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“Somebody told me they saw you leaving out with some nigga. He said y’all was hugged up and shit.”
Her eyes rolled as she crossed her arms over her chest and released an irritated sigh.
“I was holding Marcello’s hand and standing close to him because some drunk nigga was trying to talk to me, even after I told him I was married. So when Marcello came, I told the man he was my husband. He was still staring at me like a creep, so Marcello walked me out to my car.”
Elite remained silent, processing her words.
“Would you like for me to call him since you obviously don’t believe me?”
“If you lying, he gon’ lie for you.”
She laughed and placed her hands on her hips. “What reason would I have to lie, Elite?”
“I don’t know. What reason do you have to have a whole fucking closet of wigs, clothes, and lingerie that I never see yo’ ass in? So who do?”
Her mouth dropped before she laughed again. “I just told you I’m taking time for myself. When you’re out doing God only knows what, I take myself out on dates. Yes, I buy and wear new lingerie, but it’s because it makes me feel good… not because I’m cheating on you, Elite.”
Elite didn’t believe her fully, but he had no proof. He wanted to tell himself Jacintha was being truthful because it would crush his soul if she cheated on him knowing about his past. That was the only reason he wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt. Elite refused to believe she would do something intentionally that she knew would destroy him.
“Elite,” she called softly, slowly heading in his direction, but Elite lifted his hands to keep distance between them. “Baby, youknowI wouldn’t do that to you. I’m not saying what they said isn’t true. It is. But it’s not what they thought it was. Marcello was just looking out for me, that’s all.”
“Okay, but if I find out that you’re lying to me—”
“You won’t,” she quickly interrupted to say.
Not bothering to reply, Elite left the room… and their home. More than anything, his heart wanted to believe Jacintha was telling the truth, but his mind was telling him she was lying.
??????
A few days later, Elite knew what he had to do. They hadn’t been speaking to each other, which was a different hell within itself. Elite couldn’t stand the tension that was between them, but he didn’t need anything she said or did clouding his judgement. While he wasn’t an overly emotional man, he was in tune with them, and his ego didn’t keep him from expressing them to people he trusted.
One thing he’d learned was to allow himself three days to process his emotions before making any decisions. And if he was angry, it was best he didn’t say or do anything until he calmed down. When provoked, it was difficult for Elite to maintain control of himself, and that was something he was still working on.
As difficult as it was for him to come to grips with what he was about to say, it had to be done. Making his way into the kitchen, he smiled at the sound of Alicia asking, “Can we eat when we get to Grandma and Pawpaw house? I want some dressing.”
“You can’t wait to eat that for dinner tomorrow? I made all this food and it’s going to go to waste after y’all leave.”
Paisley sighed before pouting, and Elite couldn’t hold his chuckle in. Jacintha could cook, she just cooked basic, normal things. If her kids didn’t spend the weekend with an old school grandmother who cooked like it was Thanksgiving every damn day, they would probably love their mother’s food. That evening, Jacintha made a whole lot of party foods—meatballs, Rotel, wings—and from the looks on the twins faces, they were not excited about any of it… at all.
“Just give me some meatballs then,” Alicia said, swatting Elite’s hand away from her head and sticking her tongue out at him. As soon as he began to tickle her, she begged him to stop while leaning closer to him at the same time.
“Can we talk before you leave with them?” Elite asked, and Jacintha was so surprised that he’d spoken to her it took her a second to reply.
“Yes. Uh… let me fix their plates real quick, then we can talk.”
Nodding, Elite headed out of the kitchen. He’d eat later, but right now, he didn’t have much of an appetite. While he waited for her to join him in their bedroom, Elite texted his brother to see what he had going for the weekend. Because of how Elite made his money, his schedule was almost always open. He enjoyed traveling, but more than anything, he enjoyed creating a life that he didn’t have to escape from. Memphis didn’t have a lot to offer, but he was a simple man. Good food and drinks, good music, and good people was all he needed for a good vibe.
A couple of minutes later, Jacintha was entering their bedroom and closing the door behind herself. She sat in the navy-blue chair that was next to the one he was seated in at the foot of their bed. To keep it from feeling too masculine or feminine, they chose navy blue and gray for their color scheme. Jacintha added fresh flowers and plants all over that softened it up, but Elite didn’t mind that.
“Is everything okay?” she asked quietly, cupping her hands in her lap.
“No, and I think it’s time we stop ignoring that.”
Her chest deflated and shoulders slouched, but she nodded in agreement. “I agree.”
“It’s clear neither of us are really happy with our marriage anymore. We can sit here and blame each other, but we both aren’t doing what we used to do. So I think we should consider counseling, and if not, prepare for divorce.”
Her lips parted as she blinked rapidly. “Divorce?”
