Chapter 13
Ivy
Icried until my body gave out. Until my chest ached from sobbing and my head throbbed from the weight of my guilt. I had called Dos over and over again. Texted him. But every call went straight to voicemail, every message left unread. I had lost him. Again. The sun peeked through the blinds, dragging me out of the restless sleep I’d managed to fall into. My face felt tight from dried tears, and my throat was raw. I sat up slowly, rubbing my temples. I needed to get up. I needed to figure out how to fix this.
A soft knock at the door made me turn.
"Baby girl, you up?"
Nana.
I wiped my face quickly, trying to erase any trace of my breakdown. "Yeah, I’m up," I called back.
She pushed the door open and stepped inside, her eyes scanning me like only she could. I knew I couldn’t hide anything from her.
"You look like hell," she said, settling down in her chair near the window. "Now, you wanna tell me what happened last night? I heard Dos carrying on, woke me clean out my sleep."
I swallowed, my fingers gripping the sheets.
"It’s bad, Nana." My voice cracked. "Real bad."
She nodded, waiting.
I took a deep breath. "I love them both, Nana. Dos and Uno."
Her expression didn’t change. She just sat there, letting my words hang between us. Then, after a long moment, she leaned forward.
"Why’d you accept Dos’s proposal then?" she gently asked.
I bit my lip. "Because I thought I could just be happy with him. That I could let Uno go and build something real with Dos." I looked down. "But my heart aches without Uno in my life. No matter what I do, I can't shake it."
Nana sighed, shaking her head. "Love is a tricky thing, baby. Especially when it’s tangled up with history and mistakes."
"I never wanted to hurt Dos," I whispered. "I just—I just don’t know how to stop feeling this way."
Nana reached over and patted my hand. "I ain’t here to pass judgment, Ivy. You feel how you feel. But you need to give that boy some time. He’s hurt, and rightfully so."
I nodded, wiping my eyes.
She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "You know, this ain’t the first time I’ve seen this happen."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
She smirked, shaking her head. "Uno and Dos are just like their daddy. That man had a brother, too, and let me tell you—" she chuckled, "—their mama loved them both."
I blinked. "Wait… what?"
"Mmhmm," Nana nodded. "Those boys fought every chance they got over her. But in the end, she chose their daddy. And you know what? That grudge never died. Their whole lives, those two never made up. Carried that bitterness straight to their graves."
I swallowed hard.
"I don’t want that for Uno and Dos," Nana continued, her voice softer now. "They need to fix this shit before it’s too late."
I closed my eyes. "I don’t know how to fix it, Nana."
She squeezed my hand. "Start with honesty, baby girl. It’s the only way any of y’all are gonna get through this."
I hugged Nana tightly, breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume, letting the warmth of her arms settle me.
"Thank you for loving me, Nana," I whispered.
She kissed my forehead. "Ain’t nothing to thank me for, baby girl. Now go on and find your peace."
I left Nana’s house hoping—praying—that I’d find Dos at home. But when I walked through the front door, the silence told me everything I needed to know. He wasn’t here. The house felt cold and empty. Like the moment he walked out last night, he took all the life with him. Not long after, a knock at the door broke through my thoughts.
I opened it to find Uno and Crystal standing there.
"Nana called me," Uno said, stepping inside. "Told me what happened."
Crystal pulled me into a hug. "You okay?" she softly asked.
I nodded, though we all knew it was a lie. We settled into the kitchen, and while Uno cooked, Crystal filled me in on what had gone down between him and Dos last night.
"He was heated, Ivy," she said. "They damn near tore each other apart. But it wasn’t just about you. It was years of bullshit between them finally boiling over."
I closed my eyes, guilt washing over me all over again. "I just need to know he’s okay."
"He’s okay," Uno assured me. "Angry. But okay."
I nodded, but it didn’t make me feel any better. They tried to ease my mind with food and conversation, but my heart was too heavy. Eventually, exhaustion won. I didn’t even remember falling asleep, but when I woke up, the house was dimly lit, and the sky outside had gone dark. Crystal was gone. Uno was still there. Sitting in the chair beside the couch, his arms crossed, watching me.
"You been here the whole time?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"Yeah," he simply said.
We sat in silence for a moment before he finally spoke again.
"Why didn’t you fight for us, Ivy?" His voice was low, careful.
I swallowed hard. "Uno…"
"No, tell me," he pressed. "I need to know."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I never stopped loving you." My voice cracked. "I just… I thought I was doing what was best for everyone."
Uno scoffed. "Best for who? Because I sure as hell don’t remember that shit being best for me."
I looked away. "I love you, Uno. But I love Dos, too."
His jaw clenched. "Yeah? And how’s that working out for you?"
I closed my eyes. "It’s not that simple."
"It never is with you."
Silence stretched between us, thick with everything we never said.
"Why’d you accept his proposal, Ivy?" he finally asked.
I took a shaky breath. "Because I felt like it was the only way to stay close to both of you. If I said no, Dos would’ve ended things. I could feel it. And I was scared."
Uno stared at me, his expression unreadable.
"That’s fucked up," he muttered. "You waited until Crystal and I were close to decide you still wanted me. And you led Dos on."
"It wasn’t like that," I whispered.
"Wasn’t it?"
I didn’t know what to say.
He let out a humorless chuckle. "The only good thing about all this? After talking to Crystal, she understood how much I love you. And if she wanted to be in my life, she had to learn to love you, too."
My breath hitched. “You let me go, too, Uno. You pushed me away.”
"I wanted you to fight for me the way you did for the relationship you had with my brother. I hoped you’d come back to me, Ivy," he admitted. "And when you finally did, it was too late. Because Dos wanted you all to himself."
Tears burned in my eyes. "What do we do, Uno?"
He exhaled deeply, shaking his head. "Hell if I know."
Uno held me in his arms, his warmth surrounding me like a protective shield. There was nothing sexual about it—just love. Unconditional, unspoken, and as complicated as ever. I rested my head against his chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. It was familiar, comforting.
"You always did cry too damn much," he softly teased, his chin resting atop my head.
I let out a watery laugh. "Shut up."
"Nah," he chuckled. "You know I like making you laugh."
And he did. Even now, after everything, he still knew how to make me feel safe.
We sat in silence for a while, the weight of our past and present pressing down on us.
"I really fucked this up, huh?" I whispered.
Uno sighed, his fingers tracing slow circles on my back. "Yeah, you did."
Tears welled in my eyes again. "I never wanted to hurt either of you."
"I know," he murmured. "But that don’t mean you didn’t. You put me and Dos against each other. The same thing you did that day when we played Hide and Go Get It. You kissed us both, and we ain’t been the same since."
I swallowed hard, gripping his shirt. “I have to fix this."
He pulled back slightly, tilting my chin up so I had to look at him. His gaze was soft but firm. "Then fix it, Ivy. But you can’t keep playing both sides. That shit ain’t fair."
I nodded, my throat tightening. "I don’t want to lose either of you."
"You might not have to, but you can’t run away from this and you have to be truthful with all of us." His voice was gentle but honest.
I let out a shaky breath. "I love you, Uno."
"I know," he said, brushing a tear from my cheek. "And that’s the problem."