Page 22 of The Devoted Husband

“You’re welcome. Your sister is being transported back to prison after her doctor clears her. I don’t know when that will be, so make your visit quick.”

“You are so dramatic.”

“Shut up. You should be glad I’m happy to see you’re awake.”

“Mhmm. What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to set eyes on you and find out what the hell happened.”

Imani sighed as Sade pulled up a seat next to her bed. “Honestly, I don’t know what happened. One minute, I’m doing laundry. The next, I’m getting hit in the back of my head.”

“And you don’t know who did it?”

She shook her head. “No. I don’t have any beef with anyone currently. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten into a fight. I don’t know.”

“Damn. Well, hopefully, when you get back inside, someone will have some answers.”

“Why do you care?” Imani scoffed. “You don’t give a fuck about me.”

Massaging her temples, Sade pulled in what she needed to be a calming breath.

“I am sick of having this conversation with you, Imani. I do give a fuck about you. You’re my sister, and I love you.

I’ve told you this a million times—no one can beat you up but me.

” That made Imani smile like Sade hoped it would.

“I wish there was a way to get you out of there. I wanted you to go to prison and pay for what you did, but I don’t know.

This makes you being there real. I don’t like not being able to get to you when you need help. ”

“Well...if you want me out, maybe I could give that detective a DNA sample since he promised he’d help get me out.”

That got a good laugh out of Sade. “I know you better not! If you helped Jones send me to prison, I’d commit another murder before my trial was over and do something to get you in there with me.”

Imani laughed. “You know I wouldn’t do you like that. The money has already cleared in my account.”

They shared another laugh before Sade confessed, “I needed this. Can’t believe the laughter is coming from you.”

“What’s wrong, sissy?”

Sade considered if she wanted to share what was happening with her sister. Technically, she was the reason they were in this situation anyway.

“Dante came back to Memphis, and he overheard a conversation between me and Atlas. I don’t know how much he heard, but he now thinks I was in on the plan, and he tried to kill Atlas.

” Imani’s eyes widened, and her mouth hung open.

“And I’m not exaggerating, Imani. He literally choked Atlas in a room full of people until the man blacked out.

If a few people hadn’t grabbed Dante and carried him outside, Atlas would be dead. ”

“Damn. I wish I could say I’m surprised, but I’m not. It’s best for all parties involved if those two are never in the same room. Dante’s going after him every chance he gets.”

“I tried to explain that to Atlas, but he didn’t want to hear it. He’s insisting I tell Dante about us like we’re together now.”

“Why does he care that Dante knows you two were fucking?”

Sade opened her mouth but quickly snapped it shut. She wouldn’t tell Imani she was pregnant with her ex-husband’s baby. Not yet, at least.

“It doesn’t matter. Everything’s all messed up, and I don’t know what to do. I wanted me and Dante to get back to our friendship, but I fear that will never be possible now.”

“Well, I’m sure everything will work itself out. Dante will forgive you for almost anything. You’re perfect in his eyes. Once he calms down, I’m sure he’ll hear you out.”

“I hope so,” Sade mumbled. She’d been calling him, but her calls were going straight to voicemail. This was the first time Dante’s anger had ever been directed toward her. He’d been frustrated or disappointed in the past but never angry with her, and Sade didn’t know what to do.

“How are my babies?” Imani asked, changing the subject.

“They’re good. Thriving. I’m enjoying being able to spend time with them. They can’t wait for me to get my apartment so we can have a sleepover there.”

“Wait, so you’re staying in Memphis?” Imani snickered. “Why?”

There she was...asking a question Sade didn’t want to provide the truth for again.

“I just...think it’s best if I be close to family right now,” Sade decided on. “Grandma and Grandpa aren’t getting any younger, the twins are getting older, and your ass is getting knocked out in prison. If I’m on the island, it’ll take days for me to get here if anyone needs me.”

Imani’s eyes rolled as she chuckled. “Don’t add me to that equation. You know if I needed you, you wouldn’t be there. Not after everything I’ve done to you.”

“You’ve done a lot of horrible things, but you’re still my sister. Besides, I’m no angel. I’ve done some horrible things to you too.”

Imani huffed, her head hanging. “Yeah, and sleeping with my husband is at the top of that list.” Her head hung, and it was the first time she showed sadness over Sade being with Dante. It caught her off guard.

“I didn’t think you’d care. I mean, you were cheating on him with Adam and wanted a divorce.”

“That’s not the point!” she yelled, jerking her cuffed arms against the bed.

“That was my husband , and you were my sister . And I knew...” Her chin trembled, and her eyes watered.

“I knew he’d finally choose you.” Chuckling, Imani looked toward the ceiling as her tears rolled down her cheeks.

“It didn’t matter how hard I tried to make him want me. I knew he would always choose you.”

Sade wiped her sister’s tears. “He didn’t choose me, Imani. He married you. He stayed with you.”

“Yeah, because he thought the twins were his. If he knew I’d cheated on him with Adam, he would have been gone instantly.”

“Would that have been such a bad thing? God, what did I do beyond exist to make you want the one thing, the one person who meant the most to me?”

Sighing, Imani looked toward the window with a shake of her head. “It doesn’t matter anymore. You finally won, got the man, and got me out of your life.”

This wasn’t how Sade saw their visit ending, but she figured it was a good time to leave. “I’ll, um...check on you through Reggie later. If you need anything, tell him, and he’ll let me know.”

As Sade walked away, Imani gritted, “Stop doing that.”

“Doing what, Imani?”

“Being nice to me. I don’t deserve it. The worse I treat you, the better you are to me. Just stop.”

Chuckling, Sade turned to face her sister. “I’ll never stop. The quicker you realize that and let me be a good big sister to you, the better off we’ll both be.”

She took a few steps more before Imani asked, “Can you...bring me a seafood bag?”

Sade’s smile widened as she nodded. “Yeah, I got you.”

Sade’s head was killing her. Outside of feeling nauseated and tired, the headaches were the worst symptom of her pregnancy.

She was curled up in a ball with the lights and TV off, waiting for the headache to pass.

About two hours had passed since she left the hospital after visiting Imani.

Reggie refused to uncuff her, so Sade had to feed her, and to her surprise, the gesture made Imani cry.

“I’m sorry, Sade, for everything,” Imani sobbed. “I know that might not mean much, but—”

“It means everything, seeing as though you never apologize,” Sade replied, shedding a few tears of her own.

“I love you. I’m really sorry.”

Gasping, Sade wobbled in her seat. She couldn’t remember the last time her sister told her she loved her...if ever. “I-I love you too.”

A smile lifted the corners of Sade’s mouth at the memory. Someone knocked on the door before it opened. Sitting up, she asked who it was. Relief filled her when Atlas announced himself...then she grew confused.

“How’d you get in? You left your key here when we called things off.”

“I told them at the front desk that you weren’t feeling good and asked for a new key so you wouldn’t have to get up to let me in.”

“Thanks, but I don’t like how easy it was for you to get a key.”

“They know I was staying here with you. I’m sure they wouldn’t have given it to me if that wasn’t the case.” Satisfied with his answer, Sade lay back down. “How you feeling? Head still hurting?”

“Yes.”

“And you sure you don’t want to take anything?”

“I’m sure. My doctor told me I could take a low dose of Tylenol, but I don’t want to. I’d rather let it go away on its own.”

After Atlas undressed, he climbed behind her in bed. The moment his arms wrapped around her, Sade relaxed farther in bed. His presence and embrace may not have made her headache disappear, but it made her feel better.

“I’m sorry about Dante yesterday. I can’t believe he showed up where we were. We were supposed to meet today, but he hasn’t answered my calls. I actually think he has me blocked.”

“You don’t have to apologize for his actions.”

“I still feel bad about it. He could have killed you.”

“Him sneaking me from behind was some bitch-ass shit. If he wants to square up or shoot it out, we can always do that.”

“Whoa.” Turning in his embrace, Sade tossed her leg over his frame. “Now, that’s what we’re not going to do or even discuss. I told you how important it was to keep the peace. That’s why I didn’t want him to know about us. If I can’t trust you to behave—”

“He choked me out. Ain’t that much behaving in the world, Sade.”

“Can you please just let it go...for me? You did run him off the road and give him a concussion. He temporarily had amnesia.”

Sucking his teeth, Atlas didn’t respond right away.

This was what Sade was worried about. There was no way these two men could coexist in the same space.

What Atlas had to understand was that if she had to choose between the two of them, he’d lose.

She prayed he’d calm down and it wouldn’t come to that.

Sade’s Audio Journal

“My life is a mess like an unmade bed. I hope Imani’s being sincere, but she’s in my head.

She’s being all nice, and she apologized.

..and cried. What am I supposed to do with that?

Do I trust it? Is it a part of a plot or scheme?

And then there’s Dante and Atlas. God knows I’ve always loved Dante.

The months we spent together were the best months of my life.

I can’t describe how it felt to finally be his. ..even if it was temporary.

“Even if it was fake. It doesn’t matter how much I tell myself I deserve better than a man who didn’t choose me.

I can’t deny how much I love him. How much I’ve missed him.

And then there’s Atlas. He’s been a little off his rocker lately, but he chose me.

He’s been so considerate and thoughtful about me.

Or at least he was. I don’t think I trust him entirely either, and I certainly can’t trust him and Dante to be around each other.

“Is it even possible for me to have something with Atlas one day since I will be having Dante’s child? Should I just cut Atlas off now before it gets too hard? Am I only attached to him because of how much he likes me? Because of the toxicity? I don’t know, but I need to figure this out soon.”