Page 59 of Set me Free

The villa we rented was perched on the edge of a private cove, it overlooked the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, the waves crashing softly against the white sand. The house itself was a masterpiece of modern luxury—floor-to-ceiling windows that let in the golden glow of the sun, sleek marble floors, a wrap-around infinity pool that seemed to melt into the ocean. Everything was perfect.

Except me. No matter how much I tried to pretend, to relax, to enjoy my family, my mind was still stuck in New York. Stuck on Creed.

I knew this would be hard. I knew the moment Creed uttered those words about that baby, my world would never be the same. But I didn’t think it would feel like this. Like I was suffocating. Like I was losing myself.

Sitting on the warm sand, the sun beginning to dip toward the horizon, I hugged my knees to my chest, watching the waves as they rolled in, slow and steady. I wasn’t too far from the property, just slightly off from where the gate was.

Sevyn dropped down beside me, his tattooed arms resting on his knees, the scent of his cologne mixing with the salty sea breeze.

"Wanna talk about it?" he asked, breaking the silence.

“Not really.” I mumbled, pouting. My brother chuckled, scooting a little closer to me and wrapping his arm across my shoulders.

“Tell me anyway Toot.”

I glanced over at him, wondering if I should tell him what was going on with my love life. If I should tell him I had decided to stay with a man who had a baby on the way.

Throwing caution to the wind, I blurted out everything that had happened in the past month since Creed had delivered that news to me.

I sighed, running my fingers through the sand. "It’s a lot, I know."

He nodded, his gaze fixed on the ocean. "That is a lot, Tootie. But you gotta figure out if this is what you really want, if Creed is worth all this."

I swallowed, my throat tight. "I love him, Sevy. I really do."

"Love ain’t enough," he said bluntly, turning to look at me. "This ain’t some high school relationship where you can just ride the wave. This is real-life shit. A baby? That’s a forever thing. You prepared for that?"

I didn’t respond right away. Because I didn’t know. I knew what my heart wanted. But was my heart enough?

"If he’s what you really want," Sevyn continued, "then stand on that. But if you know deep down you can’t handle this, you need to let him go. It’s not fair to either of y’all to stay stuck in a situation that’ll break you."

I inhaled deeply, letting his words settle.

"I just… I thought we’d have more time," I admitted softly. "To just be us before we had to deal with something this heavy."

"Life don’t give a fuck about timing, baby girl," he murmured. And that was the realest truth I’d ever heard.

Later on for dinner, the villa was quiet, just the sound of forks clinking against plates as everyone ate. I wasn’t touching my food. I was too deep in my head, replaying Sevyn’s words, thinking about what I really wanted, what I could really handle.

And then out of nowhere…

"You’d be an idiot to stay." I froze, my fork stilling on my plate.

Sienna’s voice was calm, calculated—like she wasn’t about to start some shit. But I knew better. Slowly, I lifted my eyes to Sienna, who sat across from me, looking as composed and beautiful as ever, like she hadn’t just dropped a grenade in the middle of the table.

"I overheard you and Sevyn talking, when I was going on a walk by the beach." she continued, taking a sip of her wine. "And I have to say, it’s disappointing. You’re really willing to tie yourself to a man with a baby on the way? You’re smarter than that, Serenity."

I felt my entire body heat up, my stomach tightening.

"Ma, don’t—" Sevyn started, but she cut him off.

"I knew he wasn’t going to be any good," she continued, shaking her head with a chuckle. "Just like the last one. But you never learn, do you?"

I clenched my fists under the table. "Sienna—" my dad tried, still Sienna kept talking.

"You should be focused on school, your career, your future," she went on, not letting up. "Not some jock who may or may not make it to the NBA. What happens if he doesn’t? You think he’s going to be able to take care of you? We aren’t paying for you to be in school just for you to be focused on some no good boy with a baby on the way."

Something inside me snapped.

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