Jae was terrified.
Cairo shown up here with two casually dressed bodyguards. He pushed forward to approach Jade and I stopped him by planting a hand on his chest and Andi and Joie blocked Jade.
"Just leave her alone Cai."
Cairo eyeballed me, taking my wrist and placing my hand on my side and cleared his throat, then pushed forward towards Jade. Andi and Joie instantly closed gap so he couldn't see Jade on the couch. "Come on Jade. It's time to go. I gotta on-call nurse that will be there to help you out."
"She good," Joie remarked. "She have us to take care of her."
Cairo angled his head to Jade, who sat there wordless. "Jade. You finna let people put shit in yo' head to break up what we got. Single mufuckas that don't know shit bout marriage. You really about to do this to yo' family—me, Margo, our baby coming?"
I could tell Jade was fighting against wanting to stare at him.
Cairo scoffed, bobbing his head, and sliding his hands into the pockets of his pricey suit pants. "This whatchu really want to do?" He let out a airy chuckle, jaw twitching. "Aight, you can go. But you won't be in kids life."
"What!?" Jade finally spoke, moving Andi and Joie to see him and pushed up from the couch with a firm grip on her walker. "Y-You can't do that. You would hurt Margo. And the baby that Tonya's carrying, it's–it's mine. That's my egg, Cairo. You can't do that!"
"I can't?" Cairo pushed forward, staring her dead in the eyes with Andi and Joie closing. "I can do what the fuck I want to do. You wanna leave, I'm giving you the right to. Have fun. But my baby will be just fine wit out you."
"Cairo, please!" Jade cried coming from between Andi and Joie as easy as she could. "Don't do that. You can't just push me out of my baby's life and what about Margo? He will be devastated. That's my baby."
"A devastation you gon' bring to 'em," Cairo pointed at her. "You deciding to leave, remember? You breaking up this family. So now you about to live with it." With that, Cairo turned around and left out leaving Jade crying.
It reminded me of how Xavier done me and the feel of someone snatching your children from under you and it made me follow him out. "Cairo, wait!" he just reached the elevator when I caught up to him, "What're you doing Cai? You know taking Margo out of her line will hurt her and him. Then you're tryna keep her out the life of her baby?"
Cairo stepped in front of me. "You knew she was pregnant and you went wit her to get the abortion and didn't tell yo 'brotha'." he stared me in the eyes, "You let her do that to me. So don't tell me shit about my marriage. Worry bout yours."
Cairo and the two bodyguards walked onto the elevator and left me out in the corridor. My phone alerted me of a notification and I fished it out the pocket of my high-waisted trousers and it was a reminder letting me know about the therapy session I have with Xavier.
"Here we go with this," I breathed out sharply, going back to the suite and Andi was only up front. "Where's Joie and Jae?"
"The room. Since Cairo came storming in here, Jade's thinking about going back for Margo and the baby." Andi informed me.
"Shit. I have to go to this mandatory therapy session with Xavier."
"Go ahead, Care. I'll tell Jae."
I left out and start to walk on the elevator when Miss Joan came off. "Heading out?" She asked.
"Yeah, I have this therapy session, with Xavier." I rolled my eyes inwardly, "But um, you might want to keep an eye on Jade. Cairo came by here, said somethings, and it has her thinking about going back."
"That will not be happening." Miss Joan walked off with the hand full of shopping bags for Jade.
Even though I didn't want to leave Jade in the state she was in, but I had to attend this therapy session to prove to her that I was done with the marriage, and actually wanted the divorce so she can tell the judge and I could drop the 'Rhodes' from my name and become an 'Anderson' again.
The counselor's office was located in a Oak Lawn business center. Just my luck Xavier beat me there, waiting in his two-piece Giorgio Armani suit and pricey shoes.
"Welcome baby," Xavier smiled up at me. "Running a little behind?"
"Jade needed me." I planted myself in a seat with two chairs in between. "Where's this counselor?"
"Patience."
I eyed my watch. "I don't have time for patience. I wouldn't be at this bullshit if it wasn't for you."
"Smile. We belong together." I could just feel his smug burning the side of my face and I felt him touch my hand and snatched away.
"Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes?"
We turned our heads to the nearby door and it was a male.
"Great. Our counselor is a fucking man." I pushed up out the seat and walked in his office. I plopped down on the couch and a few seconds later Xavier and the counselor came in.
"You'll have to excuse my wife, Dr. Atkins. She woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Xavier unbuttoned his suit jacket, sitting down, and leaving a space between us.
I eyeballed the pretty-boy counselor with porcelain skin and combover haircut. The two-piece suit he had on was expensive—Etro, Ermenegildo Zegna, probably, and the dress shoes looked just a costly.
"That's alright. And call me Aron." The counselor planted down in a seat, crossing his leg over the other, and he smiled. His teeth were nice, straight, and white. I couldn't help but to wonder if they were veneers.
"Are those Santoni's?" I questioned, referring to his dress shoes.
Dr. Atkins glanced at his shoes. "Actually, they are. Good eye."
"I also know that they are thousand dollar shoes." I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously, "Therapy must be paying you very well. Unless this clown beside me is paying you."
"Caren, what the hell are you talking about?" Xavier inquired.
I looked at Xavier. "How do I know you didn't pay this man to do this? You control every fucking thing else."
"Mrs. Rhodes—"
"Anderson." I corrected immediately, turning to the counselor. "Caren Anderson."
"Okay, Miss Anderson, I can assure you that Mr. Rhodes didn't pay me. I was recommended by the courts. That's all. I'm fair." Dr. Atkins said genuinely. "So, can you tell me what brings you two here?"
"Oh, I don't know. Where shall I start, my dear Xavier?" I spoke sarcastically, "Let's start by the fact he cheated on me for sixteen years of our marriage, actually had a long affair with a certain someone, and I finally filed for divorce and went to stay with my mother in my old neighborhood. He offered a hotel for us to stay but when I didn't come back to him, the clown stopped paying the cost to live there, so me and my kids were put out and ended up homeless, again. Then he threatened to tell the judge, so he forced my hand to give up my kids to him. Did I get everything Mr. Rhodes, or did I miss out what else your prick ass done?"
Xavier started to part his mouth and speak and I cut in. "Oh yeah, that's what I forgot to say. He manipulated his way back into vagina and decided to tell that to his lawyer. The lawyer argued that we were reconciling and the judge paused our divorce. Now we're here, somewhere that I don't want to fucking be. Did I get everything now, Mr. Rhodes?"
Dr. Atkins eyed me. "You sound angry, Miss Anderson."
"Did you not just hear what I said?" I inquired with a deep frown. "Why the hell wouldn't I be upset? I'm fucking livid for the way he done me."
"You seem hurt as hell."
"Clearly, Sherlock." I folded my arms, leaning on the cushion. "Why wouldn't a woman be hurt by a man she literally known her whole life, gave her priest possession to, birthed three of his kids, gave up her career, and done everything to stand beside him after every cheating scandal there was? And he still shitted on me. I done everything to be a great wife to this man and it still wasn't enough. The man that I gave my heart to made me feel like I was nothing." I could feel tears build in my eyes.
Shit. I didn't want to be emotional in front of Xavier when I promised I wouldn't.
I quickly wiped the tears that released onto my cheeks. "He made my self esteem fall so low. Low to the point I start comparing myself to those women he fucked. Sixteen years of our marriage he cheated on me and I stayed because I believed he loved me, but he was just fucked-up person. I came up with every excuse for him when everyone was telling me to give his ass the boot. But how can I blame him, right? He just wasn't raised correctly. Bless his heart."
Dr. Atkins focused at Xavier. "Mr.Rhodes, how do you feel?"
"I feel like my wife should stop whining and bring her ass home."
"It's forever fuck how Caren feel." I scoffed and hopped up from the couch to leave.
Dr. Atkins stopped me before I could reach the door. "Miss Anderson."
"Can you just tell the fucking judge that this isn't going to work, so I can leave his bastard ass?"
"Miss Anderson, please." He gestured to the couch and I gave in and sat back down. "Mr. Rhodes, your wife expressed her feelings to you. Why was that your response?"
"I'm not finna have this same conversation." Xavier dismissed.
"Why are you so dismissive towards your wife of eighteen years feelings? Is that normal of you to do?" Dr. Atkins asked in a calm tone.
"Of course it is," I said.
"Tell me, Mr. Rhodes, what made you fall in love with your wife?"
Xavier blew out a breath. "Because..." I felt him glance at me, "She's the opposite of my own mother—Nurturing, patient, affectionate, supportive, humble, empathetic. She just all of what I needed in my life."
Dr. Atkins listened. "And that's all what your mother isn't?"
"Fuck no!" He fiddled with the Omega watch on his wrist. He done that when he was uncomfortable to talk about something and his parents were one of them. "My Pop not either. They deceitful, manipulative, slick, narcissistic—All of what I find myself being sometime. I was raised by parents that control prostitutes. A madam and a pimp. I chose Caren because she was the best fit for kids. I knew she wouldn't have been a mother that has a escort take her son's virginity, not dismiss 'em when he wanted to talk bout shit mine tell me to man-up about."
Xavier paused for a second to chuckle. "I love this woman next to me wit all my heart, Doc. She even taught me simple shit my mother didn't. But I'm a fuck-up, because the explain I had for parents wasn't the correct way. And I have been manipulating my wife."
"Why, Xavier?" I asked, eyeballing him. "Why would you do any of what you done to me? You legit left me with nothing, including the clothes still at that house. You took my car. You took everything from me. I'm not those escorts your parents had you around."
Xavier looked over at me, into my gaze. "Because it's the only way I know how to keep you. I can't lose you Caren. You and the kids are the only positive thing in my life."
I sighed softly, moving over closer and grabbed his hand. "We'll always be in each other's life's, Xavier. We have three children together. And we'll forever have a friendship."
"I need my wife. Not a friendship." He faced me more, "Do you still love me?"
I pulled back, but he kept ahold of my hands. "Xavier."
"If you tell me that you don't love me I'll sign the divorce papers right now."
I swallowed, staring into dark brown gaze. "You hurt me."
"Yeah I did. And if I have to cut down my day-to-day wit the Dallas Cobras to be home more, I promise you will if that mean having you under one roof with our kids. We can go on a Summer trip just to get away as a family, away from the drama here. We can exhale, try to start over. After that and you still want the divorce, we'll do it. Please, Caren, one more time."
My eyes seemed to mist, staring into his gaze.
Oh, my God.
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