He looked up at the suite. Directly at me.
“Thank you for loving me. All of me. Not just the player, but the man. I’ll see y’all in the playoffs.”
The arena exploded.
I stood there with tears streaming down my face, my father’s arm around my shoulders, surrounded by the people who’d become my family, watching the man I loved take his bow. I couldn’t have asked for a better day. For a better life.
A Month Later
The courthouse steps were swarming.
I sat in the back of the Escalade with Halo, watching reporters set up their shots and position themselves for the best angles. Cameras everywhere. Microphones ready. People who didn’t know shit about my life were waiting to pick apart whatever happened today. Hell, they had already been running their mouth with theories and dumb shit. I couldn’t lie, I was irritated, pissed that I had to stop my life to even deal with this.
“We don’t have to do this,” I said, looking over at her. “I can go in alone. You can wait in the car.”
Halo looked at me like I’d lost my mind. She was wearing all black, a fitted blazer, tailored pants, and heels, which I found out were her thing. They always made her legs and ass look good as fuck, even though that wasn’t the point. But sometimes I couldn’t help but take in her beauty and how she carried herself. Her hair was slicked back into a bun, gold hoops in her ears, minimal makeup, but the red lipstick shit she had was making it hard for me to prioritize some shit I didn’t care about.
“Stop playing with me,” she said. “I’m going in.”
“I’m just saying—”
“I know what you’re saying. And my answer is no.” She grabbed her purse. “That hoe threatened me too. I want to see her face when they lock her ass up.”
I smiled despite myself. “Aight.”
Langston opened the door, and we stepped out together.
The noise hit immediately.
“DaVinci! Are you and Halo official?”
“How do you feel about today’s sentencing?”
“Will you be making a statement?”
“Halo! Look this way!”
We wasted no time intertwining our fingers and pushing forward. We’d already agreed—no comments, no reactions, just straight inside. Marsha had tried to convince me to come alone because, for some reason, she felt there was still room for someone to blame me. She didn’t understand that I was the victim. I didn’t give a fuck about blame. Halo was coming, and that was final. It honestly should’ve never been up for debate. I let Marsha know that she needed to fall in line or we’d have to dissolve our relationship.
Inside the courthouse, it was quieter. Marble floors, high ceilings, that dim old courthouse feel. Giveon was waiting near the elevators, already in full lawyer mode.
“Courtroom 3A. Third floor,” he said, falling into step beside us. “Judge Brennan’s already seated. Cassie’s been here since eight.”
“She say anything?” I asked.
“Not to me. But her lawyer’s been trying to get her to take a plea deal all morning.”
He glanced at me. “She refused.”
Halo spoke up. “What kind of plea?”
“Five years with mandatory psychiatric treatment. She’d be out in three with good behavior.”
“And she said no?” I asked.
“She wants to make a statement.” Giveon shook his head. “I’ve seen this before. She’s delusional about how this is gonna go.”
We took the elevator up, and I felt that familiar tightness in my shoulders. Not nerves exactly. Just the weight of knowing this was it. After today, Cassie would be somebody else’s problem. And I could move on.
