Page 174 of Rose
“Wait—what’s going on? Ahzii!” Kyre called, grabbing her arm.
But she didn’t respond. She couldn’t.
Her legs moved before her mind could catch up, carrying her out of the bathroom without another word to either of them. The air outside the door felt heavy, her chest tightening with each step.
She was trying—failing—to wrap her head around it.
Seeing her dead husband alive and well was already enough to rattle her soul, but hearing both Kyre and A’Mazi confirm there had never been any physical evidence of William’s death? That stripped away the last thread of denial she had.
What she saw wasn’t a vision.
It wasn’t her grief playing tricks.
It was real.
She needed to get out. Out of the building, out of the noise, out from under the crushing weight pressing on her ribs. She needed air before her heart caved in completely.
By the time Savior pulled the car around, she was already halfway down the block. She climbed in without looking back, without offering an explanation—not now, not here.
Behind them, the showcase was still in full swing, lights glowing against the night, music spilling into the street. But to Ahzii, the celebration felt galaxies away.
Nothing was making sense anymore.
And somewhere out there, in a black suit and a kiss that still lingered on her lips, a love she’d mourned in ashes had just reappeared… breathing.
Chapter 17
"Ma!" Ahzii’s voice cracked as she stepped into her mother’s home.
Her chest was tight, her mind a storm she couldn’t quiet. After seeing William—seeing him in the flesh—and leaving the showcase last night, she had barely said a word. Savior tried everything to get her to open up, but she couldn’t make her mouth form the truth. Instead, he ran her a hot bath, held her while she cried herself hollow, and kept loving her in silence.
She had just started to heal. Just started to believe William was truly gone. Just started to let herself rise from the ashes and love again through Savior. But life wasn’t letting her have that peace.
That damn note William left her—the one with the address—was lodged in her mind like a thorn she couldn’t pull free. Part of her needed to go. Needed the answers that only he could give. But another part feared it would bury her right back in the grave of grief she had fought so hard to crawl out of.
She was unraveling. And she didn’t know how to think, what to do, or even what to feel.
Savior hadn’t wanted to let her out of his sight this morning. She lied. Told him she was fine. Told him she just needed a few hours alone with her mother. He didn’t like it, but he let her go.
So she came here. To the one place that still felt safe. To the one person who always knew how to steady her.
"Mama!" she called again.
The sliding door to the backyard opened and Bianca came rushing in, peeling off her gardening gloves. “Shugga! Ohh, I was worried sick after you rushed off stage and left the showcase last night.”
Before Ahzii could answer, her mother’s arms were around her, warm and grounding. She sank into them, letting herself melt into the only embrace that had ever made her feel small in the best way.
When they pulled apart, Bianca searched her face.
The tears came fast—hot, endless, and unstoppable.
“Sweetie,” her mother asked softly, “what’s going on?”
They moved to the living room, settling into the deep cushions of the sectional, the weight of the moment pressing down until Ahzii could barely breathe.
“Mommy…” Ahzii’s voice was barely above a whisper, but it trembled with the weight of something she had been choking on all night. “I saw William last night.”
Bianca froze, her eyes narrowing as she searched her daughter’s face. “You’re… having visions again?” she asked carefully.
