Page 72 of Session 33

"You look good," he said, his voice low and heavy. I forced my eyes not to drop. I knew he was probably hard.

"Don’t start," I warned, though I couldn’t help but smile as I led him to the entrance to the ride.

We floated down the lazy river together, side by side, the water warm and soothing.

"Did you ever do stuff like this as a kid?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," he said, looking up at the sky. "Me and Silas used to come here all the time. We’d fuck around in the water, race down the slides. You?"

"I never really did the whole water park thing," I admitted. "I never had too many friends."

He nodded, then went quiet for a bit, the sound of the water sloshing around us. Out of nowhere, he said, "I was thinking about some stupid shit last night and the night before."

"What?" I asked cautiously. Anything could come out of Cassius's mouth.

"That we’ve got a whole son together, spent all this time together, and I never even asked you your favorite color. That shit bothers me, not knowing for some reason, Angel."

There was something in his voice that hit different. He wasn’t just talking about colors. He was talking about all the little things we never knew about each other because we were too busy fighting or fucking or just trying to survive whatever our relationship was.

"Yellow," I said, glancing at him. "But I never asked yours either, so it’s okay."

He smiled softly. "It’s blue now. But pink when I was little. My daddy wasn’t having that, but he didn’t know I liked it because girls wore that color."

We both laughed. That sounded just like Cassius, mannish.

We floated in silence after that, lost in our own thoughts, the sun beating down on us. For the first time in a long time, I felt... peaceful. We were just... there. Just us. No labels, no expectations. Just us, drifting.

Chapter sixty three

I felt good after my day with Cassius. We ended up grabbing dinner, and for a moment, it felt like old times—easy, light, no drama. When I pulled up to the house, I expected a quiet night. Silas had offered to keep Ekon, and Solomon was supposed to be out of town. I had plans: take a long bath, maybe catch up onReasonable Doubtor finally crack open that book I'd been meaning to read. Just something simple. Something peaceful.

But when I walked in and flipped the lights on, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Solomon was sitting in the dark, like he’d been waiting for me. His silhouette was barely visible, but the tension in the room was suffocating, wrapping around me like a noose. He didn’t move, didn’t say a word—just sat there, staring. My stomach dropped. This wasn’t going to be good.

His bad energy hit me like a wall, and all the good feelings I’d had earlier, floating in that lazy river with Cassius, vanished.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be out of town?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

He didn’t answer right away, just dragged his eyes over me, lingering on my yellow bathing suit. I’d thrown a cover-up overit, but standing there in front of him, I suddenly felt too exposed. His stare made my skin crawl.

“You touched my things,” he said finally, his voice cold, accusing. “And what the fuck are you wearing?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the venom in his tone. I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me, trying to keep my composure. “What are you talking about, Solomon? What things?”

“I’m talking about you going through my stuff.” He stood up slowly, his movements deliberate, calculated. “I told you not to worry about what my mother said, but you didn’t listen. You went snooping because you don’t trust me, do you?”

My pulse kicked up, and I could feel anger rising in my chest. “I don’t trust what you’re hiding!” I shot back. “You wouldn’t tell me what’s going on, so yeah, I looked! What else was I supposed to do when you’re keeping secrets from me?”

His face twisted with disgust, curling his lip. “Now you wish to start inquiring? Now you want to assume the role of detective?” His voice dripped with disdain. "Tú eres nada más que una cualquiera con suerte," he spat, calling me a “lucky whore.”

“You were just somebody’s baby mama when I met you,” he continued, his words like poison. “Gorgeous, sure, but overweight, and you don’t even know how to act. I’m trying to treat you right, give you something better, but you don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve me. You keep getting in your own way. But I know we can fix this if you follow a few rules.”

My heart pounded in my chest, his words cutting deep. But I wasn’t about to let him see me break. “You must be out of your fucking mind if you think I’m gonna follow your rules,” I said, my voice shaking with barely contained rage. “Get the fuck out of my house.”

He didn’t budge. Instead, he stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. Before I could react, his hand shot out, grabbing my face, his fingers digging into my cheeks.

“I didn’t waste my time on you for nothing,” he hissed, his voice low and menacing. “You’re going to church with me, and you’re going to learn how to act like the woman I need. I don’t care what you think.”

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