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“Stop trying to stall, Gwen.” Turning his back on her, he faces me, grabbing my face and holding it in his cupped hands. He stares into my eyes, reaching deep down inside of me, as if he’s trying to see my soul. I feel him there; I feel that bond that we have always had, more present than ever. I wait for the question I already know he is going to ask, but I wait for him, he needs to do this his way and I will gladly oblige.
“Did you attack her,
babe?” Ignoring her scoff, I reach up and mimic his hold on me. My hands cradling his handsomely rugged yet distraught face.
“No, Trey. I didn’t. I wouldn’t…I couldn’t do that to anyone, let alone hurt you.” Watching the breath physically leave his body, his shoulders sink, the tension draining and the swoosh of his minty breath breezes across my face; he nods, closing his eyes. Bringing his forehead to mine, I drop my hands from his face and lock them around his strong triceps, squeezing them while my eyes roll shut slowly, thankful that he believed me.
“I believe, fuck, baby, I believe you.” His quiet words feel powerful, hitting me in the heart, just like I need them to—the impact strong, solid.
We’re a team; he’ll always believe me.
“Oh my God! Are you serious?”
Breaking our connection with her incessant whining, I open my eyes to see Trey’s angry, dilated ones. Shit. Turning faster than I can blink, he focuses back on her.
“You lied. Why? What was your game? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you after the therapy session we had this morning. You said terrible things about Shayla for no damn reason.”
What did she say? I think to myself, deciding now probably isn’t the best time to ask.
“Then after you saw how much it was tearing me up inside to see the woman who I should call my mother being at odds with the woman I love, you just shook it off. Shook it off, Gwen!”
“Oh, sorry that I felt my opinion was valid, besides, that’s what therapy is for. What, am I not allowed to say what I feel?” He shakes his head rapidly.
“No! Because she has been nothing but supportive since you came in the picture and all you have seemed to do is bitch about her in therapy! Then this, this lie!” At this point they are within a few inches of each other, like gladiators ready to fight. And all I can think in this moment is what a disgusting human Gwen really is. No mother would standoff like this with her son. No mother would go toe-to-toe with her son, spewing lies in order to destroy his happiness. She should be ashamed of herself, she shouldn’t even be allowed to breath the same air as Trey, or even be in the same damn general vicinity.
“Now you know why! Look at her coming between us.” I roll my eyes, doing my best to not choke her out.
“No, Gwen, that’s where you’re wrong. You’re the problem, you’re the liar. You came between us all on your own. You know what…” He steps back, turning to face me for a brief moment, and when our eyes meet, I give him a curt nod. Encouraging Trey to do it, do what it is I know he wants to do. Let her go. She’s crazy, I was always right, she’s not worth fighting for, there is no saving Gwen.
“What, Trey?” she asks, her voice softening, her final desperate attempt to reel him back in.
“Why? Tell me why you did this, before I throw you out and never speak to you again,” he whispers, looking up at the ceiling. He still hasn’t faced her, and I see the storm raging in his eyes, the tears ready to fall. I don’t know if I should reach out and touch him or if I should just step back and let him settle the score.
Trey needs closure. Him saying good-bye isn’t just for this time, it’s for the time before. It’s good-bye to all the brokenness she caused him, good-bye to all the tomorrows he will never have with his birth mother.
“I did it to see if I could change my mind.” Her voice is breathy, low with disdain. Trey looks at her, as do I over his shoulder.
“Change your mind?” Trey asks.
“I thought I could change my mind about you. I thought I could stop looking at you as the mistake you are. I never loved you, I hated you… Hated you since the day I knew you even existed. I guess that’ll never change.”
A mother’s words so damn harsh… It destroys Trey. A mother’s words cause me to actually hate someone for the first time in my life. A mother’s cruelty makes me see violence. Trey’s shoulders slump and he drops his head, looking like a child, a man thrust into the past, showing us all that even though it’s been years, he’s still hurt by his mother’s loss. And no matter the time or the fact that his mother is cruel, a mother’s words can hurt. Telling your son you hated him since the day you learned of him, would devastate anyone—anyone.
“You know what…” I pause, stepping out from behind Trey, only to step in front of him. My feet are planted firmly on the ground, my fists balled tight to my sides, my nails digging into my skin. I feel the blood pumping through my veins, hot and heavy, making the hair on my head stand on edge, the tingle strong.
“What!” she snaps.
Ready to defend Trey, protect him like I always promised I would. I protect my mate, my king, my man, my best friend, the little boy who fell to pieces and blamed himself.
“Listen here, Gwen. I may not have beat the shit out of you earlier, but I will if you don’t get your shit and leave, you will never talk to him like that again. You’re done, and I will make it my personal mission to make sure your eyes never see him again, your ears never hear him again, and the air you breathe will never be shared with him. Get the fuck out of this house, you coward!” I’m not backing down, I swore up and down that I would heal Trey, that I would always protect him no matter the cost; this is no exception.
We are not moving backward, Trey will not blame himself anymore. He will never be her victim again.
Stunned silent, she eyes me maliciously before finally speaking. “Fine. But you will regret this,” she threatens, but it does nothing to faze me, my adrenaline is too high.
“Not a fucking chance.” Just like that she moves around me, hitting my shoulder and cursing me under her breath. I watch her go to the table and collect her things for a moment before focusing on Trey.
“Baby.” Looking up at Trey, I see the tears in his eyes. The lone tear rolling down his cheek sets me into motion. I stand on my tiptoes, still too short to barely wrap my arms around his neck. He doesn’t say anything to me and the moment my arms lock around him, I hear the familiar sound of his sobs. I hate that his crying has become something I have grown accustomed to. I hate that he has broken down over the same thing too many times to count. I wish I could have stopped her sooner or called her bluff before she came back into his life. I know we need to start healing him again. But, I fear that since he’s much older now, it may be a lot harder to change a man into believing his worth than the naïve boy that once lived.
