Chapter 9 #4
I finally let out a slow breath and looked at Ashley.
"I'm sorry,” I told her and the words surprised even me.
"I really am." I said. Ashley's eyes met mine, and for the first time since she walked into the store, neither one of us looked at Rome.
"I don't know what he promised you," I said, keeping my voice calm even though my chest felt like it was caving in, "and I don't know what y'all got going on, but I'm not about to stand here and argue with you over a grown man even if I do have rights to his trifling ass. "
Rome turned toward me. "Navy—"
I held my hand up without taking my eyes off Ashley. "No Rome, I've heard enough."
Before anybody could say another word, I heard a familiar voice behind me. "Navy?"
Every muscle in my body locked up. Please, not today. I thought knowing damn well that voice was all too familiar. The sound of somebody calling my name made my stomach damn near hit the marble floor.
"Navy?" She said again.
Out of all the damn people. I slowly turned around, praying I was hearing things, but of course I wasn't. Natalie stood about ten feet away with her husband, with two Louis Vuitton shopping bags hanging from one arm while a smaller Gucci bag was in the other hand.
The smile she'd walked into the store wearing disappeared the second her eyes bounced from me to Rome and then landed on Ashley standing there with that little girl still holding onto her hand.
A slight crinkle formed in the middle of her forehead. "Girl,” she laughed nervously, looking back at me. "Is everything okay?"
Lord, please don't do this. I forced the biggest smile I could, even though I could feel my face getting hot with embarrassment. "Yes, everything is okay.”
Natalie looked around one more time, trying to figure out what she'd just walked into. Ashley hadn't moved and Rome still looked irritated as hell. The other customers were still trying to pretend they were looking at belts and purses while listening to every damn word.
"You sure?" Natalie asked again, lowering her voice this time. "Because I can come back."
I shook my head. "No" I laughed, and even I could hear how fake it sounded. "It's, nothing. I promise it’s just a misunderstanding."
Natalie looked at me for another couple seconds like she wanted to call my bluff. As a woman, I knew she knew exactly what was happening here. She especially knew that I was lying like hell right now.
"Alright then." She reached over and rubbed my arm. "I'll see you at work tomorrow."
"Yes, see you at work." I smiled.
"And if you need anything..."
I cut her off and continued to smile. "I know."
She nodded before taking her husband's hand again. As they walked away, I caught him looking back over his shoulder one last time before they disappeared around the corner. The second they were gone; I let out the longest deepest breath of my life.
"This right here…" I said as I looked over at Rome, with my voice barely above a whisper. "This is exactly why I don't like going nowhere with your ass."
Rome took one step toward me. "Navy, listen…"
"No." I held my hand up, stopping him before he got another word out. "Do not stand here and insult my intelligence."
"Baby…"
"You got another woman standing in the middle of Louis Vuitton carrying your child, and I'm supposed to do what? Smile through this shit?"
Ashley looked at me but never interrupted and that was smart of her to do. Everything she came to say had already been said the second she walked through those doors.
I looked at Rome one last time before shaking my head in pure disgust. "I don't have time for this and I mean that."
He reached for my wrist, and I forcefully snatched my arm back before he could touch me. "Don't you fucking touch me," I harshly whispered.
"Navy, where you going?"
I grabbed my purse off the display table beside me without taking my eyes off him. "I'm leaving."
"Listen, I can explain all of this shit," He told me.
"I don't want a fucking explanation."
The look in his eyes told multiple different stories from pride, to rage, to hurt. "You can't just walk off Nay."
I sarcastically laughed knowing we weren’t at a place where he could just run after me and get away with it.
In this very moment, I loved Aventura police.
"Watch me,” I smiled and politely walked away leaving him standing there.
I couldn’t say that it didn’t hurt actually seeing Ashley because after all he was still my husband, however, I needed an escape to get away from him today.
I almost called an Uber until I realized that his keys were in my purse.
I wiped the tear threatening to fall, continued to smile, and left him in the mall without a ride because I was taking his damn truck.
The entire way home, I played the ordeal over and over in my mind.
I called Tasha to talk about it, but she didn’t answer so turned the music down and rode in silence all the way home to swap cars.
Once I was behind the wheel of my own car, I checked the time realizing that I’d be right on time for my deliveries.
“Look at God,” I said to myself as I hit the gas and sped off heading to my new beginnings. By the time I made it to my apartment, City Furniture was just pulling up, and Rome was blowing my phone up. I didn’t have a care in the world.