitcase the remainder of the way down the steps. I hobble down after it and then grab my keys and purse by the front door. I walk out without looking back once.
I haphazardly throw everything into my car and pull out of the driveway. It’s not until I’m on the road that I let the tears flow, and as soon as they start to flow, I can’t stop it. My body wracks with the force of my sobs. I keep driving, but I can’t see anything. I wipe at my eyes, but it’s only a momentary fix. I can’t continue like this.
I pull into the driveway of Chrissy’s house and throw my car into park. As I sit here, I let it all out. My throat is raw, my eyes are already swollen, and my heart is completely shattered. I don’t realize anyone is here until my car door flies open. “Haven, what is it? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Oh God. I cry even harder as Chrissy rubs my back. “Haven, talk to me, you’re freaking me out. What’s wrong? Is it King? Is he okay?”
I suck in a deep breath and nod. “He’s fine. I’m sorry. I couldn’t see the road, and I just pulled in here. I shouldn’t be here. I need to go.”
She reaches in and grabs the steering wheel. “You one hundred percent should be here. Come on, get out. You’re coming inside.”
I can’t look at her. “Chrissy, I’m fine. I promise.”
She’s incredulous. “You’re not fine. Now get out of the car.”
I get out of the car, and almost instantly Chrissy notices my limp. “What happened to you, sis?”
I start to cry again when she calls me sis and I don’t stop until I’m inside, sitting on the couch.
Chrissy sits next to me. “Talk to me.”
I inhale slowly and wipe at my eyes. I know I’m a mess. “King and I are over.”
Chrissy sits back, stunned. “What?”
My breath shudders. “Yeah, uh, he thinks I cheated on him. He thinks that I planned all this to… get his money… I don’t know.”
“Well, that’s stupid. Anyone that has seen you two together can see you love him.”
I start to cry again. Yeah, I love him. Even now with every hateful thing he said, I still love him. “Well, it doesn’t matter how I feel about him… It’s over.”
She’s shaking her head, “Explain to me what happened. I don’t understand.”
Slowly, I start to explain. “I really don’t know. He showed up with pictures of me and some man, but it’s not what it looks like. I fell today outside the community center, and the guy was helping me up. I twisted my ankle, cut up my knees and hands.”