Page 64 of Finding Forever

“You ruined you for me,” she snapped. She’d had enough of him. It was time to leave his sorry ass where he stood and get going. “You and all the members of your personal skank parade.”

Richard didn’t seem to take offense, the overconfident bastard that he was. He just stood there, still grinning and staring her down with what he thought was a seductive look, and purred, “I’m a patient man, Sherri. I don’t mind stepping in to help you, the same way you’ve helped me with Malik. I’ll win you back. Wait and see.”

“I hadn’t heard they were serving snow cones in hell,” Sherri retorted. She spun around and stomped back to her car. The scars that man had left her with—that more than one man had left her with—were still healing. The last thing she wanted to do was tear them open again.

∞∞∞

Sherri sat at the cozy table in her sister’s kitchen with her laptop open before her. It always gave her an oddly uncomfortable feeling, logging into her own bank account to check on whether her funds had come in from Silas, her soon-to-be ex-husband. She was grateful that he was still supporting her, but a part of her wondered why he was being so unquestioningly generous.

He’d never been a selfish man, but a question lingered at the back of her mind. Did Silas think that this was a way to get back into her good graces, even after how he’d hurt her? If that was what he was thinking, he was in for a huge shock. She’d even go as far as to admit that a tiny part of her felt justified in exacting this small penance from him. It would never make up for what he had done, but every time he made the transfer, she hoped he remembered.

The more logical part of Sherri reminded her that this was temporary and necessary. She and Silas were still married—at least for now—and he was still in a way responsible for her wellbeing. After all, he was the one that had insisted on her quitting her waitressing job to focus on her studies. He was also the culprit behind why she couldn’t find a job at present. So he should definitely be the one to help her financially get through these changing times.

Besides, Sherri was still working on her master’s degree in Business Operations Management. Once she had that under her belt, all would be well. And by then, she would feel in a better position to confront him with her secret. Hopefully, by that time, she would legally be free of him. But one thing was certain: seeing Silas again was inevitable.

A sound at the door made her react in surprise. It was her sister Cherise and her brother-in-law Tavion. Sherri hadn’t even heard their car pull into the driveway. She smiled at them in welcome. “Hey!”

Cherise and Tavion set down their paper bags of groceries on the counter before greeting her enthusiastically. “Hey, babe! Had a good day?”

Sherri closed the window, giving her big sister her full attention. For years, Cherise had been her tower of strength, ever since they were much younger, when their abusive father had wounded their mother so grievously that Sherri had been forced to call the police.

And since she had just turned eighteen, a freshly minted adult, she had been subpoenaed to testify against her father. It had been a relief to finally do something that could help her mother against her father, but that relief had been short lived by her mother’s reaction. By the time the case had come to court, their mom had refused to testify because she and their dad had made up. Her father was silky smooth when it suited him, with a gift for lying with a straight face, and had sworn to his wife that he would change. Sherri had seen through him at once, but her mom had bought it, returning to her mate amidst promises that it would never happen again.

Then began her campaign to help her man avoid the consequences of his actions, because, after all, he ‘loved’ her so much. “You’ve got to say you made it all up, baby,” their mom had pleaded, but Sherri had done the only thing she could. Sherri told the truth, which meant sticking to her testimony, thus damning their father to five years in prison.

Even though Sherri knew that her mother’s outrage had been a classic example of abused woman syndrome, it had still hurt her deeply when her mom had thrown her out and cut her off completely. Cherise had welcomed her into her home, even though she’d only just moved in with Tavion.

And here she was, back in Cherise’s space again. History sure did have a way of repeating itself.

Cherise put the eggs away in the fridge, turning partway to ask, “Did you get Malik back to his dad’s all right?”

“Just fine,” Sherri answered, not even bothering to get into narrating Richard’s latest antics, trying to talk her into the house again, ostensibly for dinner. With Richard, it never stopped at dinner. Everyone knew what the man was like. Besides, even after all these years, it still got her riled up when she thought of what a fool she’d been over the man. Maybe she was cursed. Always seeking love in relationships that were destined to cause her pain.

“He didn’t look too excited about going home,” Tavion commented. “That kid really adores you. It was clear that he wished he could stay a little longer.”

Sherri got up and started helping put away the groceries before answering. Cherise tried to stop her, urging her to sit back down and rest. “I’m sure your back must be aching,” Cherise chided her.

Sherri sucked her teeth dismissively. “I’m not dying, you know!” She kept on packing the shelves. It was the least she could do, given that her sister had opened up her home to her since she’d walked out on Silas a few months before. They’d even been considerate enough to prepare their other guest bedroom for Malik. Sherri would always be grateful for her sister’s support. She transferred a third of the money Silas sent her into her sister’s account every month as a means of pulling her weight, but she knew her sister’s charitable gesture meant so much more than money. Cherise was a woman like that.

On top of her small financial contribution, Sherri had made it clear from the outset that dessert was her responsibility. A proposal that her sister gave into gleefully. Ever since they were kids, Sherri had always had a gift for baking, especially sweet treats and pastries. There was never a time since she’d arrived that the kitchen didn’t smell of brownies or tarts waiting to be devoured. Cherise had even complained about gaining weight since Sherri had arrived, which only made Tavion pat her on the butt and tell her he liked her that way.

“I wish I could keep him with me for longer durations,” Sherri conceded, “but I don’t have any legal claims. What I should have done was push harder to legally adopt him years ago. Richard had always been hesitant to locate his ex and have her relinquish her parental rights.” She twisted her lips ruefully.

“Probably didn’t want to end up paying child support when you’d eventually divorce his ass,” Cherise said, the expression on her face showing that Richard wasn’t one of her favorite people.

“You may be on to something, babe,” Tavion grunted, opening a packet of steaks in preparation for grilling tonight’s dinner. “That guy… I can’t say I ever understood what you saw in him, Sherri. He strung you along and then had the audacity to be unfaithful!”

Sherri felt her face heat up. It was embarrassing when the people you cared about most knew you’d been a sucker for love not once, but twice. “Beginning to think it’s my fault. Maybe I’m incapable of picking men who can be faithful—or maybe men simply can’t be faithful!”

Cherise and Tavion exchanged glances, and Sherri immediately regretted her words. She was about to add the amendment,present company excluded, when Tavion did it for her. “I know you’re hurting. I know you got done wrong, but you can’t generalize about all men, kid. There are still some of us who make our vows and stick to them.”

“And anyway,” Cherise added, “the last thing you need right now is more stress. You have so much to look forward to and be excited for. Just take care of yourself.”

Cherise came over and got up onto tiptoe to press a kiss against her husband’s forehead. The communication between them was wordless but clear. Sherri felt like a rat and an intruder as the kiss deepened. Sweeping up her laptop, she mumbled something about needing to log in for an online class.

It was an easy excuse to make in an effort to get over the anguish and sense of uselessness that had pervaded her life over the past few months. She was glad for her studies. It wouldn’t only fill her time and renew her sense of self-worth, it would also help provide her with a means of earning a livable income once her divorce was settled. She would be well armed to claim her freedom, and fully experience life as a single woman—permanently.

She gathered her stuff to her belly and hurried out of the kitchen.

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