Through it all part ll

Chapter - Two Weeks Without You

The silence hit harder than Serenity thought it would.
No morning messages.
No calls.
No video visits.

Just space. And that space felt like a punishment.

Every day after she broke things off, Serenity woke up feeling heavy. She'd make Gio's breakfast, pack his bag for daycare, sit in her car, and just... stare. Some mornings she didn't even turn on the music — she'd just let her mind wander back to him.

That night replayed in her head like a record: "Get somebody else to do it."
She wanted to forget it, but those words wouldn't stop echoing.

⸻

The First Week

At work, she tried to act normal. Tried to laugh with her coworkers, answer calls, and smile like her heart wasn't in pieces. But by lunch, the act would crumble.

She'd sit in her car in the parking lot with her food untouched, phone in her lap, reading and rereading his old JPay messages.

"I miss you more than I can even explain."
"Don't let the world harden you, baby."
"You my peace, for real."

Every message felt like a reminder of what they lost — and what she still wanted.

That's when she gave in and opened the app.

Her fingers hovered over the keyboard for a long minute before she finally started typing:

"I didn't mean to walk away. I just felt like you didn't see me anymore, like I was only useful when I was doing something for you. But I never stopped loving you, Dre. Not for one second."

She hit send. Then another. And another.

Over the next few days, she poured her whole heart into those messages — the guilt, the anger, the loneliness, the love. It all came spilling out in every letter.

She didn't even care if he read them anymore; she just needed to let it out.

⸻

His Side — The Hole & The Hurt

Inside the prison, Dre had been just as torn.
Every day felt longer. Every sound echoed harder.
He'd replay her words in his head until he couldn't breathe: "You don't love me the way I need to be loved."

He didn't even realize how much those words would eat at him.

At night, when the block went quiet, he'd sit on his bunk with his tablet in his lap — scrolling through their old pictures, the ones she'd sent him smiling with Gio in her arms.

He hadn't meant to hurt her. He was just desperate. Being behind walls made him think about money, protection, power — everything but her feelings.

But now that she was gone, nothing else mattered.

The first message came three days after she blocked him. He didn't even expect it.
When he saw her name in his inbox, his heart jumped.

He read it three times. Then he wrote back.

"You think I don't see you, but I do. I just ain't know how to show it no more. I be tryna keep my head above water in here, and sometimes I take that stress out on you. I know that's wrong. But you the only thing that keep me sane in this place."

After that, they couldn't stop.
JPay after JPay.
Apologies. Promises. Pain.

It became their new rhythm — healing through letters.

⸻

Week Two — The Call

By the second week, Serenity was emotionally drained. She'd been crying at work again, pretending to have allergies whenever someone noticed her red eyes.

That night, she sat on the couch after putting Gio to bed, phone in her hand, waiting for the call she didn't even know would come.

Then — ring.

Her heart stopped. The screen flashed: "Wallens Ridge Correctional Facility."

She took a deep breath and answered.

Serenity: "Hello?"
Dre: "Hey, Renni..."

That voice. That one voice she'd been aching for.

She covered her face and let the tears fall.

Serenity: "Why you wait so long to call?"
Dre: "'Cause I ain't know if you'd answer."
Serenity: "You really hurt me, Dre."
Dre: "I know. I hurt myself too."

The silence that followed was loud — full of love, guilt, and longing.

Serenity: "Why'd you say that? 'Get somebody else to do it.' You knew that would crush me."
Dre: "I was angry. I ain't think before I spoke. Truth is, can't nobody else do what you done for me. I was tryna sound hard when all I really wanted was for you to not give up on me."

She sniffled, trying to catch her breath.

Serenity: "I never gave up. I just needed to feel like I mattered too."
Dre: "You matter more than anything, Renni. You and Gio. I swear, I be in here thinkin' about y'all every day. I can't lose you. Not like this."

She wiped her tears and whispered,

Serenity: "I miss you."
Dre: "I miss you too. Every piece of you. I be seein' your face when I close my eyes."

For the rest of that twenty-minute call, they talked like they were finding each other again. About Gio, about her new apartment, about how scared he'd been without hearing her voice.

Right before the time ran out, Dre said softly,

Dre: "We gon' be alright, baby. I promise. I just need you to hold on a lil longer."
Serenity: through tears "I'm tryin', Dre. I really am."

Then the line clicked — "This call has ended."

She sat there, staring at the phone, heart racing, tears falling, but for the first time in weeks... she felt peace.

He was still hers.