I began to breathe heavily. My chest heaved as I rushed him.
“Nigga, what the fuck are you doing? And why the fuck is your shit hard?”
I pushed him away from the closet door, and his body slammed against the wall, shocking him and myself with the strength I possessed.
I still had him pinned, but at any given second he could have body slammed me and got me out of the way. I looked behind me to see if Rhema was in her bedroom.
My heart broke when I saw my baby looking frightened. She stood frozen, her sweats pooled at her feet. Rhema was getting dressed while this fucker was watching her.
How could he do this?
Was this his first time watching her in that way?
Had he ever touched my baby?
Did Rhema ever catch him doing this before?
How could I not have seen that I was sleeping with a fucking pedophile?
Question after question etched into my mind. Once again, guilt consumed me because I should have protected mydaughter. I had invited this nigga into my home, around my child. I had no idea Shane would do something like this. How could I have waited so long to date again and bring a man around my child, just to still pick the wrong muthafucka?
All my trust was dead. Shane had ruined it. He invaded Rhema’s privacy and disrespected us. Him staring at my minor daughter while she got dressed, and not to mention his erection, was just as detrimental as if I had caught him touching her. I prayed to God he had never laid a finger on her.
WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!
I slapped the shit out of Shane. This was the first time he had nothing to say. He knew he was caught red handed doing some fuck shit, something I would never forgive him for. Anger consumed me. Hurt washed over me. Tears filled my eyes.
I started swinging and kicking him, not caring what I struck. I brought my leg up and kicked the fuck out of his dick, causing him to hunch over in pain.
“Fuck! Ember! Stop! It ain’t what you think!” he yelled, cupping his groin.
WHAM!
My fist connected with his mouth. Blood instantly formed between his lips.
“Get the fuck out now! And don’t you ever step foot back over here again. It’s over!”
Shane wasted no time stumbling toward the front door. I ran after him, then stopped in the kitchen to grab a knife and my phone off the counter just as he made it out the door.
“Stay the fuck away from us, you bitch ass nigga!”
I slammed the door shut, closed my eyes, and tried to settle my heavy breathing and pounding heart. I slid down to the floor with my back against the wall, gathering the strength to face my child and get answers.
I did not care who heard us, who saw me, or that I had put my hands on him. Shane crossed a line, so all boundaries we once had in place no longer existed. If I could have killed him and not been taken away from my daughter, that would have been my first option.
Rhema appeared in front of me, and my heart broke even more.
“Love bug.” My tone was low as I tried to speak.
“Mommy, you okay? Please do not be mad. It scares me when you’re upset.”
“I don’t mean to scare you, baby, but Momma gotta protect you. You may not understand it yet, but you will someday, Rhema.”
She walked over to me and sat on my lap. I held my baby tight, wishing I never had to let her go. I had failed her.
“Rhema, sweetie. I need to ask you some questions, and I need you to tell me the truth, okay?”
“Okay.”
