Page 24 of The Devoted Husband

When she stopped rubbing her eyes and allowed them to settle on Dante, his frown made it difficult for her to smile because she was so happy to see him.

“Jones is here, and he’s following you.”

“None of that matters. Just...Don’t kill anyone or do anything illegal while he’s here.”

“Nah, don’t put that on me. How am I supposed to believe that? Now, it’s looking like you did what you did to keep your secrets. You sent Atlas after me. Maybe you killed them because you never wanted me to know.”

“First of all, if I did kill them, I certainly wouldn’t admit to it on this phone. And second, I didn’t send Atlas after you. I can’t believe you’d think I could do something like that to you.”

“I didn’t think it, but you admitted it yourself. And I’m still trying to figure out why you asked me to come here just so I could hear it.”

“That’s not why I asked you to come!” she yelled louder than she intended. “I didn’t even know you were at the restaurant.”

“You told me to meet you there!”

“No, I didn’t, Dante. I asked you to meet me the next day. We were supposed to meet yesterday, not the day before.”

“Sade...You texted me and asked me to meet you there an hour after my flight landed. You’re going to lie about that too?”

“I’m not lying. Why on earth would I ask you to meet me while I was with Atlas?

I didn’t want you to find out about us until.

..” Her mouth snapped shut. This wasn’t how she wanted him to find out she was pregnant with his child.

“Months later. I promise I didn’t text you to meet me there, and I promise I had nothing to do with what they did to you.

That’s not what I was implying.” Pausing, Sade nibbled her bottom lip.

“If I tell you the complete truth, do you promise to hear me out?”

Dante considered her request for a while as she made herself comfortable against the headboard.

“Go ahead.”

“The Thanksgiving Adam came back, Atlas and I reconnected. I did not approve of her cheating on you. I wanted to tell you, but Atlas convinced me not to. He said there was a chance you wouldn’t believe me, and I didn’t want to risk messing up our friendship.

I agreed to wait a little while and see what Imani would do.

I thought she would just divorce you. I didn’t think she would try to frame you for fraud, and I most certainly didn’t think Adam would try to kill you. ”

“Were you in a relationship with Atlas?”

“No, but we did spend time together and have sex. Imani tricked me. You know that Christmas we were supposed to go on a girls’ trip?

” He nodded. “She lied. Adam and Atlas were there. I was angry and hurt that she lied to me and used me to cheat on you. Atlas...kept me occupied. We did have sex. I told him I didn’t want a relationship, and he was cool with trying to change my mind.

“About six months later, that’s when the FBI first approached Imani, and she decided to frame you.

It was Adam’s idea to kill you, and he asked Atlas to do it.

” She paused. “Atlas came to me because he knew how close you and I are, and he asked me to help him save your life. He knew how much it would hurt me if something happened to you. He agreed to Adam’s plan but never planned to kill you.

The accident was supposed to buy you time in the hospital while I helped you prove Imani was the one stealing and committing fraud. ”

“But I woke up with amnesia and didn’t remember a damn thing for quite some time.”

Sade smiled as her eyes watered. “Exactly. So, I brought you to Vanzette to make sure you wouldn’t be arrested and charged with crimes you not only didn’t commit but also didn’t even remember your wife committing because you didn’t remember her or anyone else.”

“And that’s what you want me to believe you were referring to?”

“Yes, Dante,” she stressed. “I have thanked him a million times for warning me about what Imani and Adam were planning so I could help you. Adam wanted him to shoot you at your office that night. He chose not to. Trust me when I say I was working for you...not against you. I would never do anything to hurt you. I didn’t even want you to know that I’d been sexually involved with Atlas—”

“Then why did you tell me to meet you there?”

“Babe, I swear I didn’t.”

With a huff, Dante lowered his phone. A few seconds passed before he sent her a screenshot of their text thread. Her brows wrinkled and her mouth parted as she looked at the text from her asking Dante to meet her a day early. Except it wasn’t from her.

“So you didn’t send that, Sade?”

“No, I didn’t. That’s not what I asked you to meet me here to discuss with you. I did not send that text, Dante.”

“Then who did?”

Gritting her teeth, Sade hopped out of bed. “That motherfucker! Atlas knew exactly what he was doing! He wanted you to show up and hear that conversation so you’d be upset with me. I have to go.”

“Wait, we need to tal—”

Sade disconnected the call and quickly dressed. Atlas sending Dante that text was the final straw.

Sade beat against the door, refusing to be ignored.

Atlas’s car was in his parents’ driveway, which meant he was there too.

The longer it took someone to answer, the more frustrated she became.

Atlas trying to finesse the strings of her life and heart to make more space for himself could not be ignored or forgiven any longer.

She felt like a fool inviting him back into her life—just for him to turn around and do this.

But this would be the last time she ignored her intuition about Atlas. ..or anyone else for that matter.

Finally, the door burst open, and Vanessa was behind it.

“Why are you beating on my door like you ain’t got no damn sense?”

Ignoring her question, Sade pressed her way inside. “Where is he?” she asked, charging through the living room.

“Who?”

“Atlas! Who else?”

“In his room, but I didn’t invite you into my home. Get your ass out!”

Sade increased her pace down the hall until she made it to Atlas’s room.

She found him stretched out across the bed with his noise-canceling headphones on.

Before she could shake him awake, the setup in the corner of his room caught her attention.

She made her way over, her heart palpitating at the sight before her.

Each monitor had a different angle of her hotel room on it.

He had her text thread and email account pulled up as well.

There was also a black screen with a map that looked to be tracking her car.

Covering her mouth, she gagged. Sade had never felt so violated before.

He was watching her everywhere, through everything.

Shaky hands pulled her phone out, and she took pictures of everything before sending them to her grandmother.

There was no way in hell she’d be using that phone anymore.

She barely wanted to drive her car. And she certainly wouldn’t sleep another night in that suite.

Her eyes scanned the room, settling on his closet.

She remembered he kept a bat there from previous visits.

Vanessa and Clay had kept this room just as it was when Atlas left for college.

Sade used to find it cute that he’d spend so much time there instead of at his own home.

Now, she was disgusted by it and wondered how many other women he’d stalked and watched there.

Grabbing the bat, she began to hit each monitor one by one. Vanessa rushed in, shaking Atlas awake since the headphones kept him from hearing a thing. He immediately sprang into action, trying to grab Sade, but she lifted the bat and was fully prepared to swing.

“Don’t come near me!” she yelled, taking backward steps toward the closet, then heading for the door.

“Do you know how much this shit costs?” Atlas questioned, syrup-brown eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

“You think I care about that? You’ve been stalking me! My phone, my car, my suite...you’ve been watching it all! You’re fucking sick !”

“Sade...Baby, it’s not what it looks like,” he said softly, getting a laugh out of Sade.

“No, it’s exactly what it looks like.” She looked behind herself to see how close she was to his door. “You’re going to leave me the hell alone, Atlas. If you don’t, I’m going to take my evidence of your stalking to the police and press charges against you. Do you understand me?”

Atlas chuckled. “You can try, but they won’t do anything about it.”

“Stay the hell away from me,” Sade gritted before turning to leave.

She left the home as quickly as she could, running over her phone in the process.

Sade went to her hotel and found every camera and microphone he had planted.

After that, she searched her car for the AirTag.

Sade boxed everything up and took it to her bank to put in her safety deposit box for safekeeping.

Once she checked out of the hotel, Sade went to her grandparents’ home.

She was exhausted. As she neared the front door, she noticed a note pinned to it.

She snatched it, and her heart sank when she recognized Atlas’s handwriting.

Not even jail will separate me from you. You can get rid of the phone and cameras, and I’ll still have eyes on you. You’re mine, Sade—mine.

Her eyes blurred with tears, and her heart pounded in her chest. Fumbling with the keys, it took Sade what felt like forever to open the door and finally let herself inside.

She didn’t realize how disconnected she was until her grandmother grabbed her hands.

Sade saw Ava’s lips moving, but none of the words registered in her brain.

Short, choppy breaths escaped her as her tears began to fall.

“H-he’s never...n-never going to let me go. I’m never going to g-get away from him.”

Tears turned into sobs, and choppy breaths turned into not being able to breathe at all. And before Sade knew it, she passed out.