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“Yeah, because it’s like you said; that’syourson right?”

“Serenity, you know?—”

“Save it.” Serenity’s nostrils flared, her brown eyes flashing with anger. "Creed, I am trying so hard to be rational about this, but you just made a major decision without even considering how I’d feel about it. That’s the issue."

I pressed my tongue to the inside of my cheek, frustration boiling under my skin. "I don’t know what you want me to say, SB."

She shook her head, her voice softer but no less hurt. "I don’t either, Creed. But this? This ain't it."

Before I could say anything else, she turned on her heel and walked out, slamming the door behind her. And just like that, the air felt heavier, the walls closing in on me. I ran a hand down my face, exhaling sharply. I was just trying to do the right thing for Giovanni and for Gianna. But instead, I had fucked up, again.

The house was too damnquiet as I tucked the kids into bed later that night.

Cree was already knocked out, her cast-covered arm resting against her stuffed animal. My baby girl was so damn strong, barely even letting her injury slow her down.

Gio was a little harder to settle. “Where’s Mommy?” he asked sleepily, his little hands rubbing at his eyes.

"She’s not here, kiddo." I ran my fingers through his curls, tucking the blanket tighter around him. "She’s still… away."

He frowned but nodded, clearly too tired to press further. "Tell her I miss her."

My throat tightened as I nodded. "I will."

After kissing both kids goodnight, I finally made my way down the hall to the master bedroom, knowing another battle was waiting for me inside. I sighed and said a silent prayer before going in.

Serenity was sitting on the bed, her legs crossed beneath her, reading through a stack of scripts. Even in full-blown pissed-off mode, she looked so damn beautiful. The soft glow from her bedside lamp illuminated her deep brown skin, her hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head, the silky material of her robe sliding down her shoulder.

Her eyes flickered up for half a second, acknowledging my presence before going right back to her script.

Damn. Still mad.

I sighed and kicked off my sneakers, pulling my shirt over my head before sitting on my side of the bed. I watched her for a moment, hoping she’d say something, but she just kept flipping pages, acting like I wasn’t even in the room.

Fuck this.

I ran a hand over my face before finally saying, “You really not fuckin with me?”

Serenity scoffed, not even bothering to look at me. “I don’t have anything to say to you.”

"Bet," I muttered, throwing my legs onto the bed and leaning back against the pillows. "You gon’ be mad forever, or we gon’ handle this like grown folks?"

She let out a humorless laugh, finally setting her script down. "Like grown folks?" She raised a brow. "You mean like how you handled shit earlier? By making major-ass decisions without talking to your wife about it first? Or when you were saying yes to yo baby mama, did you forget you had a wife?"

I exhaled sharply, already tired of going in circles. "Come on now, I ain’t forget that fast. It’s just I was just trying to help her for Gio’s sake?—"

"And I told you, that’s not the damn point!" Serenity’s voice echoed in the room, her frustration boiling over.

I opened my mouth to argue, but she snatched up her scripts, swung her legs over the bed, and got up. I watched as she stormed toward the closet, clearly done with this conversation. I couldn’t let her just walk away from me like that.

“Come here, SB.” I reached out, grabbing her wrist just before she disappeared inside the closet.

Serenity sighed, irritation thick in her voice. "What, Creed?"

I pulled her closer, letting my hands graze her waist. "You still mad at me, huh?" I muttered, my lips brushing against her temple.

She rolled her eyes. "Obviously."

I dipped my head lower, my lips grazing the curve of her jaw. "You still mad enough not to let me make it up to you?"