Page 2 of I Don't Want You Back

“I got something for you. I’m so proud of you, baby,” Redd said as he smiled at her.

“Thanks Redd. I appreciate it,” Faryn replied.

“Your education is important and I’m happy that you know that. Some of these hoes will do this until the day they die, but you’re smarter than that. I’m happy that this is your last day here, but this is not our last day together. I still want to see you. We can still meet up at the room just like we do now,” Redd noted.

He would never admit it out loud, but he had fallen hard for the caramel colored beauty. Faryn was a breath of fresh air for him and he looked forward to their times together. He had a family at home, but Faryn helped him to forget about all that for a little while. Being a family man got boring at times and he needed her to add some spice into his life. Sex with Faryn was amazing and a nice switch up from the norm that he experienced at home. Faryn wasn’t like the rest of the girls at the club. She was smart, and she proved that by getting her degree. She didn’t like to get too personal, but that was cool with him. The less she knew, the better for them both.

“That’s cool with me,” Faryn agreed, even though it would never happen.

She was quitting the club and quitting her arrangement with Redd too. He was cool, but Faryn didn’t want to live that life anymore. She no longer wanted to use her body to earn money. She wanted her degree to do that for her. That was her purpose for getting it.

“Go get your stuff and let’s go. I’m free all night, so I hope you’re ready,” Redd said as he kissed her hand.

“I’m always ready. I’ll be right back,” Faryn said as she got up and walked away.

She was happy to be walking away from her past and into a better future. She just prayed that things in her life were normal for once. She had been through enough hell to last her a lifetime. The statement ‘been there, done that’, sounded like the story of her life after all that she’d been through. For once, she needed some peace and normalcy. Having a boring life sounded so good to her and she couldn’t wait to finally experience it.

Prologue II

Landon sat on the sofa in a daze, trying to process what he was hearing. Malia, his girlfriend of eleven years and wife of eight, had to be speaking a foreign language. There was no way that the love of his life and mother of his two sons was sitting there asking him for a divorce. She had even taken the liberty of having the paperwork prepared and ready for him to sign. The fact that she’d gone so far let him know that she’d really put some thought into it.

“Wait! What?” Landon said as he snapped back to reality and tried to grasp what his wife was saying.

He didn’t see that coming at all. He and Malia were doing fine, as far as he knew. If anything was wrong, she never called it to his attention.

“Did you hear anything that I said Landon? I’m sorry, but I just can’t do this anymore,” Malia said with tears in her eyes.

“Exactly what is it that you can’t do Malia? Be a wife? A mother? What exactly are you saying?” Landon asked.

“I’ll always be a mother, but being a wife is what I have a problem with. I’m not happy Landon. I’m tired of pretending, when I’m dying inside,” Malia replied.

“When did you come to this conclusion Malia? We just finalized our plans to build our dream home. They’re scheduled to break ground on the lot in less than a month,” Landon reminded her.

“I know and that’s why I’m telling you before that even happens. I don’t think it’s fair for me to have my input on a house that I have no intentions on moving into,” Malia confessed.

“The fuck?” Landon asked aloud, stunned by everything that his wife was saying.

He was hoping, no, praying that it was all a joke or maybe even a bad dream. He and Malia met when she was fifteen and he was sixteen. They started out as friends, but decided that they wanted to be more soon after. By the time Malia was seventeen and Landon was eighteen, they had already welcome their first son, Lance, into the world. They were married a year later and the following year, their second son, Lennox, entered the picture.

Landon, being the smart man that he was, had a solid plan in place for his family. He was offered an internship with NASA for their Aerospace Engineer’s program. He was guaranteed a starting salary of six figures and they were paying for his entire education. Landon jumped at the chance and he excelled in the program. He originally wanted to go to school for accounting and business management, so he took a few extra courses at their local community college for that as well. His mother’s ex-husband, Clarence, was a pro at investing and Landon had learned a lot from him.

With Clarence’s help, Landon had learned to turn his little money into a lot in no time at all. He’d always dreamed of having his own business and his dream became a reality when he saved up enough money to buy a commercial office building in the central business district of New Orleans. There were fourteen offices in the building that Landon rented out to various businesses. Not even a year later, Landon had made enough money to purchase two more buildings and the money was rolling in. Malia had been his support system through it all and he loved and appreciated her for her patience. He had to put in some long hours to finally see their dream become a reality. Malia didn’t work, so she took care of the kids and the house while Landon stacked their chips. Their bank accounts were better than ever, and they were both still under thirty years old. They still lived in a three-bedroom townhouse, but Landon promised Malia a brand-new dream home and he finally had enough money to make it happen. Now, she was telling him some bullshit about not even wanting it anymore.

“I’m sorry Landon, but we’re on different pages now. I’m only twenty-six years old and I’ve been a mother and wife since I was eighteen. I have no life outside of you and the kids, and I feel like I’m suffocating,” Malia said as she tried to produce some tears that never came.

“That’s bullshit Malia. We were fine, and you seemed happy when we were meeting with the contractors a few months ago. What happened between then and now?” Landon questioned.

“I just told you what happened,” Malia said as she lowered her head.

“So, who is it? It’s must be another nigga in the picture for you to have a change of heart so suddenly. I’m not buying that bullshit story that you’re telling, so just keep it real with me. Who have you been messing around with?” Landon asked as he turned her face around and made her look at him.

“His name is Roman, but it’s not what you think it is. We’re only friends,” Malia hurriedly answered.

“Wow,” Landon chuckled. “You’re sitting here telling me that you want a divorce and, yet, you want me to believe that you and this nigga are just friends. How long has this been going on?”

“We met six months ago, when me and my sisters went out with my cousin for her birthday,” Malia admitted.

Landon remembered that day like it was yesterday. Malia’s cousin had just turned thirty and she begged her to go out with her. Malia kept turning her down, but Landon encouraged her to go. Malia never really went anywhere, and he wanted her to have fun. He had no idea that he was pushing her up to go out and meet another man. That shit was really one for the books.

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