Page 19 of The Devoted Husband

Barron released a huff. “I don’t want to get into her personal business. That’s something you’ll have to ask her yourself. I just wondered if you knew anything about Atlas from your time with Imani. Was he around at all with Adam? Or was it just while you were in school?”

Dante thought back over his marriage again. Now that the truth about Imani’s affair with Adam and it leading to Dante not being the father of her twins had come out, he’d found himself looking for signs of the truth he’d missed. Any changes in priority or behavior...lowered libido...lies he’d gotten her caught up in. He looked at countless pictures of the twins, noticing less of himself and more of Imani and Adam every time.

“He was around while we were in college. I didn’t notice any flirting or anything between Day and Atlas at the time. What happened between them after Adam got out is beyond me. Imani kept that from me, so if they were seeing each other, Sade did as well.”

“From what you remember about him, is he someone I need to worry about? Can I write off what he did to you as loyalty to his blood, or was that a sign of how violent this man is?”

“I wish I could be more helpful, but I honestly don’t know. Anyone willing to do what he did to me—regardless of whether for family—should be avoided. I can say Adam was willing to do whatever to get Imani and the girls, but that wasn’t Atlas’sexcuse. If he was willing to do that simply because his cousin asked, I can’t imagine what he’s capable of if he’s truly upset with someone. I’d say you have cause for concern. If the relationship was romantic and ended, or if he wanted more than she was willing to give, he might go after her.”

Barron sighed heavily into the receiver. “That’s what I was afraid of.” He chuckled. “I disapproved of what she did with you while you were married to her sister, but at this point, I wish she would have stayed with you. At least then, I wouldn’t have to worry about this.”

Dante smiled with one side of his mouth. He hadn’t considered if her grandparents’ feelings toward their relationship were another reason Sade left him. They were all she had, and it wouldn’t have surprised him if they influenced her more than he realized. While they hadn’t straight up told her they didn’t want Sade and Dante together, she did express her grandmother’s warning that she’d be punished for what she did with him.

“I’ll...uh...look into Atlas and see if Sade will open up to me about it. If things look like they are getting to be more than she can handle, call me, and I’ll be there—whether or not she wants me to be.”

“Sounds like a plan. Talk soon.”

After disconnecting the call, Dante returned to the bench to gather his thoughts. His mind wouldn’t allow him to believe Sade had moved on already...especially with the man that tried to kill him. There had to be another explanation for this—one where Atlas wanted something from Sade that she wasn’t willing to give, and it didn’t include her body or heart.

Refusing to believe his best friend could sleep with the enemy, Dante decided there was only one way to get to the bottom of this: to go to Memphis and confront her himself.

Sade

“I think you should journal,” Ava said.

Sade’s head tilted as she processed her grandmother’s words. She hadn’t been honest with them about a lot of things lately—being pregnant, her relationship with Atlas, missing Dante like crazy. It didn’t take Ava long to realize things were sitting on her granddaughter’s heart. Sade didn’t want to go into detail, but she did admit to having a lot on her mind. Journaling, apparently, was Ava’s solution.

“Huh?”

Ava smiled and covered Sade’s hand with hers. They just had a late breakfast after getting the twins off to school. It had been difficult for Sade to watch her grandparents care for the twins since she’d been back in Memphis. Even though that’s where Nila and Mila wanted to be, a part of Sade wished they’d wanted to come with her. She blamed herself for the distance between her and her nieces.

They might have been closer if she hadn’t moved to Vanzette.

All that mattered was that they were loved and happy in a stable environment, and her grandparents provided that. But if they ever expressed their desire for Sade to take over, she’d do so willingly.

“If you have a lot on your mind and are not ready to talk about it, journaling is a great way to get it out. I’ve journaled since I was eighteen.”

“Really? Do you keep them all and reread it or something?”

“Not all of them. Sometimes, I might read them to reminisce, but most of the time, once I write it out, I never open it again. There are many different kinds of journaling so that matters too. I have a prayer journal that I’ll reread. The ones that aredarker and about painful things, I don’t open those. And there’s a gratitude and daily one that I’ll use for anything. I sometimes read over those.”

“Hmm . . . Okay, maybe I’ll do that. Thanks, Grandma.”

“Anytime, baby. And you know you can always come to me, right?”

Before January, Sade believed that. After the slight judgment over what happened while Dante was with her in Vanzette, she wasn’t so sure. Her grandmother’s honesty was always out of love and respect, even if it wasn’t something Sade wanted to hear. But Dante had always been a soft spot and sacred topic for her. Because she hadn’t been able to have him the way she wanted until earlier in the year, Sade held what they had near and dear to her heart. Outsiders may not have understood it, and she didn’t want their perceptions to taint the whirlwind love.

So, as much as she wanted to talk to someone about how she was feeling, she kept her thoughts to herself. The last thing she wanted was for her pregnancy to be something else that made her grandparents disappointed in her.

“Thanks, Grandma. I’ll try the journaling, and if that doesn’t help, I’ll take your ear.”

Pleased with her answer, Ava changed the subject, and they talked for a little longer before Sade headed out. She’d finally gotten an officer guarding Imani to agree to let her see her sister. He also agreed to send her daily updates. Unfortunately, the warden didn’t think Imani’s condition was serious enough to update her family regularly. But...the six figures Sade offered to pay Reggie, the guard, made Imani’s conditionveryserious in his eyes.

Sade ended up leaving earlier than planned to try the journaling thing. Even though she stopped by the store to grab a notebook and pens, she decided to send herself a voice memo on her phone instead. That seemed more authentic to her.

As she stared out of her window at passing cars, she spoke.

“I’m pregnant with my best friend’s baby, and he has no idea.” She chortled. “All I’ve ever wanted was Dante. This year, I finally got him...and I let him go. Thinking back on it, I had a lot of reasons. But lately, those reasons don’t seem like enough to stay away.

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