Chapter 22 #2
“I want to go on record saying that I didn’t assault anyone, the woman in the video is not my mistress, and everything is not always as it seems.”
I put my arm around Malyah’s waist to keep her close, and we pushed through the crowd. Of course, they followed us, pressing to get me to say more, but we made it to her SUV in one piece and sped away.
“This is crazy,” she said.
“Tell me about it. I swear, when I see Callie, I’m—”
“Not doing anything. All that’ll do is make matters worse. Focus on proving your innocence, and let that be the end of it.”
“That bitch went to the police and told them I assaulted her because I don’t want to fuck her anymore. How crazy is that?”
“I mean, the dick is good, so I understand why she’s losing her mind without it.”
I gave her the side-eye before returning my attention to the road.
“Oh, you got jokes, I see.”
“It’s not a joke, but I can see why you might find it funny. You’ve never had your dick before. What did your lawyer say?”
“He reached out to see if the bar has any footage from the parking lot last night. Ronin saw the whole thing, so he can testify that I didn’t assault that girl.”
“Yeah, but his testimony may not help much, considering your relationship. The video online is pretty damaging, although it doesn’t show you assaulting her.”
“She set me up because why else would she have footage of our interaction?”
“Based on what I know of her, I wouldn’t be surprised.”
We made it home, and Ronin’s and Matthew’s cars were in our driveway. As soon as I stepped inside, my grandfather was on my ass.
“This is exactly why I wanted you to get married. I’m on the cusp of handing over my entire legacy to you, and this happens,” my grandfather shouted.
“Gramps, I swear I didn’t assault that girl.”
“I was there and would’ve never let it go that far,” Ronin assured him.
“I know you didn’t. We didn’t raise you to abuse women, but women like her are the exact reason I wanted you to settle down. Do you see how easily scandals are created? Now we have to waste time, money, and energy cleaning this shit up.”
I’d never seen my grandfather this upset, and I felt like shit because I was the cause.
“Are you still seeing her?” my father asked.
“Nah, Pops. Not only did y’all not raise an abuser, but you also didn’t raise an adulterer. I wouldn’t disrespect my wife like that. Callie thought we were more than we were, even though I’d made it clear to her what it was. She can’t let go and wants me to pay for it.”
“Mrs. Goode, you’ve been awfully quiet,” Malyah said.
“Excuse me? What are you insinuating?”
My mother was very defensive for no reason, which reminded me of something Callie had said the night before.
“You don’t have anything to say?” Malyah questioned.
“I had nothing to do with this, and I’m just as shocked as everyone else.”
“No one said you did, Ma, but I’d love to know exactly how close you and Callie are.”
“Callie and I aren’t close at all. I’m friends with her mother.”
“If that’s true, how does she know the details of my marriage?”
The room was silent as we waited for my mother to respond.
“I may have mentioned it to her mother when we went to lunch a few weeks ago.”
“You told Mrs. Richards, the biggest gossip in the city, my business, and you don’t see the problem.”
“Dinah, you had to know that could get messy. Why would you share something like that with her?” Pops asked.
“She kept talking about how disappointed she was that Kenny and Callie didn’t work out. I thought if she knew Kenny’s marriage was fake, it might make her feel better.”
“Sometimes, I find it hard to believe you went to law school and passed the bar,” Gramps said, throwing his hands up and leaving the room.
“See, Pops. This is what I’m talking about. Ma’s need to fit in with these uppity-ass women blows my mind. She was the one talking about one of my random women making up something horrible about me, and she gave one of those very women she spoke of all the ammunition she needed to screw me over.”
“Kenny’s right, Dinah. I’ve let this behavior from you go on for too long. You need to stop with this shit. If you can’t be yourself with those women, fuck them, baby,” Pops said.
“Ma, you’ve kinda lost yourself trying to be someone you’re not.”
“You’ve changed a little bit, Auntie,” Ronin added.
Matthew had been quietly observing my family, not saying a word. He cleared his throat, gaining everyone’s attention, and it was the first time I’d actually looked at him since I’d arrived.
“My bad, Matthew. I’m sure you didn’t come here to listen to my family go back and forth. What did you find out?”
“It’s fine. I understand that tension is high and things need to be hashed out. Besides, this is billable time, so feel free to take all the time you need,” Matthew responded with a smile.
“We can hash that out later. I need you to tell me you can get me out of this situation.”
“Between the footage I got from the bar and what Ronin recorded, I assure you, the charges will be dropped.”