Page 105 of Before I Say I Don't
‘Taryn, the mother of my fiancé’s child. She’s wearing a simple gold wrap dress, and a look on her face that says she didn’t ask for any of this—and I believe her.”
All heads pivoted in unison toward where I had my finger pointed. Taryn sat speechless and wide-eyed as if she’d just been handed a subpoena and summoned to the stand.
My eyes gravitated to Diane, who sat rigid, her eyes widened in horror as they darted to her son.
“A… a child?” Diane’s voice trembled, cracking under the weight of her disbelief. Her pearls shook in her grip. “You have achild?!”
All eyes swung to Viangelo. He glared, jaw locked tight, throat bobbing as he finally forced the word out.
“Yeah,” he admitted, voice low, almost shameful.
Gasps detonated across the room like fireworks.
A woman in the back shrilled, “Whew, Jesus! Not at the altar!” While another added, “And you couldn’t tell her before now!”
Diane shot up, looking around frantically. “Kendall!” she barked, her eyes narrowing in on her daughter. “Taryn’s your best friend! So you had to know!”
The crowd voices rose as heads swiveled toward Kendall.
“I did,” she confessed, her tone icy and sharp, devoid of any hint of remorse.
That single admission initiated whispers and sidelong glances from the crowd.
Diane staggered backward, instinctively clutching her pearls as if they could offer her some solace. She sank halfway into her seat before locking eyes with me, desperation radiating from her.
“Kamira, I swear I didn’t know! That—” she shook her head fervently, eyes wide with panic, “—that was kept from me, too! I would’ve never let you walk into this blind!”
Before I could respond, Kendall scoffed, loud and sharp, like Diane was performing.
“Mmm. Sure.”
The way she said it made the whole crowd buzz—like there was more under the surface I hadn’t been told.
Diane whipped her head toward Kendall, her expression a mix of wrath and trepidation as she hissed through gritted teeth, “Watch your mouth.”
“It’s cool, Diane.Maybeyou didn’t know,” I said. “But let’s be clear—your ignorance doesn’t change my decision. You raised a liar, and I’m not marrying one.”
One voice rang out from the back, “And that’s onfacts!”
Jayla turned to Kendall, her face in disbelief.
“Wait… so you knew he had another child and didn’t tell me?”
Kendall shrugged like it was nothing. “Uh, yeah. Taryn is my best friend and my brother told me to keep quiet about it. But me and you? We’re just cool, not friends,” she explained coldly.
Gasps shot through the audience.
“And besides,” Kendall added, her tone flat, dismissive, “it’s not like you’re his main girl anyway. So I don’t owe you a damn thing. And who’s to say that baby you’re carrying is even his? I mean, it ain’t like you were acting holy either.”
Jayla shot forward, eyes blazing. Security stepped between them instantly, arms spread wide as the guests screamed, shouted, and leaned in like it was the final round of a heavyweight fight.
Viangelo seized the moment, smirking through his sweat. “Yeah, what Kendall said. Everybody know how you get around, Jayla. Ain’t no guarantee that baby’s mine.”
The crowdbooedlike he’d just cursed in church. Yet, a few “Damns!” rolled from the back.
I cut him a glare so sharp it froze him mid-breath. Viangelo’s voice died in his throat and his smirk instantly faltered.
“That’s enough!” I yelled. “The time for y’all to talk about your ‘supposed’ child and your messy little affair will come soon enough. For now? Shut up, wait your turn and let me finish exposing every last one of you.”
