Page 74 of Asher

Once she took a sip and cradled the glass, she said, “I know people think that I’m a bad person. And a lot of them would be correct. I was young. Sure, people like you, who have their whole life planned out, would see it that way.”

She swallowed and continued, “I wasn’t ready to be a mother. I didn’t fully understand the concept of loving one person. My parents had what is called an open relationship, and it worked for them. And for a time, it worked for me. Until I slept with Asher’s uncle.”

I gasped, “Wait, he has an uncle?”

She nodded, “Yeah, he did. You’ll have to ask Asher about that. It’s not my story to tell. But all I can say is that I was young and stupid. Thought it was cool that this older man who said hehad money only wanted to be with me. That was a laugh unto itself. I’ll let Asher tell you the full story.”

I sighed, another person wanting me to listen to Asher.

“After I left them, I went to Mexico. Had a procedure done. I wasn’t motherly. At all. And I knew that I wouldn’t change my mind. And all these years later, I still haven’t changed my mind. Some women are born to be mothers, and some are definitely not.”

“I understand that.” was all I said.

“We were young, Chloe. So young. Looking back on it, we never should have gotten married. Asher was never in the wrong about anything he ever did. But I didn’t love him. And he sure didn’t love me. I mean, I might have thought at one time that we had. I’m not going to lie. But the way he watched you walk away from him? It looked like he was thrown into the fiery gates of hell, had his skin flayed off, and his bones ripped from his body. He was torn and shattered. When I left, he didn’t even react. He simply turned and walked back into the house after he watched me flee the house that night.”

Then she smiled, sat her glass of water down on the coffee table, opened her phone, and pulled out her phone.

“This is what he looked like when you left. Watch it. Then make up your mind, honey. Because if my man looked like that, and I truly loved him, it would tear me apart.”

I looked at her phone, hesitant to take it when she offered it to me, which was why I asked, “Where did you get this?”

She smiled, “Charlie, I told him I was going to talk to you. He got that off a camera in the clubhouse.”

Only then did I take the phone from her, sat my beer down, and hit play.

I watched the video again and again and again.

But what caused my emotions to feel as though they had been ignited were the words that rumbled out of him, “Whit, your acting Pres. Until I win her back.”

“No. Fuck no.” Whit disagreed.

“I’m not the man y’all need without her by my side. I’m better with her there. I’m stronger. And I’m whole. I’m half a man right now.”

“You’ll get her back,” I heard Creature’s low tone rumble out.

Rome nodded, “Yeah, she loves you. Everyone knows it. Love like that doesn’t simply go away.”

After I watched the video one more time, I handed her phone back to her.

“Any man who's willing to walk away from one of the only things he’s ever really known for a woman, that says it all right there. Take your time. Think. And thank you for allowing me to talk to you.”

And with that, she smiled, got up, and walked out of my apartment.

Sadly, she was right. I had a lot to think about.

I sighed as I looked at the clock, well, I wouldn’t be thinking about that tonight.

I had somewhere to be.

Asher

“Umm, pres.… you’re not going to like this,” Pagan said when I answered the phone.

I growled, “Spit it the fuck out, boy.”

“Chloe is on a date.” Those four words were like a knife in my belly.

At his words, I stood up so fast that the chair I had been sitting in slammed against the wall.

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