“Nate’s done so much for your career. If it weren’t for him, you’d be—”
“I’d be what?” I rose from my chair, glaring at her. It was one thing to speak from a place of not knowing the whole picture. It was something else entirely to downplay my hard work and talent.
Nate had done enough of that mess while we were together. And I bought into it. I was done with denying my part in my success.
“You’d be nothing,” Nate’s deep voice said as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him. He wore a menacing look. “Did you sign the damn contract yet?”
He peered down at the papers Demetria placed on the glass coffee table at the center of the room.
“No.” I lifted my chin. “My lawyer hasn’t finished looking them over,” I lied. I hadn’t even given the contract to my lawyer. I needed to bide my time to figure out what my next move was.
I had hoped this current album would hold Nate’s focus. Yet, he continued harping on me to sign another contract with his label. I wanted to hold him off until I got some incriminating evidence on him to use as leverage.
It was a shaky plan at best, but it was all I had come up with.
“Fucking lawyers. They take months to get anything done. We don’t have that kind of time,” he demanded, tossing the contract to the floor and stomping over to me.
“I’m not signing it until I get the okay from my attorneys.”
His fists balled at his sides.
“Anyway, I have a show to do for this new album. We should focus on that.” I stepped to the side to brush past him, but he grabbed my arm, gripping it tightly.
When I tried to pull away, his hold tightened. “Get the hell off of me,” I demanded, still trying to get my arm free.
Nate got in my face. “He’s forgotten all about you and that broken pussy of yours.”
“Fuck you,” I yelled in his face.
Nate’s smile was menacing. “What? Do you think that white boy gave a shit about you? You’re holding up this contract signing, thinking he’s going to come for you or something? Shit, maybe I should tell him what a waste of time you are. You think he’ll want your ass once he finds out you can’t even have his children?”
It was my turn to smile. “There’s nothing wrong with my ability to conceive.”
The frown on his face deepened.
“I never wanted them with you.” I hurled the words that I’d wanted to say for years. “I was on birth control because bringing a child of yours into this world is the last thing I would ever do.
“Ahh.” I gasped as the side of my face stung from his slap.
“Nate, no,” Demetria yelled.
I stumbled a few steps backward, holding the side of my face that now burned. When my vision cleared, I saw Demetria, holding Nate back with one arm while he glared at me. She murmured something in his ear.
I dropped my hand and stood erect. I took in the couple in front of me for what it was.
“You’re sleeping with him.” I looked at my assistant of five years.
Slowly, she dropped the innocent girl act, and her scowl matched his. “He deserved better.”
“How long?” I asked him.
He lifted his chin. “Years.”
I thought for a minute, adding things up in my mind. I let out a laugh. A genuine laugh. It all started to make sense.
“The videos from unknown numbers to my phone. That was you.”
Demetria didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to.
