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Rolling her eyes, Jacintha put the call on speakerphone to record it.
“Crazy how you used to drop everything for me, now look at us.”
Henry sucked his teeth. “Don’t make it seem like you care about a nigga after what you made me do to you, Jah.”
She scoffed and tried to keep from getting too upset. “What I made you do to me? Are you serious right now, Henry?”
“Yeah. I never would have done what I did if you wouldn’t have threatened me.”
“So let me get this straight.” Jacintha smiled and licked her lips. “You’re justifying beating me while I was knocked out and repeatedly kicking and punching my stomach, killing our baby in the process, because I threatened to find and tell your wife about our affair?”
“You didn’t just threaten to tell my wife; you threatened to tell your husband too, and I told you I wasn’t going to risk my life to be in yours or that baby’s.”
“That baby!” she yelled. “It wasyourfucking baby, Henry!”
“Is this what you called me for? If so, ain’t shit else for us to discuss.”
Blinking back her tears, Jacintha released a shaky breath as she tried to compose herself.
“I just… wanted to let you know that I forgive you for what you did to me,” she lied. “And you don’t have to worry about me trying to find your wife. I just want to be free of you.”
He chuckled. “Cool with me.”
Henry disconnected the call, and Jacintha sat there for a few seconds before ending the voice memo she was recording. All she could do was hope it was enough for the judge to drop the charges against Elite and look for Henry instead.
nine
Elite
Elite didn’t wantto be bothered. He thought he’d made that clear by cutting his phone off. In his hotel room, he had the blackout curtains drawn as he sat in a corner and guzzled vodka. He couldn’t remember the last time he left the room, but it was to get more alcohol. Elite hadn’t been eating or showering. All he’d done day after day was drink enough to pass out before waking up and doing it all over again. As someone knocked on his hotel room door, Elite exhaled a hard breath. He didn’t want to get up and get it, but he knew they would probably keep knocking.
Elite was so deep in his anger and hurt he didn’t even feel the alcohol. At this point, he wasn’t drunk or hungover, and that only pissed him off more. Things were only getting worse, and a part of him expected more bad news to be on the opposite side of the door. Not only had people that Elite once trusted turned on him because of Jacintha’s lies, but he’d lost a lot of his celebrity and athletic clients whose managers and publicists recommended they not be attached to a man who abused women.
It wasn’t the money lost that bothered Elite as much as it was the tainting of his character. Even if Jacintha did eventually tell the truth, some shit couldn’t be taken away. The way he and his brother had been dragged on social media was a stain that only time would be able to dull… but it would always remain.
“I’m not going anywhere, bro,” Nicole said.
“You and Supreme good?” he asked.
“Yes, but…”
“Then you can leave.”
“Elite, please. Supreme is worried about you, but he’s not going to come over unless I tell him he has to. Now I know you don’t want his crazy ass over here bothering you, so let me in.”
With a groan, Elite stood and turned on a lamp, giving him just enough light to make it to the door without bumping into anything. After letting his sister-in-law in, Elite returned to the corner he’d been sitting in as he told her, “Don’t cut on the light.”
“Elite,” she almost whispered. “I know you’re not okay… So what can we do?”
“Nothing. Jah was served with the petition for divorce today. Hopefully she won’t contest it and make this shit quick. After that, I’ma be out this bitch.”
“Where do you plan to go?”
He chuckled and shook his head as it leaned against the wall. “Shit, I don’t know, sis. Anywhere will be better than here. Somewhere no one knows my name.”
“Well… We will miss you, but I think that is a good idea. Sometimes a change of environment makes all the difference in the world.”
“Hope so.”
