Page 111 of Before I Say I Don't
Praises flowed throughout the room as Roman pulled me closer like he was already claiming the victory.
Roman stepped closer. “One last thing. If I were you, I’d be mindful of what I say in a room full of some of thebestattorneys, Angelo. Threats carry weight—and trust me, your record is already lengthy. Don’t let this lawyer title fool you. I fight cases by day, but I fightniggaslike you by night. Courtroom or curb, I don’t lose.”
Someone shouted, “Read him, counselor!”
Viangelo thrashed harder, but the guards dragged him back another few steps. His curses tangled into the noise of two hundred people watching him unravel.
I lifted the mic again to clarify a few things. “For the record, let me clear up any confusion. Roman and I never crossed anintimateline while I was with Viangelo. That was… until I found out the truth about everything—well, the baby, that is,” I semi lied, then turned to Viangelo. “So don’t youevertry to paint me dirty when the dirt was always on you. I stayed loyal while you were wallowing in lies!”
From the back, a loud voice cut through the noise, “Well, Roman is better looking anyway!”
The room erupted in laughter, and another voice agreed, “She upgraded, baby!”
“For anyone here who has ever wondered what self-respect looks like? It looks like this. Choosing myself over a man who never chose me, speaking truth when it would’ve been easier to stay quiet and walking away with my head high while he stands guilty on his knees.”
The room clapped, snapped, and cheered like a verdict had already been handed down.
Danica approached us, raising her invisible gavel, her grin wicked. “The court?—"
I held my arm out, silencing her. “No, sis. I got this one. It’s personal.”
The crowd screamed—half in awe, half in chaos.
“The court finds the defendant guilty on all charges—fraud, infidelity, and felony-level clown behavior. Your sentence?” I chuckled, darkly. “The worst one of all. To stand back and watch me be loved byyourfriend; the man you couldneverbe. Effectiveimmediately.Checkmate.”
A murmur rolled across the room like a wave hitting a seawall.
If looks could’ve killed, the heat in Viangelo’s eyes would’ve dropped me where I stood—stone cold on that runner, with my veil draped over a casket instead of my shoulders. But all it did was prove the truth: he was furious, and I was free.
I tugged Roman closer, but before we could make our exit, I lifted the mic one last time.
“Actually… before I go, there’sonemore piece of business we need to handle.”
The officiant blinked erratically. “Business?”
“Yes,” I confirmed. “Ask me the question.”
He frowned, perplexed. “What question?”
I cocked my head, giving him a knowing look. “You know…Do I take this man…that question.”
The officiant’s hands fumbled with his little book. “Uh—m-my dear, are you sure?—”
“Yes,” I cut in, firmly. “Ask it.”
He swallowed hard, eyes fleeting between me, Roman’s steady hand on my waist, and Viangelo thrashing against security like a man unhinged. The officiant hesitated, then, with the weight of a man just trying to make it through the shift, he asked the question anyway.
“Kamira Sinclair… do you take Viangelo Grant, to have and to hold, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish… till death do you part?”
Every head craned toward me, waiting.
I smiled wickedly. “Viangelo,” I said, letting his name be a benediction and a boundary. “I don’t hate you. I just refuse to dim God’s work in me to excuse your refusal to do God’s work in you. I release you to go be the version of yourself you’ve been fighting so hard to protect.”
I reached into the neckline of my dress and retrieved my engagement ring, tucked snug in my cleavage like I’d been saving it for that exact finale. The gasp that rippled through the crowd was instant and sharp, like two hundred people had all remembered to breathe at the same time.
“So, to answer his question—and probably everyone else’s—” I raised my chin, steady. “Idon’t!You may now kiss the mistakes you thought Ididn’tknow about,” I concluded, then tossed the ring at him, the metal flashing through the light before it clinked against his chest.
“Highlight of the whole damn ceremony!” Someone exclaimed.
