Session 33

Chapter sixty three

I felt good after my day with Cassius. We ended up grabbing dinner, and for a moment, it felt like old times—easy, light, no drama. When I pulled up to the house, I expected a quiet night. Silas had offered to keep Ekon, and Solomon was supposed to be out of town. I had plans: take a long bath, maybe catch up on Reasonable Doubt or finally crack open that book I'd been meaning to read. Just something simple. Something peaceful.

But when I walked in and flipped the lights on, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Solomon was sitting in the dark, like he’d been waiting for me. His silhouette was barely visible, but the tension in the room was suffocating, wrapping around me like a noose. He didn’t move, didn’t say a word—just sat there, staring. My stomach dropped. This wasn’t going to be good.

His bad energy hit me like a wall, and all the good feelings I’d had earlier, floating in that lazy river with Cassius, vanished.

“Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be out of town?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.

He didn’t answer right away, just dragged his eyes over me, lingering on my yellow bathing suit. I’d thrown a cover-up over it, but standing there in front of him, I suddenly felt too exposed. His stare made my skin crawl.

“You touched my things,” he said finally, his voice cold, accusing. “And what the fuck are you wearing?”

I blinked, caught off guard by the venom in his tone. I stepped inside, shutting the door behind me, trying to keep my composure. “What are you talking about, Solomon? What things?”

“I’m talking about you going through my stuff.” He stood up slowly, his movements deliberate, calculated. “I told you not to worry about what my mother said, but you didn’t listen. You went snooping because you don’t trust me, do you?”

My pulse kicked up, and I could feel anger rising in my chest. “I don’t trust what you’re hiding!” I shot back. “You wouldn’t tell me what’s going on, so yeah, I looked! What else was I supposed to do when you’re keeping secrets from me?”

His face twisted with disgust, curling his lip. “Now you wish to start inquiring? Now you want to assume the role of detective?” His voice dripped with disdain. "Tú eres nada más que una cualquiera con suerte," he spat, calling me a “lucky whore.”

“You were just somebody’s baby mama when I met you,” he continued, his words like poison. “Gorgeous, sure, but overweight, and you don’t even know how to act. I’m trying to treat you right, give you something better, but you don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve me. You keep getting in your own way. But I know we can fix this if you follow a few rules.”

My heart pounded in my chest, his words cutting deep. But I wasn’t about to let him see me break. “You must be out of your fucking mind if you think I’m gonna follow your rules,” I said, my voice shaking with barely contained rage. “Get the fuck out of my house.”

He didn’t budge. Instead, he stepped closer, his eyes narrowing. Before I could react, his hand shot out, grabbing my face, his fingers digging into my cheeks.

“I didn’t waste my time on you for nothing,” he hissed, his voice low and menacing. “You’re going to church with me, and you’re going to learn how to act like the woman I need. I don’t care what you think.”

“Let me go,” I screamed, my hands shaking. I shoved him back, my skin burning where his fingers had touched me. I was done. Done with him, done with his bullshit.

But he wasn’t done with me. His grip tightened on my face, and panic flared in my chest. My hand flew out, slapping him hard across the face, the sound cracking through the air like a gunshot.

His eyes went dark, and I saw the rage before he even moved. His fist came down like a hammer, crashing into my face, knocking me backward. I hit the floor hard, my vision blurring, pain radiating through my skull. I tasted blood.

He stood over me, cursing in Spanish—words I didn’t fully understand, but the meaning was clear.

Rage and fear became tangle together in my chest. I grabbed the closest thing I could reach—a lamp. Without thinking, I hurled it at him. Time seemed to slow for a split second as it flew through the air before smashing into his face with a hard, sickening thud. While he was thrown off balance, I scrambled to my feet and bolted for the door.

I pulled up to Naomi’s house, my body trembling. My whole face throbbed, and the taste of blood lingered on my tongue.

I stumbled out of the car, my legs feeling like they could give out at any second. My head was pounding, and my chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breathe. I made it to Naomi’s front door, barely knocking before it flew open.

Naomi’s face twisted from a smile to shock when she saw me. I must’ve looked crazy—bloodied, that tiny-ass swimsuit clinging to my body, hair a mess.

“Angel?” Her voice was soft at first, like she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Then her eyes narrowed. “What the fuck happened?” she whispered, stepping aside to let me in.

I stepped inside, and the noise from the living room hit me—Cassius, Jonas, and Silas, laughing about something. They hadn’t seen me yet, but that shit was about to change. Ekon’s baby giggle hit my ears, and the tears came, hot and fast. Thank God he wasn’t with me when it all went down.

Naomi didn’t wait for me to answer. She grabbed my arm and yanked me into the living room. And that’s when they all saw me.

Silas was the first to react, his eyes widening as he took me in. “What the fuck?” he muttered, standing up.

Jonas followed, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. But then there was Cassius. His eyes darkened, that dangerous look I knew all too well. He stood up slowly, his fists clenched at his sides. The room suddenly felt too small, the air too thick.

“Angel,” Naomi whispered, her voice tight. “What happened?”

Cassius handed Ekon to Naomi, his eyes never left mine. Ekon busted out crying.

I didn’t speak up quickly enough,

“Tell me what happened,” Cassius he repeated, his voice low, controlled. But I knew that look. He was on the edge.

“We argued,” I stammered, my voice barely a whisper. “Solomon... he found out I was snooping through his stuff... and he... he went crazy.”

Cassius cocked his head, staring at my face. He was calm. Too fucking calm. That’s how I knew it was bad.

Silas was already heading for the door. Jonas stood up, and he and Cassius walked out together without a word.

“Cassius...” I started, but Naomi grabbed my arm, stopping me from chasing after him.

“You’re not stopping them,” she said, her voice low but firm.

“He’s going to kill him,” I whispered.

Naomi just nodded. “Yeah, probably,” she said, so casually.