Life hadn’t been putting its hands on her; the man she cheated on Najee with had been.
The karma of fucking over a good person was the asshole they ended up with.
Najee hated that the lyrics from the classicSoul Tape 2by Fabulous popped up in his head, but they were the truest words ever. He never wished bad on Renae and had rightfully so talked his shit about her but seeing her like this cracked his chest completely open.
It was the same gut-wrenching ache he’d felt seeing Candice bruised and battered. Then, he delivered a similar blow to his mama’s boyfriend that blew his chest open, too. After years of repeatedly abusing his mama and then taking her life, Najee only saw it fitting to end his life as well. Jail wasn’t and would never be enough in his eyes.
“Renae,” Najee said, and she slowly turned to face him.
She saw the confusion and protectiveness in his eyes, and it made her heart rate triple. They silently read that he wanted answers but fiercely showed how angry he was. At the end of the day, regardless of how they ended, he was a real man. Had this been a different time, back when she was his, Najee would’ve made a decision that would have placed him back in jail.Thatwas the only reason he wouldn’t mind smiling in his mugshot for.
“Hmm?” Renae questioned in a hum.
“That nigga putting his hands on you?”
“No,” Renae said too quickly—defensively. “You know how my skin rashes up when it gets warm outside.”
Hearing lies and excuses for a man’s abusive behavior wasn’t anything he hadn’t heard before. It was still hard to digest, though. Najee cleared his throat.
“Right.”
“Yeah.” Renae sighed, breathing heavily. It was the loudest she’d been allowed to for months.Breathe too hard again, andI’ma make sure it’s the last breath you take.She replayed those words in her head and swallowed hard.
Najeereallylooked at her. Past the bruises, past the attire, past the lies, and past the woman who’d broken his trust. None of that mattered. She didn’t come there today expecting to see him, but Najee was glad they crossed paths.
Renae eyed him suspiciously when he dug in his pocket for his wallet. Grabbing a cream-colored card out of the inside, he extended it to her. She looked down at his hand, then back at his face.
“You don’t have to use it now, but whenever you’re ready to leave, they can help you.”
Renae blinked, forcing herself to keep her tears hidden.
“I see you’re trying to play Captain-Save-A-Hoe, again.” Her laugh was dry, forced, and shaky. Her jab, the same one from his party, didn’t land well. It hadn’t before when she came for Orielle, but now she used it jokingly to mask her pain.
“Nah. I’ve never done that before,” Najee answered.
She could take all the shots she wanted at him; it was never going to faze Najee. They may have ended on bad terms, but he would have rather seen her in the back of one of Echelon’s vehicles headed to Peace Haven than seeing her in a hearse.
Tucking her pride, Renae quickly reached for the card and slowly pulled it from his hand before tucking it away in the pocket of her hoodie.
“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that.”
He knew he didn’t but telling him that wouldn’t change anything that happened between them. Najee had already forgiven her before this moment, so it was nothing. Renae’s lip slightly trembled. She wanted to cry for ruining what they had and what she was missing out on, but the girl at the counter saved the day. She’d stepped away to answer the phone and to get their orders bagged.
“Here you go,” she said, handing Renae a fresh bouquet of pink roses and carnations, lavender stock, white cremones, daisy poms, and monte casinos.
Her eyes brightened as she smelled them. “Thank you. They’re gorgeous like always.”
“You’re more than welcome. I like freestyling for you every week.”
“I didn’t know you liked flowers like that,” Najee said.
Renae eyed him wearily and gave a sad smile. “I didn’t at first, but I figured I’d rather receive them from myself while I’m alive because I can’t enjoy them from my grave.”
“Damn.” That was the only thing Najee could say. Her words had left him speechless.
“Goodness. That’s a way to look at it,” the girl said, utterly stunned by her words as well.
Renae shrugged. “Hard facts but needed truths. We have to accept them sometimes.”
