The Business Woman

The Cut Off.

It'd been weeks since Julianna's party and everyone was back to school. Class with Jack wasn't the same. Every time I looked at him, I envisioned him shooting bullets into Lucas' head.

"Maliyah." I jumped at the sound of my name being called.

"Can you tell us why Charles Dickens is so important to English literature?"

"I—I don't know." I said before standing up to leave. I couldn't take being in his class anymore. I needed to switch teachers.

I made my way home and decided to take Teddy on a walk before coming home to a nice hot shower.

While I watched T.V. I heard the front door unlock and keys being thrown onto the side table.

"Where's Anna?"

"She's playing with some kids from school."

"We need to talk. Why do you keep giving me the cold shoulder and dodging me?"

"Jack, you killed a man in front of my eyes."

"It was either you or him and I'll always choose you."

"You could've handled the situation differently." I responded.

"Like how, detka? I don't make empty promises. I said I would shoot if he didn't let you go."

"You could've shot him somewhere else."

"That's not who I am, Maliyah. I kill people. I don't know what kind of fairytale lie you have made up in your head of what I do, but it's not accurate."

"The only made up fairytale I have, is the one that you planted in my head. I don't want our child or Julianna around you, if you can just murder someone in cold blood. I should go to the police." I said while trailing down the hall.

"And tell them what exactly?" He was fuming.

Jack followed me down the hallway, but before he could get to me I tripped over Julianna's Barbie doll truck that happened to be in the middle of the hallway. I came down hard hitting the side of my hip.

"Are you alright Jack asked before observing my side for any bruises.

I started crying. All of this was too much.

"I'm gonna carry you to bed." He cooed

He scooped me up and carried me to the bedroom.

"You're stressing me out." I cried.

"I'm not the reason you tripped in the hallway. He said sternly. "Your dramatic ass is the one that didn't watch where you were going. And you think I'm not stressed out too? I have a billion things to worry about including your pregnant ass and Julianna. You need to toughen the hell up." He snapped.

He ran his fingers through his hair before knocking everything off of the dresser including perfume bottles, hair sprays, and picture frames.

Glass scattered everywhere and I shot up from the bed.

"What the hell is wrong with you? You need to calm yourself down."

"Don't tell me what the fuck to do." He barked. "Get your ass back in that bed, and relax, before you upset the baby."

"We're already upset. You're breaking things that don't even belong to you."

"It's not going to be hard to replace."

"Fuck you and your fucking money."

"You're being a real bitch, right now Maliyah. I give you every fucking thing and you're sitting here complaining about how I murdered a man and how I'm stressing you out."

"I'm leaving." I said before throwing the duvet off of me and standing up from the bed.

"Like hell you are." He said sarcastically before snatching my arm and bringing me into him.

"You're not going anywhere right now, you're too upset to drive."

"You're hurting me." I said snatching my arm away from him. Sure enough it was red from his right grip.

"I apologize, I didn't mean to hurt you, I didn't realize how tightly I was gripping your arm. Please forgive me for my negligence."

I looked down at the floor.

"Do you feel remorseful about what you did?"

"No. What's done is done, I can't change it."

"If we have a son and someone kills him then—."

"If we have a son, he will be adequately trained for protecting himself." He said cutting me off.

"I don't know if I can love you the same." I slid the diamond ring from my finger placing it into my palm.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked. "If you give it to me, I may not give it back."

"I'm sure." I whispered with tears pooling to my eyelids.

He lifted my chin up with the tips of his fingers and swept the tear that was begging to fall away, before pressing his lips to mine.

I kissed him back, no doubt I loved him, but what he'd done may have been unforgivable.