Page 61 of If You Love Me

She scooped up her keys, then stormed down the hallway and into my bedroom, returning moments later with her purse. Brushing past me, she sprinted down the front steps.

Turning to the movers, she spoke. “Pack up my shit and bring it back.”

Without another word, she power walked to her car and got in. She’d barely cranked it up before I heard the tires screeching as she pulled off. I palmed my forehead. This wasn’t at all how I expected life to be right now. Contrary to belief, I hadn’t used Iona as a placeholder. While I may have hoped for my wife to come home, I had given up all hope of it.

I’d done the organized search and rescue parties.

I’d held candlelight vigils in her honor.

I’d prayed on my hands and knees for years for her to be returned to me.

When I finally gave up and took the steps to moving on, she came back. No matter how much it hurt Iona, I loved Evenie. I’d never stopped loving her. I would never not protect her from anyone that meant her harm, be it mental, physical, or otherwise. It didn’t matter if it was family, friends, enemies, or the full army of God.

One time of not protecting her was enough to know that I’d never do that again.

19

Iona

“Mama!” I screamed, bursting through her front door. “Ma!”

She came bustling into the living room with my sister on her heels.

“What is wrong with you?” she asked frantically.

“It’s over. He broke off our engagement.”

“What? Wait a minute. Slow down and tell me what happened.”

“I just told you what happened, Ma. He broke up with me. He wants his wife back. I knew this was gonna happen. I knew it.”

“I need more details than that, Iona.”

I huffed. I decided to give her the full rundown of what had been going on between me and Tyrion for weeks now. Even recounting the story pissed me off. How could he be mad at me for doing what he refused to do? I’d asked and asked. I’d waited and waited, and he gave me nothing to make me feel secure in our future.

“Wait a minute,” my mother said, holding up her hands. “You sent that man’s wife divorce papers?”

“Yes. He refused to do it, so I did what needed to be done.”

“Are you out of your mind, Iona? And you wonder why he ended things. You crossed a major line. That wasn’t your place. I told you, baby. I told you, if that man was meant to be yours, then he would be. If not, there are plenty of other men out there.”

Meena snorted. “Good luck with that,” she mumbled.

“Meena, be quiet,” our mother snapped.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell my sister to go fuck herself. She was always so conveniently around whenever I had to talk to my mother about man troubles. It was like she could sense my misery and came around to feast on it like the succubus she was. I fully believed that if she could lick my tears without me popping her in her shit, she would.

Meena shook her head. “Mom, you need to keep it real with her. Treat her like a client when she’s acting like a mental patient. Honestly, Iona, I don’t know why you set yourself up like that. You never deal with a man that isn’t fully single. Is your self-esteem really that low, sis? Your taste in men is why you keep ending up with the bottom of the barrel ass niggas.”

“Oh, and your marriage is so great?”

“It is, actually. You could take a lesson from me and Daniel. You could be just as happy if you had any self-respect.”

I shoved my hand in her face. “Meena, shut the fuck up.”

“Watch your mouth in my house,” our mother warned me.

“Forget that! I’m so sick of her shit, Ma. She thinks she’s so much better than me.”

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