Page 42 of The Devoted Husband

“Is that Atlas’s baby?”

Imani’s head tilted, and her jaws clenched. She released a slow, long breath. “I guess you’re finally happy now. Not only did you get Dante, but you’re also having his baby too.”

“I’m not upset about it. I feel like it’s second nature for me to give you a hard time, but I don’t care. You’re the one who wanted him and...I guess it’s good that you finally got him.”

“So, you’re okay with this?”

Imani chuckled. “If I wasn’t, it wouldn’t change anything. But yeah, it’s cool. I really don’t care.”

“Good.” Sade sat up a little straighter in her seat. “There’s something else you should know. Grandma and Grandpa wanted me to keep it to myself, but I can’t do that.”

“What’s going on?”

Sade told her everything about her parents and Tonya, and Imani followed up with, “Are you fucking kidding me?” as she leaped from her seat. The guard yelling her name caused her to sit back down. “Our parents were murdered, and they didn’t think that was something we needed to know?”

“That was my thing. I can understand why they wouldn’t have told us immediately, but there was no reason for them not to tell us by now. I know they meant well and didn’t want us to hurt over what happened even more, but that could have been a lesson for us to learn from.”

“I agree. I’m not telling the twins about what I did to get me in here until they’re at an age where they can process and make sense of it.

So, I get them not telling us while we were still in high school.

But let’s be honest—you and I were a hell of a lot like Mama and this Tonya lady.

Now, I don’t think we would have actually ever killed each other, but you did threaten to kill me a time or two. ”

Sade smirked. “That was a heat-of-the-moment threat, Imani.”

“I don’t know now. After what happened in Vanzette...”

“Anyway,” Sade stretched with a wave of her hand, causing Imani to laugh.

“I feel like if we would have known about that, then we would have been more aware of how we treated each other. I spent a lot of time being resentful because they gave me a harder time about Dante than you, and you were the one who did wrong to me. If I would have known they feared I’d snap like Tonya, it would have made things make sense. ”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. Tonya is in prison, right?”

“Right. I didn’t look up her and her husband, though I was really tempted to. But I felt like that would send me down a rabbit hole, and I’d want to punish her even though she’s already being punished.”

“Same. She’s lucky I’m serving fed time. Otherwise, I’d find and handle her if we were in the same place.”

Sade chuckled, though she knew her sister was serious. “Does this...change anything for you?”

Imani’s mouth twisted to the side as she thought it over.

With a shrug, she hummed. “It makes me feel a little bad about what I did, how I baited you over the years. It shows me how serious and deadly things could have turned out. I would have never wanted things to get to that point. I can’t imagine how what I did over the years made you feel mentally and emotionally. What if I had made you snap?”

Sade scratched and tugged her ear. “I’d like to think I wouldn’t have given you that much power over my emotions. That’s why I stayed away and moved to Vanzette. But I honestly don’t know. I’m just glad we’ll never have to find out.”

Imani licked her lips as her eyes watered.

“I know I’ve said it before, but I really am sorry.

Being here has caused me to do a lot of reflection, and I’m becoming more self-aware.

I’ve always been selfish and uncaring when it came to the feelings of others.

I never cared how my actions affected them.

.... I want you to be happy with Dante and my little niece or nephew. You deserve it.”

The sisters continued to talk, and by the time Sade left, she felt lighter.

After spending time behind bars herself, Sade decided to put together a care package for her sister.

She remembered how good it felt to not only have Dante put time on the phone and on her books but also to order her food as well.

So, she did the same for Imani. When she finished adding the funds online and ordering her food to be delivered for the next three weeks, Sade decided to write her sister a letter.

It was crazy how their relationship was being strengthened while they were apart, but Sade was grateful for it, and she hoped by the time Imani was out, they could treat each other like normal sisters.