Page 154 of Set me Free

She hummed softly. "Guess it doesn’t matter now. Either way, I always knew Gio was yours the moment I saw his face. And whatever happens, I’m glad he has you. You’ve been a better father than I could’ve ever asked for."

That caught me off guard.

"I appreciate that."

"Oh, and before I forget," she added, her tone shifting. "I saw the news. You and Serenity." I didn’t say anything. "I thought that would be me one day," she admitted. "But even though I still can’t stand her ass, I respect her. She loves my son like he’s her own, and for that… I’ll back off."

That, I wasn’t expecting. "Good to hear."

"And Creed?"

"Yeah?"

"Glad you got rid of Jailah’s triflin ass too."

I actually chuckled. "Yeah. Me too."

With that, we ended the call just as my car service pulled up to the house.

“Martin, I need a favor,”I said entering the house and immediately going into the office. I walked to the desk, sitting in the swivel chair before turning around.

“What’s up, what do you need from me.”

“Gianna needs a lawyer. I told her I would pay for it. Can you take care of that for me?”

“Doesn’t yourwife’sfamily own an attorney’s office?”

“Yeah, but if I wanted to ask my wife, I wouldn’t be on the phone with you now would I?”

“So, you’re on bullshit?”

I didn’t respond to that, instead I ignored him. “Can you get it done or not?”

“I’ll handle it.”

“Good,” I replied before disconnecting our call.

Rubbing the bridge of my nose I could feel her presence before I even saw her. "What the fuck was that?"

I turned around to see Serenity standing in the doorway, arms crossed, her face set in a look that told me she was pissed.

"Serenity," I sighed, already knowing where this was going. "Don’t start?—"

"Oh, I’m startin nigga," she snapped, stepping further into the room. "Why the hell are you paying for Gianna’s lawyer without even talking to me about it first?"

I let out a deep breath, not in the mood for this fight right now. "Because it’s my money," I said evenly. "And she’s the mother of my son. If I wanna help her get out, that’s my decision."

Her bitter laugh filled the room. "Oh, so now we’re making big ass financial decisions without consulting our spouses? That’s how this works now?"

I clenched my jaw. "This is about Gio, not her."

She shook her head. "I get that. But last time I checked, I have been raising that boy with you for years. I love him just as much as you do, and I would do anything for him. But her? That’s different. She’s made her choices, Creed. You bailing her out without even discussing it with me first is not okay."

I exhaled sharply, already tired of this conversation before it even fully started. "Serenity, I’m just trying to do the right thing. I’d help you the same way if it were you in this situation?—"

Her head snapped back as she scoffed. "Do not put me and Gianna in the same category. That lady made her bed. You shouldn’t be bending over backwards to fix her mistakes."

My patience snapped. "It’s not about fixing her mistakes," I shot back, my voice firm. "It’s about making sure Gio’s mom is at least trying to get her shit together so he can have both his parents in his life."

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