Tasha sang along, voice cracking around the lyrics, as she came down the spiral stairs, throwing more clothes. She swiped a stack of mail off the counter, watching envelopes scatter to the floor.
The candle she’d lit earlier burned low, smoke curling like it was tired. Juelz’s cologne lingered, mixed with the faint smell of weed and body spray, twisting her chest.
Her phone buzzed again. Shyann’s number, which she’d been ignoring since she powered her phone back on, displayed on the screen. Thumb hovering, heart thudding. She didn’t answer. She turned the music up, letting it drown out the thoughts she didn’t want.
A picture frame tumbled off the shelf when she brushed past—a photo of her and Juelz at a cookout. He had his arm around her, smiling as if the world owed them nothing.
“Damn you, Juelz,” she whispered, sliding down the wall with the frame in her hands, as she pointed hard at the glass. “You really fucked me over like that? Huh?” She poked the glass harder, “Fuck you!”
Aaliyah’s voice rose again, heartbreak cutting through the silence.
“How could the one I gave my heart to… break my heart so bad…”
Tasha pushed herself onto her knees, half-drunk on emotion. Hair wild, face glistening, she sang every word like it was a confession, shaky, loud, off-key, but full of pain. Her voice bounced off the walls, filling the room like smoke.
She was barefoot in the living room, still wearing her black lingerie, with her robe hanging open. Mascara smudged, curls clinging to her shoulders, a woman caught between love, rage, heartbreak, and exhaustion.
Wine spilled on the counter. A chair toppled. Juelz’s PS5 Pro lay broken halfway across the room. The music screamed louder.
She spun once, eyes shut, arms stretched, lost in the song. Her voice broke completely. She dropped to her knees, screaming the last note through tears.
“Won’t somebody tell me… somebody tell me please, if you love me… how could you do that to me?”
The front door eased open.
Niyah stepped in, eyes wide, her Chanel purse sliding off her shoulder. She froze. The mess, the music, Tasha in the middle of the floor holding the photo frame beside her.
“Oh no! Tash…” she said softly, stepping forward, dropping her things.
Tasha turned, hurt and disbelief written across her face.
“He cheated, Niyah. With everythin’ I’m goin’ through. That muthafucka cheats on me.” Tasha pointed to her chest. “On me? And with Shy at that!”
Niyah stepped closer, easing over the mess that was thrown on the floor. “Hey… I know, baby. I know.”
Tasha let the frame slip and leaned into her best friend’s arms. The house was wrecked, and the silence that followed felt colder than anything Juelz ever said.
Niyah rubbed her back, eyes glossy. “You don’t deserve that shit, Tash. You hear me? After everything you've been through. Everything you do for that man? Nah. He was wrong for that. And as far as Shyann goes?Fuck her!”
Tasha sniffed, voice small but sharp. “I been silently fightin’ this fuckin’ cancer, Niyah. And this the fuckin’ thanks I get?” She kicked Juelz’s PlayStation controller across the room. “Huh, Niyah?”
Her chest hitched, breath cracking. “I gave my all to that raggedy, discolored ass nigga. I held him down. I fucked him when his balls were full. I loved him with everythin’ I had in me.” She rolled her eyes to the back of her head, punching the inside of her palm. “With my fuckin’ soul. But the moment my body starts to betray me… that muthafucka steps out and fuck that bitch. Just like that? God, why me?” She choked on her anger. “Mann! I’m so mad I can shit fye.”
Niyah closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Just calm down. Okay?”
Tasha was bawling now, her whole body was shaking, and snot dripped down to her lip. Her whole soul collapsed right there with Niyah.
“It’s okay, baby,” Niyah whispered. “But you can’t let them break you. You're stronger than that.”
Tasha shook her head. “Strong? I’m tired of bein’ strong. Tired of being the one holdin’ it together while he out here clownin’ me. Do you think knowin’ I have cancer makes me strong? Hell nah. It don’t.”
Niyah exhaled. “Aight, breathe, Tasha. Just breathe. We’ll figure the rest out. This ain’t good for your health.”
Before Tasha could reply, the front door rattled like thunder.
She froze. Niyah’s head snapped around. The doorknob twisted slow.
Juelz stepped in, gold chain catching the light, smelling like liquor and cologne. His eyes darted from Niyah to Tasha, then to the mess.
