Page 55 of Girl, We Go Together
The tears came fast and hot down my cheeks. I covered my face with both hands, trying to muffle the sound of my cries. Oriana’s soft little coos coming from across the room only made it worse. She was supposed to be our fresh start. Our chance to do it right. And all this time… he was still running back to her. To the same bitch who, at the beginning of our relationship, he had vented about.She barely takes care of my sonwas his go-to, and he had the fucking nerve to get her pregnant with another baby.
My mind started spiraling. The nights he didn’t answer that phone, the excuses about “being with Omari or being at the club,” the way he’d touch me that felt so far away were all playing in my head. God, how could I have been so stupid? I stood and paced the room, hugging myself. My reflection in the dresser mirror caught my eye, and I hated what I saw. My eyes were swollen, my hair in a messy bun, and my body, well, I don’t even want to start speaking of my biggest insecurity. I thought Orion was changing. I thought maybe, just maybe, he could finally be the man I needed him to be. But here I was again at a stage in my life where betrayal and humiliation ran the show.
The anger in me bubbled up under the hurt. If Shenell hadn’t been telling the truth, why would she even call me? Why would she risk putting herself in the middle? That right there gave me all reason to believe her. She could have pulled this stunt when Orion and I first started dating, when I was pregnant, or right after I had given birth to Oriana. She had so many chances to come up with this if it were a lie. That was how I knew it was the straight truth.
My hands shook as I picked my phone back up. A part of me wanted to call him right then, scream through the line, and demand answers. But another part… the colder part… wanted to sit in the silence.
This piece of me was the girl who wanted her lick back. I wanted to act as if nothing was even wrong. I wanted to let him walk through that door tonight. Let him try to smile in my face, kiss our daughter goodnight, and even kiss me, all while acting like he wasn’t breaking me into pieces. I was done looking like a fool. This time, he was gonna see a different Cayla. A piece of me wondered if he would even come home tonight. I didn’t have to guess for long. The door clicked open, and just the sound of his keys hitting the table in the foyer made my stomach twist.
His steps up the stairs sounded heavier than I had ever heard them before. It was like I could hear every piece of wood move under his Timberland boot. He stood in the doorway of our bedroom for a bit before he opened his mouth.
“What did you eat for dinner?” he asked casually, like he hadn’t been playing me.
I stared at him, heat rising in my chest, my heart pounding so hard I thought Oriana would hear it from her bassinet.
“Dinner?” My voice cracked. “That’s what you got to say to me?”
He frowned, dropping onto the bench at the foot of our bed. He sighed as he started taking his boots off.
“What are you talking about, Cayla?”
I finally stopped pacing the floor and stood over him with my hands shaking.
“Shenell called me.”
That got him. His head snapped up, and his eyes narrowed, while his lips pressed together.
“She told me everything, Orion. That you've been at her house. That she’s pregnant. Pregnant by you.” My voice broke, but I pushed through it, my anger louder than my pain. “And you got the nerve to walk up in here and be regularly asking if I fucking ate?”
He jumped up fast, closing the space between us, his face twisted in rage.
“Man, she’s lying! You really gon’ sit here and believe that shit? After everything I do for you? For Oriana?”
“Believe it?” I shoved at his chest, tears streaking my face. “Why would she lie? Why would she call me if it wasn’t true? You out here making babies like it’s nothing, while I’m at home taking care of the one we already got!”
His voice rose, booming through the house. “You are always looking for something to argue about. I don’t gotta explain myself to you!”
Oriana had started crying in her bassinet, but neither of us wanted to stop trying to get our point across.
My voice hitched into a scream. “I carried your daughter while you were out cheating! I damn near died bringing her into this world, and you can’t even keep your dick to yourself! It’s because you ain’t shit, and Olivia should have swallowed your ass instead of giving birth to you.”
He grabbed my arm roughly and shook me like he could snap me back into silence.
“Shut the fuck up talking to me like that!”
The grip hurt and made my skin burn, but I yanked free. My chest heaved, and my hands balled into fists. This wasn’t like any other time. I was ready to fight his ass back.
“Put your hands on me again, Orion, I swear to God.”
We were nose to nose now, shouting over each other, the air thick with hate and hurt. Oriana’s cry only got louder, but neither of us backed down. I could see it in his eyes that ugly side of him was peeking, and I swore I’d never let it take me under again. I wasn’t that weak girl anymore. Not tonight.
This time, I was ready to fight back. His chest pressed into mine. His breath was hot and sharp with liquor, and his eyes were wild.
“I said shut the fuck up!” Orion roared.
Before I could move, his hand came across my face. The slap rang out so loud it drowned Oriana’s cries for a second. My head whipped to the side, the sting burning across my cheek as tears blurred my vision. I stumbled back against the long dresser, clutching the edge to steady myself.
“Really?” My voice cracked, low and filled with pain.
