Page 85 of Essence of his Soul

The conversation naturally turned to the wedding when we sat down to eat. Dorlinda was already in planning mode, talking about a springtime outdoor ceremony. She painted a picture of flowers blooming, the gazebo all decked out in lights, and before I knew it, Mark and I were nodding along, totally on board. It felt like the pieces were falling into place.

After dessert—hot apple dumplings and homemade vanilla ice cream—I could feel the weight of the day catching up with me. My eyelids were getting heavy, and I kept stifling yawns between sips of French roast coffee.

Mark shot me a playful look. “Looks like my fiancée is ready for bed.”

I laughed, rubbing my eyes. “I guess I didn’t get as much rest this weekend as I thought.”

His father muttered against the coffee mug, “I wonder why,” and everyone at the table burst out laughing.

After dinner, Mark cleaned up Tyler and set him down to play while I helped Dorlinda clear the table. She tried to wave me off, telling me to relax, but I insisted. I was finishing up when I heard something crash in the living room. I rushed to the front of the house and saw Tyler had knocked over a statue.

“What are you doing in here?” I said softly. Giggling, Tyler darted back toward the kitchen like nothing had happened.

As I bent down to pick it up, I heard Mark’s voice coming from his father’s study across the hall. He was laughing. At first, I wasn’t paying much attention, but then I caught the tone—casual and comfortable. He was on the phone, and the caller was on speaker. I recognized the robust voice as his friend Diamere.

“You’re right, man. It’s definitely cheaper to keep her. Child support payments are no joke,” Mark said, his tone casual, like it was all just a joke.

Diamere, on the other end, chuckled. “True that...true that. But you’re doing the smart thing. If I have to marry my baby’s mama, I will. Ain’t no way I’m letting a woman take half my money!”

I blinked in stunned disbelief for a moment, not wanting to accept what I heard.Cheaper to keep her?Was that what I was to him? Just a way to save money and avoid child support?

“Have you told her your next assignment is gonna be Texas?”

“Nah,” Mark admitted. “Not yet. I’m waiting until tomorrow to drop that bomb. I figured I better put a ring on it first.”

Whoa, what?Texas? My heart started racing, and my stomach twisted violently as I quietly left the room and returned to the kitchen.

He didn’t love me. Mark played me, and I fell for it. Hard.

Mark strolled into the kitchen shortly after, smiling like everything was perfect, but I couldn’t even look at him.

The car ride home was dead silent, except for Tyler’s soft snores in the backseat. A million thoughts were screaming in my head, overlapping each other, drowning me in confusion and anger. How could I have been so stupid? How did I not see it?

When we got home, Mark carried our luggage inside while I took Tyler to his bedroom, got him ready for bed, and tucked him in. I was on autopilot, moving through the motions but not feeling it.

Trembling with outrage, I stormed into my bedroom, where Mark was sitting on the bed, taking off his shoes like nothing had happened.

“Did you forget to tell me something?” I asked, my voiceshaky but steady enough to get his attention.

He looked up, frowning. “Tell you what?”

I swallowed hard, my throat tight. “Does Texas ring a bell?”

His demeanor changed instantly—guilt, panic, everything all at once. He knew I knew. “I was gonna tell you.” His voice was low. “I was waiting for the right moment.”

“How long have you known?” I asked, my chest tight.

Mark let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his hand over his face. “A week.”

A week?I threw my hands up, feeling like a fool. I wasn’t even surprised. I felt stupid for not being surprised.

Mark stood up, reaching for my forearm and pulling me toward him. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I worried you wouldn’t give us a chance if I told you.”

“So, instead, you decided to put a ring on it first?” I shot back, feeling the tears welling up. He tried to draw me closer, but I struggled against him, pushing away from his grasp. “When were you going to tell me, Mark? Right before you left for Texas? Or after we were married?!” I laughed bitterly, even though I felt like crying.

He ran a hand over his face, looking at a loss. “I was gonna tell you tonight. I was waiting—”

“You should’ve told me when you first found out!” I yelled, cutting him off. “Before you proposed. Before, you made me believe you were in this for the right reasons.”

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