Page 54 of Intercept My Heart

“Hey, talk to me. What’s going on?”

“Y-you probably hate me. I-I’m s-so sorry!” My hands were covering my face as I sobbed. My body shook uncontrollably, and not even Dinero’s words could comfort me. Drake and his perverted ass father took so much from me, and I allowed them to take up space in my life for far too long. Tamia had been urging me to go to therapy, and I believed this was the wake-up call I needed.

“I could never hate you. As much as I could dwell on the past, it’s already done. Right now, the only thing we need to do is figure out what the future looks like for us and the boys. I don’t plan to hold this over your head because that shit doesn’t serve anyone. It’s time for you to forgive yourself so you can move on. I made mistakes, and as a result, you made a choice that you felt you had to. It’s unfortunate, but you know I could never hold a grudge against someone who once held a part of my heart. I promise I forgive you.” The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I had no idea how to let them out. In order for us to truly move forward, Dinero deserved to know the whole truth. Plus, if they were still friends, I wanted to make it abundantly clear that I never wanted that man around my kids.

“There is something I need to tell you.” I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts.

“Okay, what is it?”

“I didn’t sleep with Drake.” My voice was barely above a whisper. My eyes were squeezed tightly as I tried to fight the images threatening to come to the forefront of my mind. I must have been shaking my leg too aggressively because I felt his grip tighten on it.

“What do you mean? Isn’t that the reason we just had to do a DNA test? You weren’t sure who the father was.” Hopping up from the couch, I anxiously paced the floor. I hadn’t had to tellthis story in over a decade, and the idea of having to open this wound caused my anxiety to spike.

“I didn’t have sex with him,” I murmured. Those were the words I repeated to myself the night after the attack and again once I discovered my pregnancy.

“You’re not making any sense, Sunny. If you didn’t sleep with someone else, then what did we need the test for?” My hands rested on top of my head as I coached myself on how to explain this to him. “I-I told him to stop, but he was so angry. He was so aggressive, and I-I tried to fight back. I swear I did.” I felt myself hyperventilating, but there was nothing I could do about it. The flashbacks were taking over, and I could still see the rage in his eyes. Drake glared at me as if he wanted to kill me.

“I waited for someone to come and rescue me, but nobody ever came. I was in so much pain, and I-I kept calling for you. I needed you to wake me up and tell me it was all a nightmare, but you never came. It wasn’t a nightmare. It was real.” Falling to my knees, I let out the loudest scream. My arms were wrapped around my body as I wept, letting out all the emotions I’d been holding in for all of these years.

For so long, I hated myself for allowing it to happen and, even worse, for not telling anyone. When I thought about going to the police and telling them what happened, I chickened out, thinking they would call me a liar. The room fell silent, and I wondered what was going through Dinero’s mind. This was a lot for anyone to take in, but being we all had history, I imagined it to be even tougher on him.

I probably freaked Dinero out from my outburst, but I couldn’t even bring myself to care about that. I needed this release more than I realized. After a few moments of silence, a pair of arms scooped me up off the floor. No words were spoken between us as he walked up the stairs, leading to our bedrooms.He hadn’t been here before, so I wondered if he even knew where to go.

Surprisingly, Dinero led us to the right room. He bypassed the bed and took me into the bathroom. Instead of pulling away, he remained nestled between my legs. I assumed he wasn’t trying to have sex after the bomb I dropped on him, so I relaxed my shoulders. I watched as he moved around the room without saying a word. Dinero grabbed a towel and a few other items before setting them on the counter.

“Do you want me to take them off, or are you okay to do it yourself?”

“I can do it.” His face was unreadable, which scared me. If he was angry or sad, then I could understand, but there was nothing to go on. I wondered if he was upset with me for waiting so long or if he even believed me.

After I took a shower and dried off, I found Dinero sitting on the edge of my bed, staring into space. I wasn’t sure how I wanted to approach him or if I should.

“Are you okay?” My question seemed to snap him out of his trance, but the angry expression on his face left me halted where I stood. When he stood up and began to pace around the room, it frightened me, although I knew he would never hurt me. As I stepped closer, I noticed the tears dripping down into his beard. My heart sank to my stomach. He hated me, didn’t he? I really fucked up.

“I-I’m trying really hard not to spaz out right now because this isn’t my home, and I can’t destroy your shit.” His voice shook as he spoke, sending tremors down my spine.

“Dinero, I?—”

“Don’t. Don’t tell me you’re sorry, Sunny, because that won’t do a damn thing except piss me off. Why the fuck wouldn’t you tell me something like this!” He exploded. My body leaped with fear while I watched him come undone. “I could have donesomething! I-I could have helped y-you. Fuck!” He swiped my perfume bottles on the floor. His fists were clenched, and I hated the fact that there was nothing I could do to help him.

“I didn’t know what to do. I was too ashamed to call you because I thought you would blame me for what happened. He was your best friend, and I was?—”

“My everything! Sunny. You were my fucking everything, and had I known what that sick mothafucka had done, I would have ended his sorry ass life that night. Fuck!” His hands rested on top of his head, and the tears never stopped. My heart ached because I wanted to hold him, but I was the one who caused this pain.

“I messed up, and I know that. When everything happened, my whole world felt like it was falling apart. Then, when I finally worked up enough nerve to pick up the phone and tell you, I saw the picture of the two of you together, and I freaked out.”

“I gotta get out of here,” he roared, rushing out of my room. I panicked, following him down the stairs. The last thing I wanted was for something bad to happen because he wasn’t in the right frame of mind.

“Dinero, where are you going?” I shouted as he picked up his keys and phone before stuffing them into his pocket. I attempted to lock him in so I could get an answer.

“Move,” he seethed. If I weren’t running off emotions and adrenaline, I may have listened, but I couldn’t stand by and allow him to do something he would regret.

“No. I can’t let you go out there and do something you’ll regret. Please.” I pleaded with him.

“You’re crazy as hell if you think for one second that I’ll regret anything concerning you. Now, move.” My hands flew to his chest to push him back, but he didn’t budge an inch. It felt like I had pressed against a brick wall. “I’m trying to handle you with care because you’ve been through enough, but if you don’t move,I’mma forget that I love you and toss your ass out of my way. I’m not playing.” This time, I slid to the side, crying as he headed toward the door.

“Dinero, please. Think about Cash and Moolah. If you do something reckless, they will lose you before they even get a chance to have you.”

“I’ll be in touch when I can,” was all he said as he slammed the door behind him. I walked to the door and opened it as he hopped into his car and pulled off. He never even bothered to look back as he peeled out of the driveway.What have I done?

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