Her Worth

Six

A/N: ⚠ TRIGGER WARNING! ⚠ there is an abuse scene later in the chapter, so I suggest you leave and come back next chapter!!

When N'ijah woke up, all she saw were bright lights, so white they were giving her a headache.

"She's awake!" A doctor yelled out and her mother and sister hurried into the room, desperate to see her.

"How are you feeling?" Niya asked, with tears in her eyes.

"I feel fine, other than the lights burning into my eyes." She chuckled. Nyala smiled at her youngest child. She was so lucky to have her.

"How long was I out for?"

"About a week?" Niya looked at her mother, who nodded. N'ijah immediately remembered something that happened before the start of the fights, and regretted it.

"That means I missed Jamari's conference! I promised him I'd go. Speaking of my husband, where is he?" N'ijah asked eagerly, looking around for him. Nyala and Niya looked at her awkwardly, and N'ijah's smile dropped.

"He's not here, isn't he?" Both of them looked away, which only confirmed N'ijah's answer. "Did he even come at all?" The thickening silence hit her like a brick.

"Is the baby ok?" Niya and Nyala smiled, which made N'ijah smile and rub her stomach.

"Yes. Your blood disorder was acting up again, but this time, you and lil bub pulled through." Nyala said, coming closer.

"We're pregnant at the same time, JiJi. Like sister, like sister." Niya came closer to her, wrapping her arms around her younger sibling. They were all silent, but it was comfortable. They were enjoying each other's presence, and bathing in the joy of being together.

"N'ijah!" Zalma burst into the room, bringing her chaotic energy with her.

"Hey, Zalma." The Smiths said at the same time. They'd known Zalma since before she was born and knew all about her chaotic ways.

"You're alive! And the baby's ok! I'm so happy!" She cried out.

"Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?" Nyala asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No..." She replied, looking away like a child who just got caught. They burst into laughter, and the room felt light. The mood was no longer down, and together they felt happy.

...

Jamari hadn't moved out. That was the first thing N'ijah noticed. All his stuff was back in their original places, and his engagement ring was where it should've been: with hers, intertwined in a little gold case.

N'ijah's mood boosted higher that the sun. Even though he still wasn't there to greet her, the little things being back were a great comfort. So, she waited. She waited for Jamari to come back home.

N'ijah watched TV, Netflix, played on his console, cooked, cleaned, everything. But still, he didn't come. She fell asleep, being tired of waiting.

Once the door opened, though, she was wide awake.

N'ijah waited in the living room for him to come in, and sure enough, he cursed when he saw her sitting down on their couch.

"It's 4 am. Unless you came from work, which is highly unlikely because you don't work today, it's hook up ending hours. Where were you today, Jamari?" She said calmly. N'ijah didn't want a repeat of what happened before, so she tried to keep her composure. He was making it hard, though.

"I don't want to fight about this, N'ijah. Can you let it go?" He said, taking N'ijah aback.

"Let it go? Let me remind you, I was in the hospital for a week, unconscious, with your child inside of me, hanging in between life or death. You did not come to see me once. What kind of husband are you?" She spat back, tears forming in her eyes. N'ijah's heart was breaking with every word she said. She couldn't believe he was trying to brush this off.

"What kind of husband am I? What are you even saying? Listen to yourself." He came closer to the couch, until he towered over her. He was so close, N'ijah could see his eyes widen with disbelief and insanity.

"Of course I'll question you! You're never here! You never come to important things! Do you even care about this marriage? Do you even-" N'ijah was cut off by the slap Jamari gave her to her face, knocking her off the couch and leaving her on the floor. Tears were flowing freely now, and N'ijah touched her stinging cheek, a mortified expression on her face.

"I told you to drop it. Now look what you made me do." Jamari groaned out, then left her on the floor as he went upstairs. So she lied there in shock, silently crying about how terrible her marriage was becoming.

...

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into two months with strained contact with Jamari. N'ijah hadn't told anyone about the incident. She wanted to block it out from her mind, and the constant absence of Jamari and the reminder of her sister's child made it easier for her to do so.

"Aren't you excited?" Niya asked her as they were planning their joint baby shower. Even though they both had enough money to have seperate ones, family from different parts were coming and everyone had different schedules, so they decided to have one together.

"I am. It's just...it's still so shocking that I've carried lil bub for so long. It reminds me of the time I first tried." N'ijah confessed. The anniversary for her baby girl's death was coming, and everyone knew around this time she'd isolate herself sooner or later, and with the new pregnancy, they couldn't tell a thing.

"Aww, JiJi." Niya honestly felt for her sister. Even though she never been through what she's been through, she could tell it took a toll on her, and to this day she's never been like her old self. She guessed that once you lose a child, you lose a part of yourself.

"Hey! Stop hitting your sister!" Niya yelled at her 7 year old son, Nathan. Nathan blew a raspberry at his mother and ran as fast as he could, because he knew his mom couldn't catch him.

"Sometimes I wonder why I even have kids." She sighed out, and N'ijah hugged her older sister.

"Because you love them."

"Maybe." And they both fell into laughter, with Niya's 3 year old daughter, Neveah, laughing too, even though she didn't understand a word of what her mom and aunt said.

...

After the final touches were finished, and Andreas begging N'ijah to stay for dinner, which she happily obliged too, N'ijah left with a full stomach and a bunch of new memories.

As she pulled up to her house, which had a whole new vibe to it, she noticed a car in the driveway, which wasn't hers nor Jamari's, and she became wary. Carefully, she got out of her car and made her way to the door.

"Hello, N'ijah." A familiar voice called out to her.

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.

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Hey y'all 👀
Sorry for the late update 😭 these assignments kicking my ass

N'ijah's recovery?
Jamari's behavior?
Her talk with Niya? (Even though it wasn't much)
Who do you think the mystery person is?
Overall thoughts? 🤔💭➡

Please vote, comments and share! It helps me a lot!

Xoxo, Baddie 💖