Page 74 of The Devoted Husband

“Yes, but I don’t think we’re going to.”

Sade stared at her grandmother, who had yet to say a word.

“Hey, Grandma.”

Ava set down her book, crossing her hands on top of it. Sade sighed as her head tilted because she knew what was about to come.

“You killed that girl.”

“She and ten other people were in my home. She had a bat and was about to hit me. How else do you think I could have handled that?”

“You could’ve shot her in the leg and let the police handle her.”

With a chuckle, Sade shook her head. Her fingers tapped the table as she looked from Ava to Barron.

“That’s easy to say, but when you’re in that moment and your life is in danger, you’re not thinking about shooting them somewhere to spare their life. I can promise you, she wasn’t going to spare mine.”

Ava’s tongue clicked against her mouth. “I keep trying to tell you it will only get worse. You lied to your sister and Dante while he was there with you. You slept with him knowing he was married to someone else.”

“Will you stop!” she yelled, slamming her palm against the table. “Yes, I lied, but I wouldn’t have had to if Imani hadn’t tried to blame him for her crimes. I lied to save his life and to keep him free, and you’re not going to make me feel bad about that. What I’m going through isn’t Karma; it’s the effect of a deranged man who is after me because of something that I had nothing to do with. And maybe, just maybe, this could have been avoided if either of you had told me and Imani the damn truth!

“Had I known about my parents and the Joneses, I could have recognized him while I was in Vanzette and been prepared for this. I could have gone to his captain and let him know he would be biased because of my parents and gotten him off the case before he had time to focus on me. But because the two of you decided I didn’t need to know that my parents were murdered, you left me with a huge blind spot! So, I don’t want to hear you say anything about this being what I ‘deserve’ because of Karma because it’snotKarma, Grandma.

“It’s me paying for my dad’s cheating. It’s me paying for you not telling me the truth. If anyone should feel bad about what the hell is happening in my life, it should be you! Now, I’ve tried to keep the peace between us, but I’m not doing this anymore. Since you can’t seem to accept the fact that this is not a conversation I’m going to have every time Jones does something crazy, I’m staying away like you wanted me to weeks ago.”

“Sade, wait,” Barron said as he stood from his seat, but she ignored him.

She was more upset by her grandmother’s words than what happened in court. Sade was tired of her grandmother’s pessimistic attitude. She missed the days when, even when Ava didn’t like what she was doing, she tried to guide her positively and with love. The advice she gave was often a life lesson Sade appreciated because it was something she believed she could benefit from. As Ava aged, she was starting to become looser atthe lip, and most of what she said when she didn’t agree with Sade led to a disagreement.

Tears blurred her vision as she walked through the living room. As much as she hated admitting it, Dante was right. She should have known Ava would make this difficult for her.

Sade was so focused on wiping her eyes and opening the car door that she didn’t notice the figure standing behind her until a scarf was put over her mouth as she was picked up and carried to a waiting car.

Dante

Something wasn’t right.

It wasn’t like Sade to not answer his calls...especially knowing he’d be calling in an hour. A part of him thought she was asleep, so he called Barron before heading that way.

Barron answered with, “Hey, son.”

“Hey, Grandpa. Where’s my baby?”

“I’m not sure. She left here a while ago.”

“Hmm. That’s odd. I’ve been calling her, but she hasn’t answered.”

“Maybe she’s taking a nap.”

“I thought that too, but if she’s not there, I don’t know where she’d be taking a nap. She’s not here at my parents’ house. Did she decide to stay with you all, or did she say she was going to a hotel?” Dante asked.

“Well, after what happened with her grandmother, I’m pretty sure she’s not staying here. They had a little spat. I can’t really even call it that.” Barron chuckled. “She put your grandmother in her place, and I was a little proud of her for that.” He released a low sigh. “I’ve been telling Ava to ease up on Sade. Her temperament with Sade is up and down lately, depending on what’s happening. I thought she’d gotten past the past after we told you all about Martin and Andrea, but the Trina girl’s sister dying has traumatized my wife all over again. I get that, but I don’t agree with what she said, and Sade didn’t either. She’s pregnant and has a lot going on, but Ava just kept poking the bear.”

“Was she upset when she left?”

“Oh yeah.”

“God, I hope she didn’t have an accident or something. Let me track her location.”

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