I killed the lights and pulled in front of the neighbor's house across the street. I watched as he got out, holding his side with one hand and his bag in the other.
At least my niggas did injure his big ass. He deserved it.
He entered the house, and I got comfortable. I was sure Jela and Scottie were in that house; I just couldn’t confirm it yet. My eyes squinted, noticing two big-ass men rounding the house and standing on the porch.
Shit!
They held semi-automatic weapons in their hands while their heads were on a swivel. That gave me the confirmation I needed to know Jela and my daughter were indeed inside that house.
“They’re in there… I don’t know how many niggas he has surrounding the house, so we’re going to wait until they move. Let me get my daughter away from that bitch, and y’all can do whatever y'all want to that cum bucket.”
“Whatever you want us to do, baby. We’re ready for whatever,” Whitney assured.
“That’s what I like to hear. Let’s get this shit done and be out,” I told them as we lay in wait until it was time to strike.
When I feltthe bed sink in behind me, I turned my head so fast I almost snapped my damn neck, thinking Damien had finally found me. When I saw Truce’s face, I was about to get excited until I noticed the bruising and swelling on his right cheek and the cut on his bottom lip. I frowned as I turned to him fully, looking into his eyes.
“Baby,” I swallowed. “What happened to your face, Truce?”
“Shhh. Everything’s okay,” he said, stroking my hair. “I love you, Jela.”
Tears filled my eyes as I kissed his lips. “I love you too, my Tru Bear.”
“I’ve never put my trust in any woman I’ve ever dated before. You came into my life and changed that. Shit moved fast with us,but I don’t regret anything that brought us to this point. I’d die protecting you and Scottlyn, Jela. You deserve to live and thrive and watch your baby girl grow up. If that means putting my life on the line for you to have that, I’ll do it a million times over.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Don’t be afraid, baby. I’m just letting you know how I feel about you. If anything were to ever happen to me, I want you and Chunks to be straight.” He reached into the pocket of his hoodie, brandishing an envelope. “This is the deed to the house and bank information for an account I put in your name for two million dollars.”
“No! I’m not taking that. Nothing is going to happen to you, Truce. It can’t!” I felt myself panicking as I sat up and tried to calm my breathing.
“Jela, baby… Look at me.” My eyes went to him as tears fled from my tear ducts. “You’re right. Nothing is going to happen to me if I can help it. This is just reassurance of a ‘just in case’ moment. I don’t want you to worry about anything; I just want you to take your life back and be the person you’ve always wanted to be.”
“I don’t know what I would do if I lost you, Truce. I need you.”
“I’m going to do everything I can to be sure that Idon’tleave you.” He wiped my tears away, then pulled me into his arms. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, holding onto him as if he’d disappear.
This was not what I expected when I didn’t hear from him tonight. I thought the worst, figuring something was wrong, and I was right. I didn’t need the story of what happened, though. It was clear he’d run into Damien, and that scared me. As I felt his lips press against my forehead, I prayed for God to end this warfare and keep Truce safe and protected.
Morning had come and gone, and it was now the afternoon. We were sitting at the table eating a light lunch. Things had been really silent. Aside from us saying good morning to one another, Truce hadn’t said more than a few words this morning and since our talk last night.
He was brooding.
I knew why, and it really sucked because I didn’t want this for him. I may not have asked him to go against his brother for me, but the fact that he did only made me feel like this was all my fault. If I had stayed with Damien, maybe I could have convinced him that I was all about him. Maybe after the first black eye, I should have just fallen in line and done whatever he asked of me. Perhaps I played the role as if I were madly in love with him, then maybe the beatings would have stopped, and we wouldn’t be in this place.
But I couldn’t do that.
I wasn’t raised to be a doormat or anyone’s punching bag. I’d stood up to him numerous times, and most of those times resulted in me being abused more and more. I became closed off and it triggered him to hurt me more. I withdrew from him completely, realizing he didn’t deserve my love after he’d cracked my ribs. I felt nauseous thinking about it. Ms. Delilah had to play Mommy to my baby for that period of time after me being put on strict bed rest for six weeks to heal. The things I had endured while with Damien couldn’t allow my heart to keep loving him.
Almost pissing the bed because I couldn’t move before he got out of bed, being secluded from my family, being repeatedly lied to and cheated on with multiple women, him kicking my babyout of me and then blaming me for it, and being tortured by his mental, financial, and emotional abuse was enough for anyone to withdraw emotionally. I was fucking depressed and losing weight until he built the dance studio for me. He was always using presents as a way to buy back my emotions. Scottlyn and dance were my only escape from the hell I was living in.
Now, as I sat across from his brother, sadness began to wash over me from what I knew was going to happen between them.
“Truce…” I called out to him.
His eyes lifted from his plate and stared at me. “What’s up, baby?”
“I-I think I should go back to Muskegon.”
