18. TRUTH #2
I placed a hand over my belly, feeling the slight curve that had started to form.
My baby.
Not Amai’s. Not Kaisen’s.
Mine.
“I will,” I said quietly.
But even as I said it, I wasn’t sure I believed it.
Because the truth was, I didn’t know how to protect myself from something I was already drowning in.
And as my sisters filed out of the nursery, their voices fading as they headed back downstairs, I stood alone in the quiet room and felt the weight of everything I’d built—and everything I stood to lose—pressing down on me.
This wasn’t just about a baby anymore.
This was about survival.
And I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to make it out alive.
The rest of the visit was smooth and filled with laughs. I loved having big sisters. They were protective and always made sure I stayed on point. I was truly grateful for them.
The next morning, I woke to silence.
My sisters had left late the night before, their warnings still echoing in my head. I’d barely slept, tossing and turning in the unfamiliar bed, my mind replaying every conversation, every choice, every moment that had led me here.
I made coffee in the kitchen, standing at the counter in my robe, staring out at the small backyard through the window. The fence needed painting. The grass needed cutting. But it was mine.
That thought should have brought comfort.
Instead, it felt fragile. Temporary.
Like everything I’d built could be taken away at any moment.
I was halfway through my second cup when I heard the front door open.
Not a knock.
Not a doorbell.
Just the sound of the door swinging open, followed by heavy footsteps in my hallway.
My heart slammed into my throat.
I set the coffee cup down carefully, my hands trembling, and turned toward the kitchen doorway just as a man appeared.
He was tall—maybe 6’2—with broad shoulders and a presence that filled the entire space.
His skin was deep brown, his hair long like Amai’s and graying at the temples.
He wore a tailored navy suit that probably cost more than my rent, and his eyes—dark, calculating, cold—swept over me with the kind of assessment that made my skin crawl.
I knew who he was before he even spoke.
Winston Landry.
I had taken my sisters’ advice and started looking into the Landry family on the internet.
“You must be Truth,” he said, his voice smooth and low, like velvet wrapped around a blade.
I forced myself to stand straighter, to meet his gaze even though every instinct screamed at me to run. “How did you get in here?”
“Your lock is cheap.” He stepped further into the kitchen, his hands in his pockets, casual in a way that felt anything but. “You should upgrade. This neighborhood isn’t as safe as you think.”
“Get out of my house.”
Winston smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes. “We need to talk.”
“I don’t have anything to say to you.”
“That’s unfortunate,” he said, moving to the counter and leaning against it like he owned the place. “Because I have plenty to say to you.”
My pulse was racing, but I kept my voice steady. “I’m calling the police.”
“No, you’re not.” His tone was matter of fact, unbothered. “Because if you do, you’ll never see Amai or Kaisen again. And I think we both know you don’t want that.”
I stared at him, my chest tight, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
He was right.
And he knew it.
“What do you want?” I asked finally.
Winston straightened, his eyes never leaving mine. “You’ve disrupted my family, Ms. Renois. The relationship between my sons. Their focus. Their loyalty. I can’t allow that to continue.”
“I didn’t ask for any of this.”
“And yet here we are.” He tilted his head slightly, studying me like I was a specimen under glass. “You’re carrying a child that belong to my bloodline. You’ve inserted yourself into a situation you don’t understand. And now my sons are at each other’s throats because of you.”
“Because of me?” My voice rose, anger cutting through the fear. “I didn’t do this! You did! You and your fucked-up family decided to use my body like a goddamn petri dish without my consent. You don’t get to blame me for the mess you created.”
Winston laughed.
It was a cold, terrifying sound that made my blood run ice.
“You think this is about blame?” he asked, his smile widening. “This isn’t about blame, Ms. Renois. This is about control. And right now, you’re a variable I didn’t account for.”
“Good,” I shot back. “Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you violated me.”
His expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes darkened. “You’re just a means to an end. You understand that, don’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
“My sons,” Winston continued, his voice calm and measured, “have never truly loved a woman. But you…” He paused, his gaze sharpening. “There’s something about you that has them spiraling. Making irrational decisions. Becoming weak.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“It is when it affects my family.” Winston stepped closer, and I forced myself not to back away.
“You’re a surrogate, Ms. Renois. That’s all you are.
A womb. A vessel. There’s no happy ending in this for you.
No white picket fence. No family dinners.
You collect your payments, you hand over the child, and you disappear. ”
“We’re way past money,” I said, my voice shaking with rage. “After everything you’ve done to me—after the lies, the manipulation, the violation—you think I’m just going to walk away because you tell me to?”
“Yes,” Winston said simply. “Because the alternative is far worse.”
“Is that a threat?”
“It’s a fact.” He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping.
“You have no idea who you’re fucking with, Ms. Renois.
The Landry family has been in New Orleans for generations.
We’ve built empires. We’ve buried enemies.
We’ve survived wars that would’ve destroyed lesser men.
And you—” His eyes raked over me with disdain.
“You’re a nursing student from the Seventh Ward who thought she could play house with men who eat people like you for breakfast.”
Something inside me snapped.
“No,” I said, my voice low and steady. “You have no idea who you’re fucking with.”
Winston’s eyebrows lifted slightly, the only indication of surprise.
“I didn’t ask to be part of your family,” I continued, stepping closer to him even though my legs felt like jelly.
“I didn’t ask for Amai to show up in my life.
I didn’t ask for Kaisen to pursue me. I didn’t ask for any of this.
But you know what? I’m here now. And if I want to be with Amai or Kaisen—or both of them, for all I care—I will.
And there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. ”
Winston’s smile faded.
“You think you have power because you’re rich?
” I asked, my voice rising. “Because you’ve got connections and money and men who do your dirty work?
That doesn’t scare me. I’ve survived worse than you.
I’ve been broke, abandoned, divorced, and violated.
And I’m still standing. So, if you think you can walk into my house and intimidate me into disappearing, you’re wrong. ”
For a long moment, Winston said nothing.
He just stared at me, his expression unreadable.
Then he straightened, adjusting his cufflinks with deliberate precision.
“You’re brave,” he said finally. “I’ll give you that. Stupid, but brave.”
“Get out of my house.”
“You have no idea who Amai and Kaisen really are,” Winston continued, ignoring my demand. “What they’re capable of. The things they’ve done. The blood on their hands. You think you know them because they’ve been kind to you? Because they’ve made you feel special?”
“I said get out.”
“They’re monsters, Ms. Renois.” His voice was soft now, almost gentle. “Both of them. And the longer you stay in their orbit, the more danger you’re in. Not from me. From them. From the life they live. From the enemies they’ve made.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should.” Winston moved toward the doorway, pausing to look back at me. “The Landry family isn’t for the weak. And you—” His gaze swept over me one last time. “You’re not strong enough to survive what’s coming.”
“Get the fuck out of my house,” I said again, my voice trembling.
Winston smiled—a cold, knowing smile that made my stomach turn.
“You’ll see,” he said quietly. “Sooner than you think.”
And then he was gone.
The front door closed behind him with a soft click, and I stood frozen in the kitchen, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.
My hands were shaking.
My legs felt weak.
I sank into the nearest chair and pressed my palms against my face, trying to steady my breathing.
You have no idea who you’re fucking with.
Winston’s words echoed in my head, over and over, until I couldn’t think straight.
He was right about one thing.
I didn’t know who Amai and Kaisen really were.
I didn’t know what they were capable of.
But I knew one thing for certain.
I wasn’t backing down.
Not now.
Not ever.
Because this baby was mine.
And no one—not Winston, not Amai, not Kaisen, not anyone—was going to take them from me.
I sat there for a long time, staring at the empty doorway, feeling the weight of Winston’s presence still lingering in the air like smoke.
And for the first time since this whole nightmare began, I realized something.
I wasn’t just fighting for my baby.
I was fighting for my life.
I wanted to call Amai and Kaisen but decided against it. I couldn’t run to them for every problem I had. It was time for me to bring that dog out.
The knock on my door came at exactly 9:47 AM.
I’d been awake since six, unable to sleep, my mind replaying Winston’s visit over and over. The way he’d walked into my house like he owned it. The way he’d looked at me like I was nothing.
A means to an end.
I pulled on a dress—navy blue, comfortable, something that didn’t cling to my body—and slipped my feet into flats. My reflection in the hallway mirror looked tired. Dark circles under my eyes. Hair pulled back into a messy bun.
I looked like what I was: a woman barely holding it together.