Page 130 of My Only

I blinked. “What?”

“You should’ve never let her sleep in another bed,” he said firmly. “Never.” He swiped a hand through the air. “That was your first mistake.”

“Okay…?”

“Your second mistake? Was going to sleep angry,” he added. “So, make sure yuh following me.” He held up his hand and used his fingers to count off. “You never go to sleep angry, and you damn sure don’t sleep in separate rooms when you’re angry. You hearing me?”

“I hear you,” I mumbled, nodding.

When it came to relationships, my father understood what made them work. Whether it was friendships, family, or his marriage to my mother, he just knew how to keep them intact.

It’s probably why Ayla’s father respected him enough to invite him over for dinner at their brand-new house, all those years ago. A silent way of saying, “You’re like family now.”

I exhaled. “So what do I do?”

His face scrunched up. “Excuse me?”

I frowned. “Tell me what to do.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I will not tell you what to do, Hassani.”

I blinked hard. “Dad?—”

“Dad what?!” He laughed, and I wasn’t even close to finding this shit funny.

“This is your marriage,” he pressed, jabbing a finger into my chest. “Yours. You understand it better than you think. Better than me, I tell you that. You know what it will take to change Ayla’s mind.”

“I already tried that this morning,” I grumbled, referring to our random ass hook up in our kitchen. “Didn’t work.”

“Good.” He nodded. “Now you know what doesn’t work. Now try something else. And if that doesn’t work? Try something else. Keep trying until you find what works.”

I exhaled sharply, running a hand over my head.

“Let’s say I tell you what to do,” my father continued. “Let’s say I give you the magic answer, and it works. What happens next time, hmm?”

I turned to face him, brows furrowed.

“You’ll come back to me again? And again?” He scoffed. “And again and again?” He sucked his teeth. “Look yah, bwoy. Mi nah yuh marriage 8-ball, Hassani.”

I dropped my head to my chest, letting it hang there.

“Lift yuh head, bwoy!”

I snapped up immediately, swallowing back the feeling of defeat.

“Because you know you’ll have another falling out with Ayla, right?” His lips curled into a smirk. “This isn’t going to be the last time you two butt heads.”

I ground my teeth together. “She told me she wants a divorce, Dad.” My voice cracked slightly as I pressed my hands together. “A divorce.”

My father sucked his teeth. “She don’t want no divorce.”

“She said she did.”

“Because she’s pissed,” he said, like it was obvious. “You were out with another woman after work hours, bwoy. What did you expect? Applause?”

I clenched my jaw. He was right, but damn.

“You think Ayla’s gonna celebrate that shit?” he pressed. “She’s mad. That’s why she said it.”

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