C H A P T E R
T H I R T Y - E I G H T

Laying in the dark Dave tried his best to fall asleep but sleep was the furthest thing his body was trying to do. His mind was filled with so many thoughts mainly being Courtney, but only because something deep down just had him feeling weird about her return.

It was so sudden and her actions where just a little weird, she wasn't the Courtney he grew up with nor fell in love with and for some odd reason he just didn't trust or believe everything she was throwing his way.

Turning on his side he grabbed his phone going directly to his older brother Daniel contact before sitting up and getting out of the bed as he pressed the call button, needing some advice.

Stepping out onto his balcony he put the phone on speaker and listened to it ring, as he stared up at the night sky admiring the stars. He knew his brother had to be up since the nigga stayed running the streets this late at night usually up to no good.

When his brother finally answered, he sighed in relief. "What's good witcha nigga? You straight?" Daniel questioned as he blasted  UGK featuring OutKast hit song Int'l Players Anthem in the back ground.

"Yeah, but I just need to really talk to you about some shit."

Hearing him turn down his music, he took a seat in one of the chairs he had out there while he waited for Daniel to get situated. "Ight, what's up?"

"Courtney popped up at the house tonight."

Smacking his teeth, Daniel sat up in his bed pushing his longtime girlfriend of five years off him. "What did that bitch want? She knows she ain't wanted around here. I hope you ain't fuck her Dave, you know how your soft ass gets around her." He snapped into the phone.

Rolling his eyes, Dave smacked his teeth. "I didn't, but I'm not gonna lie and say we almost didn't. The shit just ain't feel right, like she gave me head and although my shit was hard I just wasn't feeling it and felt disgusted and just eventually stopped her."

"Oh hell nah, go get yo dick and shit checked tomorrow. You don't know what that bitch been out here doing while y'all been separated." Daniel scolded shaking his head at his younger brother.

Since they were kids Dave has been head over hills for Courtney, from the moment she moved next door to them Dave knew she was gonna be the woman he married. The family of course loved her, she was beautiful, respectful and smart. She kept Dave out of a lot trouble by keeping him grounded and focus on what was truly important like school and becoming something in life.

Daniel was the only one from day one who never liked Courtney and every chance he got he let her know. He hated her because she was so manipulative and had a way with her words to get what she wanted. While she was keeping him grounded and focused on school, she was also turning him against his own family. She used to constantly plant bad seeds in his head as to how his family was bringing him down and not helping him grow as a person.

Eventually after a while Dave started to see what she meant even though it was all an illusion, she had him thinking his family was lowkey hating on him since he was rising above and how they weren't truly happy for him. She had him believing that they only was supporting him as a way to reap the benefits of his success, so eventually they moved away and barely came around.

"I am trust me, but I ain't call to discuss that. I wanted to talk to you about these gut feelings I'm getting. I just feel like she returned with a different motive. Like she came over giving me this sob story about how the nigga she left me for been beating on her and shit and got her doing drugs and whatnot, and apart of me believes that but I feel its something else she hiding."

"You know she's manipulative Dave and she works your ass everytime. She knows exactly what to say to get you going and you fall for it, you gotta be stronger than that man. Where she at now?"

Sighing, he rubbed his hand down his face. "She's in one of our guest rooms sleep."

While Dave talked, Daniel was in his room getting dressed getting ready to head over there cause the more Dave talked the deeper his own gut feeling got. "You said she said the nigga got her on drugs right?" He questioned trying to analyze this whole situation.

"Yeah,"

"How was she acting when you first came in contact with her? Was she lowkey spazzing? Like was she acting like she was on something?"

Dave frowned, "Uh yeah, she ran up on me and kissed me then got on her knees begging for my forgiveness then tried to suck my dick outside and when I turned her down she just started begging to see Blessing and once I declined that suggestion that was when she confessed to him beating on her."

"Sounds like a se—"

Before Dave could finish listening to what Daniel was saying, he had froze when he heard glass break from downstairs. Looking back at his phone, he slowly got up and quietly walked back into his room to grab his gun that was in his nightstand drawer, but frowned when he saw it was missing.

Cursing in his head, he knew then he was being set up and Courtney played him. But luckily he always kept his shot gun hid in the closet so he wasn't about to face whoever was downstairs empty handed.

Lifting his phone back up to his after taking Daniel off speaker, he sighed. "I need you to pull up, this bitch played me. She got somebody in my house and took my handgun but I got my shot gun so I'm straight." He whispered and Daniel smirked as he rode down the busy streets of Houston smoking a blunt.

"Already way ahead of you nigga, I been on the road with my shit ready to get shit poppin'."

"Bet, let me call you back."

Hanging up, Dave didn't even bother putting on clothes leaving him only dressed in a pair of sweats. He knew he needed to get whoever was in his house out and that was his main focus. Grabbing his shot gun he walked towards his bedroom door and pressed his ear up against it to see if he could hear any movement coming from the outside of it.

Once he didn't, he slowly opened the door and stepped out with his gun already aimed and looked both ways before making his way down the hall.

Approaching his alarm system he pressed the cop alert button and continued to slowly make his way down where he heard the movement of shit being moved around and rummaged through.

Coming down low enough he was able to see both Courtney and some nigga just gathering shit completely oblivious to the fact that they had been caught.

"We need to hurry up and leave before he wakes up, we don't have much time." He heard Courtney whisper to the man causing him to shake his head at her.

He couldn't believe this is what they had come to, he would have never imagined them both being in this type of situation.

Cocking his shot gun they both froze in place, scared out of their minds. "Y'all both got two fucking seconds to drop my shit or I'ma light this bitch up." He stated coldly has he walked a little closer with his gun still aimed.

Throwing her hands up Courtney eyes watered up as she began to cry. "Baby, please don't do this."

"Shut tha fuck up Courtney and get the fuck out."

As Courtney dropped the things she was trying to steal and started leaving, the guy she was with and Dave were having a death stare down and if looks could kill ole dude would be six feet under.

Chuckling to himself the guy eventually dropped the things he had, before he reached back in his waist band to grab his gun but before he could even touch his gun, Dave shot at him twice instantly killing him causing his body to fly back from the impact of the shotgun.

Dave had never killed a person in his life but if it came down to the safety of himself or those he cared for he would do it a thousand times no hesitation.

Courtney's loud screams and cries pissed him off and when she hovered over the nigga's body crying and asking the lord why, he stared down at her im disgust. "Unless you wanna end up just like him I advise you to get tha fuck out as well and I'm not playing."

Courtney had never seen this cold hearted side of Dave and it lowkey turned her on but also scared the living shit out of her as well. She was so shocked at how he easily pulled the trigger and killed this man with no hesitation and with the way he was aiming the gun at her head she knew he would probably do it to her as well.

But she couldn't let him get away with killing the man she truly loved, she loved Dave but not as much as she loved this guy. Acting as if she was about to leave, she slowly stood to her feet sniffling and crying and right when she went to grab the gun out of her boyfriend's waist band she felt a gun press up against her head.

"If you're smart bitch, you'd think twice about the choice you're about to make." She heard someone say from behind her, slowly turning her head she let out a shakey breath when she saw it was Daniel.

"Since you can't seem to act right lay your dumb ass down on the ground and don't get up until we say so." Daniel shouted nudging her head with his gun.

Throwing her hands up she laid flat on her stomach silently crying to herself as Daniel squatted down and held the gun to her head not once letting up.

Daniel was beyond happy that Dave finally got to see all that Courtney was about and he hoped after all of this she wouldn't be back and would be gone for good.

When the cops arrived they came running in and where lowkey shocked at the sight before them. "What seems to be the issue guys?"

Dave lowered his gun as Daniel removed his gun from Courtney's head and both threw their hands up and dropped their guns so they wouldn't come off as a threat.

After explaining and breaking down everything to the officers, two other officers handcuffed Courtney and escorted her out while three other officers worked together to put the dead body in a body bag.

Stepping outside he was lowkey embarrassed that he had beought all this chaos to his neighborhood. The neighbors where all outside in their pajamas just watching everything probably assuming the worst.

When they drove off with Courtney taking her to jail and finishing up their reports on the incident, Dave eventually walked back in to see Daniel in the kitchen eating.

Looking up at his brother he gave him a sympathetic look. "You good?"

Shrugging, he just started picking up the shit they tried to steal, "I don't know how to feel at this moment but just the thought of her actually killing me behind this dude just got my mind fucked up, but I'll be alright."

"Man Courtney was an opp at the end of the day and you deserve better, I'm just glad you finally see what all she was about. But you a good dude at the end of the day and somebody out there gon' love and appreciate all you got to offer. Fuck Courtney, she fucked up a good thing and now her dumb ass gotta serve time so who really winning?" Daniel joked as he began to help Dave pick up the shit they dropped.

Dave knew everything Daniel was saying was true and he needed to hear it, he just would've never thought Courtney and him would ever be in this position. He just felt so dumb for wasting so many years on her, but now his main focus was just raising Blessing and being the best father to her. Love could wait and was the last thing on his mind.

Entering their home Ahmad tiredly yawned and stretched out his arms completely exhausted from the long day he had. And he knew after sharing the news of wanting a Legal Separation with Cali it was about to be an even longer night and he honestly wasn't mentally prepared for this either.

About three weeks had passed since the talk with his mom and during that time he had really thought about what decision he was gonna make when it came it him and Cali and in the end he felt a Legal Separation was the smarter choice for now.

Walking into their room after grabbing himself a gatorade out of the fridge, he was surprised to see Cali sitting on the bed with nothing except her silk robe on which was open for full display of her naked body.

Letting out a sigh, he knew the thoughts that where tryna creep up in his head needed to stop. He didn't come over for this, nor had any intentions of sleeping with her.

When she rose up from the bed and strutted towards him with a smirk on her face, she stood on her tippy toes wrapping her arms around his neck then leaned in for a kiss.

Once their lips met their lips began to move insync, but after awhile Ahmad knew he needed to stop this. This was only gonna complicate more things for them and he felt they shouldn't be having sex when their marriage was still skating on thin ice.

Pulling his head back, Ahmad grabbed at her hands as he let out a sigh. "We need to talk. When I told you I was coming over I didn't mean coming over for sex. It's something I need to discuss with you that's important." He explained.

"We got all evening to talk Ahmad, its been almost two months of no sex and I miss it." She pouted as she pressed her body up against his before reaching her hand down and stroking him through the sweats he wore.

With it being tremendously hard to resist her, he took a step back and held his arms out to stop her from touching or coming close to him again. "Cali, I'm dead serious. We need to talk." He stated sternly.

She nodded as she grabbed him by the hand and made him sit on the bed before dropping to her knees. "Well you talk while I pleasure you and listen at the sametime." She suggested as she started to raise her hands to the waist band of his sweats.

Looking up towards the ceiling, Ahmad was beginning to grow frustrated. All he was trying to do was have a conversation and all Cali wanted to do was have sex and the more she pushed it the more turned off he was getting.

He knew at this point rather than just easily telling her his decision he was just gonna have to blurt it out to get her to stop.

When she went to slid his sweats down, he shook his head before shrugging not deciding to wait any longer. "Cali, we need some time apart."

Stopping place, she looked up at him with a frown. "Time apart?"

He nodded before reaching down and helping her stand. "Yeah, I was talking with my mama about us and at first I was strongly considering a divorce but then I felt maybe a legal separation would be the better choice until we figure some shit out between us."

Cali scoffed, "You sure it was your mother or was it Shanice? Since you guys have like became the best of friends."

At the mention of Shanice Ahmad instantly got annoyed and was over the conversation already. "What does Shanice even have to do with this? She was actually trying to talk me out of divorcing your ass and I really wasn't tryna listen to her or anybody else because at this point that's really how I'm feeling."

Cali nodded as she stood up, "If that's how you really feeling then maybe we should just throw the towel in and divorce and just go on with our lives. I'm trying to do all that I can to fix our marriage and its like nothing is working, I don't know what else to do and I'm not gonna force you to be somewhere you don't want to be Ahmad."

"I didn't cheat on you so you don't understand how I'm feeling Cali, I want to be able to forgive and forget what happened but its hard. I want to be able to trust you and love you the same as I did before but its gonna take time." He argued back. "It's only been three months since everything happened, you can't expect me to be over it and be willing to work things out that fast. I told you at our session that I apologize for saying I wanted to work things out when I knew deep down I wasn't ready. I'm not ready to forgive you and after talking with Derek I need time to just focus on myself and get myself together and you should take this time apart as well and do the same."

Staring at him Cali felt her eyes gloss over, as so did his. "I wish I could take the pain away from you Ahmad, I wish I could so badly undo all the shit I have done to you and our family. I fucked up and I know you're tired of me saying sorry but baby I really am deeply sorry."

Blinking once he quickly wiped the tear that fell and looked away. "One day hopefully I can forgive and hopefully move past this, I don't know what the future may hold between us since I'm leaving it up to God but before I say or do anything I gotta get myself right from within' and become truly happy with myself as a person."

Walking towards her he pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "I remember all that you have done for me from the beginning to the end and not a day goes by where I don't salute and praise you for that alone. And mainly due to what all you have done for me as a wife, a friend and a partner a part of me doesn't want to lose you and the love I have for you wants me to keep this going. But like I said before I don't even know if my love is even enough at this point to keep what we going, but hopefully in the end we will see."

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Happy Easter my loves💕🐣

Thanks for the love and support as always!
- Denise 🥀