Page 21 of A Virgo's Muse
His voice alone unraveled me. The moment I heard it, I broke down.
“They called me… The nursing home called.” I sobbed. “They wouldn’t tell me what happened, just that I need to get there immediately. I think it’s my mom, I don’t know. I’m scared, Onyx…”
His voice shifted in an instant calm, but sharp with concern. “Alright. I need you to listen to me, Desire. Send me the address, and I’m meeting you there. I’ll get there just as fast. But I need you to breathe, baby. Wipe your face and drive safe.”
“Okay,” I whispered, already crying harder.
“I mean it. I need you focused enough to get there in one piece.” His voice softened again. “I love you. I’ll see you there.”
He hung up, and it hit me he said he loved me. It wasn’t forced or wrapped in tension. It was clear and low and real. Even in the middle of all this panic, it pierced right through me.
By the time I got to the nursing home, my nerves were wrecked. I parked sloppily, jumped out the car, and rushed toward the building only to stop short when I felt someone behind me. Strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me in gently, and I knew that scent immediately.Onyx.
He didn’t say anything. He just held me and let me breathe him in. I felt grounded the moment I touched him.
We walked inside together with his hand at the small of my back, steadying me. We didn’t need to speak. He already knew to follow me to see where to go and not ask questions.
When we reached the room, I pushed the door open and froze. My father was sitting beside my mother’s bed. His head was down. His shoulders were hunched like the weight of the world had finally caught up to him. His eyes were bloodshot. His cheeks… wet.
“Daddy?” I whispered.
He looked up slowly. His voice cracked when he spoke. “She had a seizure… They said it lasted too long. She wasn’t getting enough oxygen to her brain.”
I moved into the room like I was sleepwalking. My mother laid there with wires everywhere and machines beeping quietly. Her chest rose and fell, but it didn’t look like her. Something was different… still.
“They don’t know the damage yet,” he continued. “They won’t until she wakes up…”
I didn’t even feel the sob coming until it was already out of me. My knees gave way, but Onyx caught me before I hit the floor.
He held me close, whispering into my hair, “She’s strong. She gon’ pull through. Just breathe, baby. I got you.”
I clung to him like a lifeline, feeling more broken than I had in years. Hours passed like minutes, but Onyx stayed.
He brought me water. Rubbed my back. Talked with the nurses when I couldn’t. Never once letting go of me. When my dad stepped outside to get air, Onyx finally leaned in closer, brushing my cheek with the back of his hand.
“I swear to you,” he whispered, “I’m not letting anything take you down. Not now. Not ever.”
And in that moment, I believed him. Even in the middle of all this pain… I believed him. The room had fallen into a hush, but my mind was screaming.
Machines beeped steadily behind me, a cruel reminder that my mother’s life was hanging on a wire. My father hadn’t returned yet, but Onyx stayed close steady, solid, warm.
His presence had been the only thing keeping me grounded… until my phone buzzed. I wasn’t even going to check it at first. My hands were trembling, and I could barely focus. But when I saw the name on the screen,Sade, my heart surged with relief. She finally texted back.
I opened it with shaky fingers, expecting a quickI’m okayor maybe even a voice note of her talking her shit like she always did, but what I saw stole the breath from my lungs. The photohit me first. Sade was naked and beaten, bruised and lying on a mattress like she had been discarded, like she was nothing. Her face was swollen and lip busted. One eye barely open. My best friend looked unrecognizable.
I dropped the phone with a sharp cry, my entire body going cold.
“What is it?” Onyx stood quickly.
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t breathe. He picked up the phone from the floor and looked at it, jaw tightening. His whole body stiffened. A muscle ticked in his cheek. Then he saw the message attached.
Do you really know the nigga you lay next to? This is his doing.
My world cracked wide open.
“You knew.” My voice was low and flat, almost childlike in confusion. “You knew she was missing, and you didn’t say anything.”
Onyx closed his eyes like he expected this moment, but that didn’t save him from the storm.
