Page 18 of Blake University HBCU Chronicles: Nuri & Silas

Bre: Hey sis I'm worried sick about you. Please at least text me and let me know you're ok.

N uri’s heart clenched as soon as she lifted her phone from the cup holder in her car. She’d been so consumed by the storm that was raging in her life, checking in with Bre after Silas bailed her out of jail hadn’t crossed her mind. As she approached the stop sign, she quickly replied.

I’m alright, sis. I’ll call you later on tonight once I get my head together. Love you.

She hit send, then let out a slow breath.

She focused her attention back on the road as Future’s Surfing A Tsunami pulsed through her speakers, the bass vibrating through her chest, matching the rhythm of her heart.

Her mind was a mess of emotions, but one thing was clear—this would indeed be the last time she’d let Boyd twist her life into knots.

Twenty-two minutes later, she pulled into her mother’s driveway. This time, she didn’t bother ringing the bell. She used her key without hesitation, letting herself in despite the way Boyd always acted like she was some kind of intruder.

Boyd’s voice sliced through the air as soon as she stepped inside.

“Look at this damn fugitive! Letting herself into our gotdamn house without even ringing the doorbell. I guess your sugar daddy bailed your hot ass out of jail, huh? ‘Cause I sure as hell wasn’t tellin’ your mother—and you know damn well I wasn’t goin’. The hell do you want?”

“Jail?” Nova was livid, her voice cracked like thunder, as she turned and looked at Boyd. “You knew something happened to my baby and you kept it from me?!”

Nuri felt her blood boil. Her feet carried her forward before she even knew she was moving.

“That’s ‘cause he’s a sorry-ass excuse of a man and has the heart of the fuckin’ devil!

” Her voice was sharp, slicing through the air.

“You made it your life’s mission to destroy me.

To destroy the relationship between me and my mom, but you’re nothin’ but a liar!

You don’t even deserve to breathe the same air as we do. ” Nuri spazzed.

Boyd’s eyes darkened, his lips twisting. “You just gon’ stand there and let our daughter talk to me like this? You ain’t gon’ say shit?!”

Nuri’s laugh was dry, and sharp, the kind that came from years of pain. “Fuck you. You not my daddy, so stop with the act.” Her tone dropped to ice. “You saw my real father today in the parking lot.”

Nova gasped. “Ali?”

“Mhm,” Nuri said, eyes locked on Boyd like she was daring him to deny it.

“Tell her you saw a real man. A man you could never compete with on your best day. You hate that shit, but you can’t do nothing about it,” Nuri scrunched her face in disgust. “Ali is a man that still holds the heart of your wife, even after all these years. But you too damn hateful to admit it. That’s why you spent your life tryin’ to break me, tryin’ to break him.

But guess what? I’m still here. And your bullshit didn’t work. ”

Boyd let out a harsh laugh that didn’t touch his eyes. “So, you finally figured out that your ugly ass didn’t come from me, huh?”

Nuri’s jaw tightened, and her eyes glistened with fury.

"You hate me because I look just like him, don't you? I know that burns you up inside.” Nuri laughed, but nothing was funny.

“Every time you see me, you see him, and you're reminded that none of your efforts to destroy him or his legacy worked —you couldn’t erase him.

It kills you to see your wife love me, because then you're reminded that the women you love share something you could never give her because you're inadequate!

That's why you forged my name on all those legal documents, and got me tied up in all this bullshit you been plotting on for years?—”

"You don't know shit!" Boyd cut in, his face red with rage.

"I love your mother beyond measure, but she thought she was gon' use me up, then go back to your father, but I had something for both of they asses!

Your father wasn't 'bout shit, and didn't have shit to offer your mother or you!

It was me who stepped up. It was me that provided for yo' funky ass when your mother couldn't. If it wasn't for me your mother wouldn't have gotten a college degree, and you wouldn't be graduating this year!

You were accepted at Blake University because of me sweetheart. "

"I may have gotten accepted because of you, but I worked my ass off to earn my keep 'cause surely you didn't help me with shit since I been in college," Nuri clapped back.

"What the fuck do you want from me? I don't regret a damn thing I did to your father, your mother, or you!

Your ungrateful ass should be glad I saved you and your mother!

Your father was nothing but a thug, who sold drugs, and robbed people for money.

He had street smarts and credibility, but was no match for me.

I tore his ass up and never had to lay one finger on him.

I've always been well connected, knew people that knew bigger people, and believe me.” He leaned back, eyes glinting like a man with nothing to lose.

“Everybody has a price, and I'm the muthafucka who don't mind paying it for what I want.

So yes, I paid to have your thuggin' ass father locked up for ten years.

I paid the judge, the States attorney, and the defense attorney.

They were all on my payroll, and they did an exceptional job," Boyd revealed.

"And when it came to you, I really just didn't give a damn.

I love money, and when it comes to makin' it, everybody around me is accessible.

You're the last straw, the last thing connected to your father that I got access to, so destroying your life is personal," Boyd said, amusement visible on his features.

Nuri’s chest heaved, the pain and rage fighting for space in her lungs.

Boyd’s smile widened, venomous and satisfied. “And when it came to you? I didn’t give a fuck. I love money, and when it comes to making it, everybody around me is expendable. You’re the last piece of your father I got left. Destroying you is personal.”

His laughter rang out like a death knell in the living room, his voice dripping with satisfaction.

Nuri felt her mother’s hand on her shoulder, trembling. “Baby, I?—”

But Nuri’s eyes were locked on Boyd, her voice steady, cold. “I’ll survive this. Just like I survived everything else you tried to throw at me.”

Boyd’s smirk didn’t fade. “We’ll see.”

At that moment, Nuri knew one thing—this man wasn’t her father.

He was a monster. And monsters… they always got what was coming to them.

Nuri’s chest felt tight as she turned away from Boyd’s venom, her heart still beating fast with rage.

She wrapped her arms around her mother, pressing a kiss to Nova’s cheek that felt like a promise—one that said ‘ I got us now .’ She held her close, breathing in the familiar scent of the woman who had always been her safe place, even when the world wasn’t.

The pain in Nova’s eyes cut her deep, but Nuri knew that sometimes the truth had to rip through the skin to let the healing begin.

She pulled back and locked eyes with her mother one last time before straightening her spine, every inch of her radiating strength.

This was the day she marked in her heart, the day she vowed that Boyd would never hold power over them again.

As she walked out of that house, head high, she knew one thing—Boyd’s reign was over.

She was coming for him, and she refused to miss.

If life had taught Nuri nothing else, it trained her on the art of having tough skin.

Though Nuri was blessed with many of the finest things in life, that didn't mean that everything was handed to her. She worked her ass off to stand in the place she stood, and truth be told, she had Boyd to partially thank for that. It was because of his negligence and cruelty that had forced her to build herself up from the ashes. Every hateful word he’d spat at her, every time he’d tried to break her spirit—she’d flipped it and turned it into ammunition.

It was the reason she stood tall now, the reason her head never dipped even when the world tried to knock her down.

She’d learned that she was the one who wrote the narrative of her life, no one else.

She let out a slow sigh as she stepped through Silas’ front door.

The weight of the day—hell, the weight of her whole life—felt heavy on her shoulders.

All she wanted was to slide into a hot bath, wash off the residue of Boyd’s venom, and find a little peace.

However, unbeknownst to her, Silas had different plans for her.

As she walked into his home, Future's No Basic thumped through the house speakers, but Nuri froze in her steps the second she spotted Ali sitting on the couch across from Silas leaning back like he owned the place, but there was nothing cocky about his posture.

Nuri had never been a quiet person, neither had she ever been at a loss for words.

The sight of Ali close up gave her pause.

Not in an intimidating type of way, but in a reverence type of way.

She had so many questions, but didn't care about the answers.

She wasn't a toddler yearning for the love and attention of her father, or a teenager trying to find her way.

When their eyes locked there was that familiarity again.

That father's love and connection she never knew existed was right in front of her, yet she didn't know whether to cry, stand still, or run into his arms.

“Nuri Nicole Marciano.” Ali called her by her rightful name as soon as Silas turned down the music.

The name she should have taken on at birth, but due to circumstances she had her mother’s maiden name.

"I've been waiting over ten years to stand in the same room with you.

Can I please just give you a hug?" Ali, her father asked.

"Yes," Nuri approved with open arms.

What she didn't expect was to break down and cry.

Once again it was that father's love. It was so foreign, but it had moved her to tears.

It was so potent. So genuine. She wondered how it was possible to love so immensely so quickly, but that was the thing.

Ali had been loving her long before she knew he existed.

Ali held her as she cried, and Silas stood back watching it all unfold.

"I got'chu now, and trust me... Ain't nothin' gon' happen to you on my watch. You got my word." Once Nuri got herself together, Ali broke the brief silence.

She looked at Silas first, then at Ali. Her voice came out low, but fierce. “I… I have something I think both of you need to hear,” Nuri said, walking over to sit next to Silas.

Ali’s brows knitted in curiosity, but Silas already knew she was about to drop something heavy. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, eyes never leaving her face.

Nuri drew in a breath and pressed play on her phone.

Boyd’s voice filled the room, cold and calculated, his confession rolling out like poison.

Every word dripped with arrogance, like he was untouchable.

His voice was laced with that same pride that had once kept her under his thumb.

But now? Every syllable was a nail in his own coffin.

As the confession played, Silas’ lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile.

That was his woman—ten steps ahead, playing the game smarter than the man who’d thought he’d cornered her.

Ali leaned back in his seat, a grin spreading across his face.

He’d waited years to get his revenge, and now it was finally happening. Ali couldn’t be more happy.

Silas’ jaw tightened, his pride in Nuri evident in the way his eyes sparkled with approval. He’d wanted to protect her from all of this, but she’d proved that sometimes you had to let a woman handle her own business. And she’d handled it like a boss.

When the recording ended, the room was silent except for the soft hum of Future’s No Basic still playing low in the background.

Nuri’s heart pounded, adrenaline mixing with relief. She’d done it. She’d given them what they needed to end this once and for all.

Silas didn’t waste a second. He snatched his phone off the coffee table and dialed Memphis. The call connected on the second ring.

“Yo!” Memphis’ voice crackled with urgency.

“A’ye,” Silas said, his voice calm but sharp. “I’m ‘bout to send you this recording. Send it to the lawyer.”

“Say less.” Memphis’ voice carried the weight of loyalty—the kind that ran deep enough to burn the world down for the people he loved.

Before Silas could hang up, Memphis continued, his tone shifting. “Oh, and I was able to erase every trace of the money you cleaned through Blake. Rerouted it, just like you asked.”

Silas’ eyes darkened with satisfaction, a smirk playing on his lips. “Good lookin’ out, bruh. I just sent it over.”

He ended the call and set the phone down, his gaze shifting back to Nuri. He reached for her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “You did that, baby,” he said, his voice low, full of pride and something deeper—something that sounded a lot like forever.

Nuri leaned into his touch, her heart steady. For the first time in a long time, she felt free. She’d fought her demons and won. And with Silas and Ali at her side, she knew one thing for certain—Boyd had underestimated the wrong one.

Ali sat back, his eyes locked on his daughter. “Your mama might’ve kept me from you, but she raised you right. You a warrior, Nuri. Don’t ever forget that.”

Nuri’s lips curved into a smile that held a thousand untold stories. She was done being the victim. This was her time. And she wasn’t just surviving anymore—she was living.