Page 45 of Her Loyalty

"I feel like I've seen you in a lot in the house these days but you've been so quiet."

"Yeah.." I trailed off.

Because of you. I thought to myself.

"You haven't been going to your friendStephanie'splace much and you've rarely been eating." She went on and I shrugged.

"Haven't been hungry." I said simply and she just looked at me.

"Um, is there an actual problem or-"

"So I'm guessing you and Dominic broke up?" She blurted out, making me jolt my head back.

"Huh?"

"You and Dominic.." She went on, completely throwing me off.

"I know that you guys were still together, Tiana. I'm not an idiot."

"What are you-"

"The two of you broke up?" She asked, cutting me off and I sat there quietly, looking down at my hands.

"Listen."

"I was twenty one before too and I made a lot of mistakes when I was your age."

"Partying, drinking, dating your wild, incompetent father.." She trailed off.

"I knew everyone around me had a right to say something or speak up about my actions but there was one thing that no one could tell me." She went on.

"No one could tell me to stop." She spat, making me look up at her.

"I was twenty one years old, dating your crazy ass father and though he put me through a lot of things, no one could tell me anything about him."

"I loved him." She spoke sternly.

"But though I loved him, I knew some of the things that they were saying about him were true. I knew he was addicted to coke, I knew that he'd cheated on me multiple times but I loved him."

"And he loved me."

"Me. Nobody else."

"And I guess the only reason I tried my hardest to keep you away from Dominic was because I'd put my own life into perspective. I didn't want you falling hard for someone that could possibly break you."

"You're so much more than that, Tiana. You deserve the world. And I figured a white man was the only person who could give that to you. I wanted you to marry up, not down. You know?"

"But.."

"These past few days, this past month, Tiana. I've seen a switch in you."

"The light, the fire, the spark you had in you before, it's been dimmed. It went away, baby and I can't help but to think I played a huge part in that." She went on, tears falling from her eyes as did mine.

"I refuse to hurt you like I allowed them to hurt me."

"I refuse to do you the same way." Her voice cracked.

"I left your father after I had you, listening to everyone else. Finally falling for everything they were telling me."

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