Page 184 of Rose
She followed his lead, the world around them fading to nothing but the crash of waves, the crack of gunfire, and the kind of love that made her feel unstoppable.
Ahzii wiped at her cheeks, but the tears just kept coming, hot and relentless. That day on the beach with Savior kept flashing in her mind—how safe she felt, how loved, how whole. Back then, she thought she’d found her second chance at love. Back then, she never would’ve believed that same man could be the reason for the deepest wound she’d ever carry. The reason her baby girl never took another breath.
How could he? How could Savior sit across from her, look her dead in the eyes with all that love burning in them, kiss every scar she ever tried to hide, listen to her talk about the daughter she lost… all while knowing he was the reason she was gone?
Still, as she scrolled through their pictures from his birthday at Disney World, she couldn’t stop the ache in her chest. Couldn’t stop loving him. That was the part that cut the deepest. This pain—this betrayal—was worse than the grief she’d felt when she thought William was dead. At least back then, she could bury her pain in the idea that William never chose to leave her. But this? This was her heart ripping in two while still beating for the man who’d destroyed her.
William came home an hour later last night, not saying where he’d been, and a part of her didn’t care enough to ask. He made dinner she barely touched. And while she showered, her mind betrayed her again, playing reel after reel of Savior’s hands on her body, her back against cool tile, water streaming over their skin as his mouth claimed hers like he’d never let her go. Three nights ago, she’d felt alive under his touch. Now, the memory was a knife twisting in her chest.
When she climbed into bed beside William, it felt wrong. Foreign. She used to crave his warmth, the way he’d curl himself around her belly when she was pregnant,his lips pressing into her forehead when he thought she was asleep. Back then, his arms were peace. But last night, peace didn’t live there anymore. Every second she lay there, she was thinking of Savior.
It pissed her off. Irritated her down to the bone. Savior should’ve been the last man in the world she thought about, especially after what he’d done. Yet here she was, replaying their moments, staring at pictures, rereading messages until she had to block him just to stop herself from answering.
She didn’t know why her heart was still chained to him. Why she still wanted him when her husband was right here, breathing, alive. The same husband who’d been ripped away from her because of Savior. Logic told her she should hate him. Her heart… refused.
The bedroom door creaked open and William stepped in, balancing a tray of breakfast and a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice. Ahzii’s thumb moved fast, closing out the photos of her and Savior before he could see.
“Good morning, Beautiful. Brought you breakfast,” William said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Thank you.” Her voice was low as he set the tray in front of her and sat down. She wasn’t hungry, but she forced herself to pick up a piece of bacon, biting it just so he wouldn’t ask.
It didn’t work.
“You good, baby?” His voice was soft, eyes searching her face like he was peeling back layers she didn’t want him to touch.
“Yeah… yeah. Why you ask?” she said, her voice cracking slightly as she reached for the juice.
“Because I can see it in your eyes. You’ve been crying. And you were tossing and turning all night. Is it me? Am I not good enough for you anymore? I know it’s been a year—”
“No, William.” She cut him off before the words could sink their claws any deeper. “It’s nothing to do with you not being good enough. It’s just… a lot has happened the last few days, and I’m trying to wrap my head around it all. I just… miss my family. Maybe I can go see them today, before we leave tomorrow.”
She’d been cooped up in this beach house since yesterday, and the messages from her family made it clear they were worried sick. That short text she sent wasn’t enough to ease them.
William’s hand dragged down his face, slow and heavy. He thought of Savior. The Carters. The possibility of them finding her if she stepped foot outside. “I know it’s a lot. But you can’t leave, baby. Savior’s out there. I can’t risk you getting hurt.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “So I’m stuck here? Can’t check on my shop, my family, my dog… nothing? All because of Savior? What about clothes? I need to pack. These clothes you got me aren’t even my style.”
There was a hard edge in her voice now—annoyance wrapped around confusion.
“Beautiful, please… don’t make this harder than it already is.”
“I’m not making it hard, William. I’m just confused. You keep running out every hour, never telling me where you’re going. I feel like a sitting duck, waiting for more bad news to drop in my lap. All I’m asking for is answers on what the fuck is going on.”
William let out a slow sigh. “Trust me, baby. Everything will make sense soon. You’re here because I need to know you’re safe. I spent an entire year recovering, not knowing if you made it out of that house alive. When I finally found you… when I saw you breathing, standing in front of me, I didn’t even know how to approach you. I didn’t know if you’d still love me, or if you’d look at me the same after I’d been alive all this time.” His voice cracked as he looked at her, letting the weight of his words hang heavy.
“When I saw you with that nigga… happy… it broke my heart. Because you moved on. You forgot about me.”
Tears slid down his cheeks, the hurt in his voice threading with something else—something calculated. He was telling her just enough truth to break her guard, and just enough lies to keep her exactly where he wanted her.
“William, I never forgot about you.” Her voice was quiet, trembling with the weight of time she could never get back. “It took me a year to grieve and even longer to try to heal from the love we shared. I cried myself to sleep every night after that night… praying God would bring you and our baby girl back to me.” Her throat tightened, but she pushed through. “I can’t deny the love I shared with Savior—”
William’s jaw ticked, his lips pressing into a hard line, but he said nothing. He let her speak.
“But now I know it was all fake. He was the cause of my pain. And my true love came back to me.”
A tear slid down her cheek—not for William’s return, but for the truth she had just spoken into existence. That maybe everything she had with Savior was a lie.
William’s thumb brushed the tear away, soft and tender. “So you’re done with him?” His voice was low, urgent, desperate for her to give him the answer he needed.
