Page 276 of Kentrell

Because what could he say?

What words could ever unwrite the betrayal?

“I was never gon’ hurt you, ma!” Kentrell’s voice exploded as I shoved against his chest, breaking free from his grip.

“You alreadydid! You don’t get to decide what counts as harm, Kentrell! You manipulated me. You watched me—tracked me like I was a damnmission!”

His eyes were wild now. Hurt. Angry. But I didn’t care.

“I ain’t do none of that shit?—”

“What’s all this then?” I moved around him, snatching the folder off the table and tossing it at him. Papers went flying, whooshing through the air before flopping across the floor like they’d been waiting for this moment.

“Man, he gave me that shit and I barely looked at it?—”

“Then why was it here?”

“I fucking live here!”

I opened my mouth, ready with another rebuttal, but he beat me to it.

“When I’m not in the city.”

So that’s where that excuse came from. Must’ve gotten that from my file too. I rolled my eyes.

“I be here majority of the time, Zoe.” His voice softened, like he thought that would help. Like I was ready to let this go.

But this was my life he’d been playing with.

I might not have meant something to him… but he damn sure did to me.

“You knew I was falling for you!” I screamed. “And you let me! You encouraged it! While sitting on a folder that read like a damn obituary!”

“You not even tryna fuckin’ hear me out, Zoe! You just wanna scream and shout!” he yelled back, just as loud. “I never did that shit! I ain’t take his money! I never confirmed shit with him!”

“Then why the fuck did you meet with him before walking into my office that day?”

I folded my arms, foot tapping, waiting for the lie to roll straight off his tongue.

“‘CAUSE I WANTED FUCKIN’ TO SEE YOU, ZOE—DAMN!”

His roar rattled through the room, making my heart lurch in my chest.

“My whole fuckin’ day was mapped out for you—not ‘cause of the shit Malcolm was on—Zoe, I swear to God—on my granny grave—I made up my mind that night at The Apex that I wanted you.”

His chest heaved with every breath, nostrils flaring, a single vein bulging across his forehead. And on top of all that… his eyes?—

They were glassy.

Like he wanted to cry.

“I—” His voice cracked. “I love you.”

That did it.

My heart burst.

I covered my face with both hands as the tears came hard and fast. I told myself I didn’t need to hear those three words… since I’d already said them first.

---