stared at the screen like it burned me. The texts were clear. Too clear.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAiC5LyXtnMV
Jahlil… my Jahlil… wasn’t the man I thought he was.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAQP36p1g27E
He wasn’t just my husband.
He was someone else’s secret.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAjgGJZurEZJ
All those nights I stayed up waiting on him—wondering if something was off, or if I was just crazy. All the times I begged myself to trust the man I loved more than life itself… and he was out here living a lie.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAzDq0N59KEB
I slammed the phone on the couch, the tears coming hard and fast now.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAeiU543Clmd
Tasha looked at me, eyes wide but steady. She knew. She always knew something was wrong, but she never said a damn word because she knew I wasn’t ready.
18Please respect copyright.PENANA1ELnqpoLSx
“Sarai…” she said soft, stepping closer. “Baby, I’m so sorry.”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAgTC00Gcfc3
I shook my head. “How do you even move on from this? From him? From the man I married? The man I lost?”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAav5jofUbDI
She grabbed my hands, squeezed tight like she was holding me together. “You don’t have to move on alone. You got me. And we gon’ get through this, one day at a time.”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAFBwcxhTUQE
I swallowed hard, my voice breaking. “I keep thinking about the baby. What kind of world am I bringing him into? How do I tell him his father… wasn’t who we thought he was?”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAFU6VzbJJKo
Tasha didn’t hesitate. “You tell him the truth when the time’s right. But for now? You need to breathe. Heal. Find your peace before you teach that baby anything.”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAh9azEpl6u7
I looked at her, my best friend, the one who’s been there through every laugh, every heartbreak.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAmDx9o7a3D1
“I don’t even know if I can do that,” I whispered.
18Please respect copyright.PENANABt7C8yBsDw
She smiled—small but fierce. “You can. And you will. But you ain’t gotta do it here, in this apartment, drowning in memories and pain.”
18Please respect copyright.PENANASPgFwERcmk
I blinked, confused.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAXbOdi6U4Od
“What you mean?”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAt40K1ZjJwV
She grabbed her phone, scrolling. “I booked us a little getaway. Just me and you. A baby moon. Somewhere warm, quiet, where you can breathe and not feel like the past is choking you.”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAXQDTPvXryK
I laughed—a bitter, shaky laugh.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAt0gsNBviBS
“You serious? Right now? With everything?”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAaQ4eoCGHjI
She nodded. “Especially now. You need to step out that door, even if it’s just for a few days. Get some sun, some salt air. Remember who Sarai is—without Jahlil, without pain.”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAcrdNTeryWH
I looked down at my belly, tracing the curve like it was a lifeline.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAJFPaOCSCXu
“Maybe… maybe I need that. Maybe I do.”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAkJ4oKLg2TU
Tasha pulled me into a hug, holding me tight like she was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
18Please respect copyright.PENANAdBRa2fcmRg
“We gon’ do this together. One step at a time. You’re not alone.”
18Please respect copyright.PENANAt8WDjdQrRo
For the first time in months, I let myself believe it.