Page 95 of Dare You to See Me

I shake my head and stand, squeezing her hand and pushing her towards the front door.

“Soleil. You’re killing me. Please.” I can hear how his voice trembles and I turn to look at him one last time.

He’s crying and his gray eyes are turbulent. His fist rests over his heart and it’s a feeling I can understand. Mine hurts too. Like hell.

“Malik,” Dahlia cries and runs to him, flinging her body into his arms.

“Be a good girl, and do what mommy says. Okay?” She quakes with sadness. “I love you, sweetheart. I’ll be right here when you get back.”

He pulls her arms from around his neck and walks her over to me. I take her hand and yank the door open.

“Baby,” he chokes out and wipes my tear soaked face.

I slap his hand away. “I hate you for breaking my heart. I trusted you to care for it and you slaughtered it.”

We race out the front door and into my car. Malik stands on the front porch, crying andwatching my every move. Like always.

Peeling out of his driveway, I wait until I’m a few blocks away before stopping and sending a text to my mom.

Me: Dahlia and I are coming for a few days. Please don’t ask why. Just know that I need you.

I hit send then speed off into the night, the darkness the only thing that can shield me from this living nightmare.

FORTY

MALIK

I know where she is.I can drive there, right now. But I need to give her some time. It’s only been twenty-four hours since she found out my secret. I’ll give her a couple more days to calm down before I go get my girls and bring them home.

The lights are on in the house as I sit across the street, watching and building up the courage to knock on the front door. It’s been an hour and I still haven’t found the strength, yet. With a deep breath, I step out of my truck and walk cautiously to their house.

My hands rattle when I ring the doorbell and my heart slams against my chest. I hear the locks on the door click and it opens slowly.

George stands, only a sliver revealing his angry face. “You need to leave,” he tells me.

“Please, sir. I just need to see her. I need to know she’s okay.”

“They’re both fine. Now go. She doesn’t want to see you.”

“I can’t leave. If she could just listen to me, she’d–”

“I don’t know what you did to her, but it was bad enough that she came running to us in the middle of the night. So I suggest you get your ass off of my property before I shoot a hole in it.” His face is stern and it’s the look I imagine myself wearing if anyone ever hurt Dahlia.

I take two steps back, defeated and broken, and nod. “Yes sir. Understood. Can you just…can you tell her I love her?”

George’s jaw clenches and his nostrils flare, but he gives me a curt nod despite the urge he has to throttle me. I climb back into my truck and look back at the house where George still stands as centurion. In the window, I see the curtain shift and a face peek out. I know it’s my girl. I can feel her eyes on me. Instead of crawling across the street and begging her on hands and knees, I blow her a kiss.

The curtain closes just like a door slamming on my heart. I drive away but I refuse to stop until she’s back in my arms.

“You have some fucking nerve showing up here.” Kyle spits fire when she sees the person who is waiting for her in the lobby of her office.

It’s now day three without Soleil, and she still won’t answer my calls or texts, and has yet to return home.

“Kyle. Will you please listen?” I beg, keeping my voice hushed so as to not draw attention.

“No you listen to me, you peeping Tom.” Apparently Kyle doesn’t share the same urgency to keep things quiet. “I wanted to slap you with a restraining order, but Sunny just wants to forget you.”

“It’s not what you think. It’s not whatshethinks.”