Page 55 of Set me Free

He inhaled sharply, his fingers gripping the stem of his wine glass before he set it down.

"Baby…" He sighed, shaking his head. "I don’t even know how to say this."

My stomach tightened.

"Straight, no chaser."

He exhaled again, like he was bracing himself for impact. His lips moved but no words came out. Instead, he sat across from me, searching my eyes before uttering the words I dreaded the most; "Gianna’s pregnant."

Everything stopped. The restaurant noise, the soft music, the clinking of silverware—all of it faded into the background. I could feel my heart drop straight into my stomach. But I forced myself to keep my voice steady.

"It’s yours?"

Creed’s jaw clenched, eyes narrowed, telling me everything I needed to hear before he even let the words slip out of his mouth. "She said it is."

I swallowed hard, staring down at my plate, my eyes burning. My mind was racing, fast, trying to figure out when…how?

"When did it happen?" My voice barely came out above a whisper.

"Christmas."

Christmas.

The break I spent missing him, counting down the days until I could see him again, wondering if we had a real shot at this. The break where he was still with her.

He saw the way my lips parted slightly, the way my breath hitched like I had just taken a gut punch.

"Serenity, we weren’t together yet," he said quickly, his tone urgent, pleading. "I didn’t cheat on you, I swear." I knew that…I fucking knew that. But damn if it didn’t still hurt.

I could feel the heat behind my eyes getting stronger, the sting threatening to turn into tears. And I refused, I refused to cry in front of him. Before my emotions spilled over, I placed my napkin on the table, my voice calm but clipped.

"I need to go to the bathroom."

Creed’s face fell.

"Serenity—"

"I just need a minute, Creed."

I stood, not looking back, and made my way to the restroom.

The second I stepped into the lavish marble-lined bathroom, I locked myself in a stall and let out a deep, shaky breath. Then another. Then another. But it didn’t help. Because before I could stop myself, the tears fell.

Silently, I wiped at them, shaking my head. I shouldn’t be this hurt. It wasn’t like he cheated. We weren’t even together yet during Christmas. So why did it feel like my entire world had just shifted?

I pressed my fingers to my temples, my breathing uneven. "Get it together, Serenity," I whispered to myself.

A moment later, the bathroom door swung open, and a group of women entered, chatting and laughing, fixing their makeup in the mirror. I inhaled sharply, straightening my back, blinking away the last of my tears. I wouldn’t fall apart in public. Iwouldn’t let this break me. I stepped out of the stall, went to the sink, and fixed my face.

“You okay love?” one of the girls that had entered the bathroom asked looking at me as I wiped my face. I looked up at her, she was another black woman, same height as me, beautiful mocha colored skin.

“Yes, thank you.”

“You’re too pretty to be crying, especially on valentine’s day.”

“Thanks.” I replied throwing the paper towel away then exiting the bathroom with my head held high. By the time I stepped out of the bathroom, you couldn’t tell I had just been crying. Not even a little.

When I returned to the table, Creed was sitting there, his head in his hands, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. His eyes lifted the second he saw me, filled with so much remorse that it almost sent me back to the bathroom.

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