“Because you’re one of the top dogs. He calls you or Jovanis to handle a lot of shit. Do you really think he’s going to consider your child when things go wrong?”
Sitting back in his seat, Rio stared at her. His head was slightly angled with his lips tucked between his teeth. “I’m hearing what you’re saying, but I’m also hearing excuses on your part. You don’t wanna have my baby?”
Cali’s body had suddenly become a haven for panic. Her anxiety had been crippling for the last three years. Living a double life hadn’t been an easy feat. Having to portray two different women had become like living in a reality and fantasyat the same time. Braye was her fantasy. The person she often daydreamed about because he had become such a thrill. Rio was her reality. The one that she had devoted herself to even though her heart wasn’t with him.
“You know that’s not the case.”
“Then say it.” He leaned forward, piercing her with his eyes. “Tell me you wanna have my baby.”
Their eyes were in a standoff. Her gaze was fierce while his was intimidating.Just tell him the truth…That voice had been in her head ever since she established that her feelings for Braye were more powerful than the ones she possessed for Rio. Cali often ignored it, but it blared tonight. Somehow, the volume had turned up to the max, coercing her to reveal the affair she’d been engaging in for the last three years.
It would be a weight off her heart. Her chest wouldn’t feel as heavy. Living with a secret as hazardous as this one had affected her mental health. Mixing in guilt and shame was a perfect cocktail for drama to ensue.
“Look, Rio, I have to tell you something.”
Wringing her fingers together, Cali was ready to face the betrayal that had been in the crockpot for years. It had been cooking on slow, was tender, and ready to be served.
“What?”
A gush of wind blasted from her nose. This was the perfect time to ruin their lives. Bringing a baby into this chaos wasn’t fair. She had to make it known that she had been disloyal before things got worse.
“I uh… I’ve been keeping something from you.”
She licked her lips, hoping Rio would spare her life tonight.
His nostrils flared. The look of murder swirled in his irises, inciting a fear that Cali had never encountered from him.
“Spit that shit out, Calia!”
When Rio called her by her first name, it was a clear indication that she had pissed him off. Again, she licked her lips, hoping it would lubricate her words when they spilled from her mouth.
“I…” Another gulp. “I’ve been… on birth control because secretly… I never wanted to have kids.”
Cali expelled air from her lungs like a slow leak in a tire. She had chickened out at the last second, and what made it worse was that she didn’t know why. Telling the truth would set her conscience free from the mental jail it had been incarcerated in. She could end her marriage with Rio and be with the man she truly loved. Yet, somewhere, under the sheets of betrayal, Cali couldn’t cause Rio any pain.
“So, you’re a liar?” he questioned in an even tone.
A big one…
“I only kept it from you because I knew how much you wanted kids and didn’t want to kill your dream of being a father.”
“And you couldn’t tell me that you didn’t want kids?”
Months before, Rio had given her the hint that he was ready for kids. Knowing that fact, Cali took her pills religiously but didn’t have the heart to inform him of her refusal to have a baby. She knew it would hurt him and didn’t want to pile on more pain for him to endure. Another truth Rio wasn’t aware of was that she also wanted to protect herself since she was fucking two men. Although Braye used protection, she couldn’t afford any slip-ups.
“I’m sorry, Rio. I should’ve said something. Please forgive me.”
Cali had a way of softening Rio up, even when she was in the wrong. She played on the soft spot he reserved for her when her back was against the wall.
“How am I supposed to trust you when you do sneaky shit like this? You always on bullshit, Cali.”
Expelling a deep breath, she professed, “I’m not trying to be. I’m just really scared of childbirth, Rio.”
He exhaled before dragging his big hand over his mouth. “You don’t need to be scared. I’m here with you. Your body was made to bring life into the world. I know shit can go wrong but you gotta think positive. I really want a baby, Cali, and I only want it with you. Tell me if you’ll consider doing that for me?”
She forced a nod. “Yes.”
“Go get the pills.”
