I smiled. “Jhavon was everything you remember about him. He didn’t deserve…” My voice came to a halt and I crumbled. Tears made warm trails down my face.
Niya squeezed my arm. “Sean, you’re scaring me. What happened?”
I opened my eyes and faced Niya, knowing this might be the last time I witnessed love in her eyes staring back at me.
“Jhavon didn’t deserve whatIput him through.”
Niya let go of my arm. I felt as though my pulse stopped without the pressure of her fingers wrapped around my wrist.
“What are you saying? What did youdoto him?” She fired the questions at me with a distinct edge in her voice.
As bad as it sounded, I experienced a sense of relief with her accusation. It was time she knew and I would learn if she could still live with me after learning the truth.
I leaned into her space. “I didn’t do anything to him. I couldn’t. I mean, I wanted to help him, but I couldn’t.”
Niya squeezed her eyes shut tight for a second.
Help me, Lord.That was all I had time to utter before her eyes popped open.
She demanded, “Sean, start at the beginning.”
