Chapter 23
S ailor
The Oakland trip had changed everything. Coming back to Atlanta felt different. Rival and I spent Monday unpacking and settling back into our routines. When he kissed me goodbye this morning before we each headed to work, it felt more significant, like the beginning of this being a true marriage.
I had been floating through the morning at the office, distracted by memories of California. Even TJ had commented on my unusually good mood when we crossed paths in the breakroom.
I just smiled, unwilling to share the depth of what had shifted between Rival and me. It felt too new to be exposed to scrutiny.
That high lasted until just past two o'clock, when my office door opened without a knock and my father walked in, shifting the peace I had been experiencing all day.
"Daddy." I straightened in my chair and tried to hide my surprise. "I didn't know you were coming by today."
He looked composed as always, in a custom suit that probably cost more than some people's monthly rent. His expression was stoic as he approached my desk without a greeting.
"How was your trip?"
"Good," I replied cautiously. "Rival's mother was great."
"I'm sure she was." He placed a manila folder on my desk with his fingers resting on it for a minute before he stepped back.
"What's this?" I asked, eyeing the folder.
"Take a look."
Something in his voice set off warning bells, but I reached for the folder anyway and flipped it open. My father watched with an intensity that made me uneasy.
The first document was a marriage license. For a moment, my brain couldn't process what I was seeing. The paper was filled out but lacked the state seal. Then I saw the names: Rival Hassan and Armesa Taylor.
Dated two years ago.
"What is this?" I whispered even though I knew exactly what it was. My hands froze and I felt lightheaded.
"A marriage license," my father replied calmly. "For your husband and a woman who is not you."
"Where did you get this?" I asked, still staring at the document with a familiar signature that belonged to the man I just committed my heart to.
"I did some digging. Something you should have done before entering into this arrangement." He pulled back a chair and sat across from me. "Did he tell you about her?"
I shook my head but kept quiet, unable to form words as my world tilted on its axis.
My father placed another file on the desk. "Armesa Taylor. Thirty-four. Defense attorney with Jenkins, Howard, and Beck. Very successful. Graduated top of her class from Howard Law. Known for her aggressive courtroom tactics and impressive win record."
I flipped through the new file and stared at a professional headshot of a woman with brown skin, an arrogant smile, and hair an inch off her shoulders and styled just like mine. She looked confident, beautiful, and very similar to me.
"This can't be a coincidence, Sailor," my father continued, his voice gentler now and showing concern. "Your husband's previous engagement to a woman whose career and personal profile mirror yours is not just coincidental? The rushed marriage and tactical prenuptial arrangement aren’t the actions of a man who stumbled into love. These are calculated moves."
I would agree but the prenup wasn’t his idea, it was mine, to further convince him that I was serious about a bullshit marriage but I couldn’t focus on that…
"He never mentioned being engaged before and this…” I tapped the marriage license. "This isn't a completed document. It was never filed."
"Because she was smarter than you," my father said bluntly. "She probably backed out before it was too late. The prenup wasn't just about winning your heart, Sailor. This man has a type. Ambitious black female attorneys seem to be his preference. This is a pattern."
"You don't know that.” Doubt was already creeping in.
"Consider the evidence. The rushed nature of your wedding. His persistence in maintaining the marriage despite its irregular beginning. His refusal to accept an annulment or divorce. He saw an opportunity with you, a woman similar to the one who got away, and he took it."
I felt sick. Had it all been a lie? A calculated effort to secure what he failed to get from Armesa?
"Why are you showing me this?" I already knew the answer.
"Because you're my daughter and I love you. You deserve to make informed decisions about your life and I know you’ve opened your heart to this man. I fear you're being manipulated."
He stood, buttoning his suit jacket. "Think about it, Sailor. Talk to him if you must but go in with your eyes open."
He left, closing the door quietly behind him. I sat frozen in place, staring at the documents spread across my desk feeling like the floor had dropped out from beneath me.
I didn't know how long I sat there before a knock interrupted my spiraling thoughts and Skylar poked her head in. She frowned when she saw my face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, closing the door behind her. "You feel okay?"
I pushed the files toward her and she quickly scanned them then frowned at me.
"Dad brought these to you?" she guessed and I nodded. "Sail, this doesn't mean?—"
"Doesn't mean what? That my husband was engaged to another woman who could be my professional doppelg?nger? He kept this from me while encouraging me to open up, trust him, and believe in our future?"
"You don't know the whole story. You need to talk to Rival before jumping to conclusions."
His mother’s words resurfaced, taking on a new meaning.
“I wasn’t so sure, all things considered. The contrast with the two of you. I felt like he was setting himself up for a repeat of a broken heart.”
"I need to know exactly what I'm dealing with first." I was already pulling up my laptop.
"Sail, don't?—"
I ignored my sister and typed Armesa Taylor's name into the search bar. Within minutes I had the professional profile for the woman up, followed by her social media accounts.
The similarities were undeniable. She specialized in criminal defense just like me, was known for her aggressive approach in the courtroom, and even shared my obsession with expensive shoes based on her Instagram posts.
"That doesn't mean anything," Skylar insisted, watching my face as I scrolled. "Lots of professional women share these traits."
"Were they all almost married to my husband?" I shot back.
"Sailor, please. Talk to Rival before you spiral. There could be a reasonable explanation."
"Like what? That he has a specific type he targets? That I'm just Armesa 2.0?"
"Or maybe that relationships are complicated, and things don't always work out, and finding someone who shares qualities you admire isn't a crime." Skylar placed a hand over mine to stop me from scrolling. “Has Rival given you any reason not to trust him?"
Hiding an engagement is a pretty big fucking reason for me not to trust him…
But I also thought about our time together. His patience, honesty, and way he was adamant about pushing through my defenses from the beginning. He was great and for the most part I trusted him but…
"No," I admitted quietly. "But this changes things. I have to at least consider it."
"Only if you let it. Talk to Rival. Hear him out."
“All of you kept asking why he was so dead set on seeing this through. Can you honestly say this doesn’t have you questioning things too?”
Sky tensed and I saw the hesitation. “It’s odd, yes, but again, you don’t know the entire story. Just consider that.”
I nodded but my mind was already building walls and retreating to the safety of suspicion and distance. "I will but I need a minute to think."
"Promise me you won't do anything rash."
"I promise I'll talk to him. I just need some space first." I planned on talking to him. Running wouldn’t get me the answers I needed but I had to pull myself together in order to be prepared to accept those answers if this was exactly what it looked like…
She stared at me, not liking my answer, but didn't push further. "Okay. I'm here if you need me."
“I know and I love you.”
“Love you too, Sail, and I mean it. I’m here and so is Teej. We’ve messed this up a lot in the past but we’re working on doing better.”
I smiled and lifted from my chair so I could hug my sister. “It’s not all on you. We’re good, I promise.”
She nodded and left. I sat staring at the marriage license for a long time then I made a decision. Instead of going home I packed up my things and headed to my apartment. I needed neutral territory to sort through my feelings about this.
By seven that evening, I was curled on my sofa with a bottle of wine and my phone switched to silent, watching notifications from Rival fill the screen. I couldn't face him yet and be overloaded with explanations that might make me doubt my instincts. He was hiding something, or at the very least had lied, and that made me feel exposed and guarded again.
Despite everything we shared, a part of me had been waiting for the bullshit to happen, for proof that I wasn't meant for this kind of happiness.
And now I had it…