“Because this is the first time I’ve ever fallen in love. I didn’t get a choice before. I was forced to marry Ahmad.” I pulled my knees up to my chest, hugging them. “And I just know how men can be.”
“Thad ain’t Ahmad.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I know my cousin.” She picked up her wine again, swirling it thoughtfully. “Thad’s a lot of things. He’s cocky as hell, he moves fast, and he definitely got hoe tendencies—I ain’t gonna lie to you about that. But he’s not a woman beater. That’s not his style.”
“What is his style?”
She shrugged. “He likes pretty things. Likes to show off. Likes having a bad bitch on his arm. But he’s not gonna put his hands on you. That I can promise.”
I wanted to believe her. And honestly, everything I’d experienced with Thad so far backed that up. He’d never raised his voice at me. Never grabbed me too hard. Never made me feel small or afraid. If anything, he made me feel… safe. Protected. Like nothing could touch me when I was with him.
It was a foreign feeling. And maybe that’s why it scared me so much.
“Enough about me,” I said, needing to change the subject. “What’s going on with you and Mega?”
Something shifted in her face. A softness I didn’t see often. “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“About what?”
She set her wine down again, and I noticed her hands were trembling slightly. Her pupils were a little too wide, her movements a little too loose. She was high. I’d seen her like this enough times now to recognize the signs.
I didn’t say anything. Not tonight. Once everything with Zainab was settled, I was going to talk to her brothers. They needed to know what was happening with their sister. She needed help. Real help. An intervention.
But that conversation could wait.
“When the lease is up,” Serenity said slowly, “I think I’m gonna go live with Mega.”
My heart sank. I knew this was coming—had felt it building for weeks as she spent more and more nights at his place, came home less and less. But hearing her say it out loud still hurt.
“Oh.” I tried to keep my voice neutral. “Okay.”
“I know it’s sudden. And I know we said we were gonna ride this out together, figure out who we are outside of the bullshit we escaped from.” She reached over and grabbed my hand. “But Mega… he’s good to me, Mehar. He takes care of me. And I think I need that right now.”
I squeezed her hand back, even as worry gnawed at my stomach. Mega was BCC. Dangerous. And Serenity was spiraling—the drugs, the partying, the reckless behavior. Moving in with him wasn’t going to help her get better. It was going to make things worse.
But I couldn’t say that. Not right now. Not when she was looking at me with those wide, hopeful eyes, waiting for my blessing.
“If he makes you happy,” I said carefully, “then I’m happy for you.”
“Really?”
“Really.” I pulled her into a hug, holding her tight. “You’re my sister, Ren. I want you to have everything you deserve.”
She hugged me back, and for a moment it felt like the old days—just the two of us against the world, healing together, growing together.
Then her phone buzzed. She pulled back to check it, and her whole face lit up.
“That’s Mega. He wants me to come through.”
“Go,” I said, forcing a smile. “I’ll be fine.”
“You sure? I don’t want to leave you alone?—”
“Thad’s picking me up anyway.” I glanced at my phone. He’d texted ten minutes ago saying he was on his way. “Go be with your man.”
She grinned, already heading toward her room to change. “Look at us. Two bad bitches in love.”
