Page 39 of His Four Leaf Clover

“That can wait, we need to talk.” Melvin took a seat on one of the bar stools at their kitchen island.

“Is everything ok?” Trudy washed her hands and gave him her undivided attention.

“No, it’s not ok. Melissa told me what happened last weekend.”

Trudy sighed dramatically but she wasn’t surprised. Their oldest daughter was very close with her father and they discussed just about everything.

“Melissa is so dramatic. Nothing happened aside from me having to put a young disrespectful bitch in her place.”

“Yeah, well, that’s not the way that it was told to me. Trent is once again about to cause us more money and problems that we don’t need.”

“Not today, Melvin. I’m in a good mood and I’m not trying to have my day ruined. I cooked us a nice meal and I chilled a bottle of wine.”

“I guess you did cook since you weren’t invited to dinner.”

“It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last.” Trudy shrugged like it was normal.

“Actually, it is the last time because they’re tired and so am I.”

“Wow, so this lying ass lil girl—”

“She’s not lying!” Melvin jumped up from the bar stool and banged his fist on the counter.

“And just how would you know that?”

“Because unlike you, I do my research before I open my mouth. I’ve been following him and he’s definitely been following her.”

“Trent is not following her. They used to date Melvin. Maybe they’re just frequenting some of the same places.”

“The nail salon, her daycare, the grocery store, out to dinner with her man. He’s even followed her home and stayed parked outside of her house for hours. Need I say more? And if that’s not bad enough, he’s even started hanging with Caprice, who I just found out is dating Clover’s brother-in-law.”

Melvin’s heart dropped when he saw what his son had been up to. Clover was right, and Trent had been following her to multiple places throughout the day. Thank God, her home was on a private street with guards patrolling. He would have probably tried to let himself in if not. Trent seemed to be spiraling once again and his wife was acting clueless.

“Oh, God, please don’t tell me that. There’s no telling what kind of bullshit she’s putting in his head.” Trudy’s heart dropped.

“So, him being around his family is more of an issue than him stalking someone?”

“He is not stalking her. She could be leading him on for all we know. Hell, she did it once before and went right back to her husband.”

Deep down, Trudy believed everything that Clover told her. She just felt like everyone was against her son and she wasn’t gonna turn her back on him. Most times, she felt like she was all that he had since his father and sisters thought he was a psycho. When he told her something about Clover being his girl, she already knew what it was.

“Are you fucking slow?”

“Excuse me?” Trudy gasped at her husband’s choice of words.

“What is wrong with you? Do I need to get the courts involved to make sure that he gets the proper help?”

“I think you sometimes forget that I’m an attorney. Under what grounds and with what proof?” Trudy smirked.

“I’m sure that the proof that I have in my phone from the past week will be sufficient,” Melvin answered, successfully removing the smug look from her face.

“You do that and I’ll never speak to you again.”

“As if I give a fuck. Hell, we barely speak now. And you can go ahead and enjoy your meal alone. I was invited to dinner so I already ate.”

With those parting words, Melvin left her standing in the kitchen and went down the hall to their sitting room, slamming the door behind him.

Tears fell from Trudy’s eyes as she thought about what her husband had just said. She was hurt to know that her daughters invited their father over for dinner without her. As much as she loved her son, she didn’t want to lose her husband and daughters over it. She felt like she was stuck in the middle of a family war that no one would win. It felt like she was suffocating under the weight of her problems and she needed some fresh air.