𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐓𝐘 || 𝐉𝐨𝐞𝐲 𝐁𝐚𝐝𝐚$$ (𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒)

𝚙𝚛𝚘 // 𝚞𝚗𝚎.

"𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚍𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖?" 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐫 𝚒𝚗𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍..

"𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚎𝚢𝚎𝚜.. 𝙷𝚒𝚜 𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚞𝚒𝚝𝚢.. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝'𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚢.." 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚍.

"𝚂𝚘, 𝚠𝚑𝚢 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚗 𝚑𝚒𝚖?..." 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚙𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖..

"𝙸 𝚍𝚘𝚗'𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠.."

~

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧

I hate laying next to her. I never felt this much animosity towards anyone, let alone my lover.. It wasn't always like this. We had great times together. Even though she hurt me deeper than within my core, I still love her. I still want to be with her..

Rising up from this forsaken bed, I had to clear my thoughts.. My feet padding against the cold tiles of our home, as it was too quiet within the residence.. I couldn't stay in the mattress and wallow in self-pity. I chose to get up.. So I applaud myself as I'm my own audience. My roll of tobacco found it's way to my bronzed lips. It was a newfound way of relaxing my psyche. Once the flame found its home, my lungs began to beg for fresh air.

This felt ecstatic to me.. Unwinding.

Yet..

My thoughts hastened back to my wife. My lawfully wedded of 7 years.. But this Blue Nile band on my left finger don't mean shit to me.. Not anymore. I don't understand what I'm clinging onto. I still love her though.

As I enjoy my cigar, I really start to believe that it was my only hope. My only haven.. My escape to be freed from bondage. Free from toxicity.. Which is the aroma of the household right now...

I can't fuckin' stand it..

Not only did I feel refreshed..

I feel anesthetized.

"Jo-Vaughn."

So much for relaxation, my occurring headache stood before me.. 5'2, nutmeg complexion {glowing like it was coated in honey}, a fro as big as Jupiter, and a heart on glaciers..

Exhaling gently before opening my eyes, I take a mere five seconds to gather myself to gaze at her before I catch myself growing weary of the woman I'm falling in and out of love with..

"Yes, Carmyn?"

Her small physique made her way towards mine.. She placed herself on the coffee table that resided in front of me.. "I'm just gonna get straight to the point. I know things between us are beyond rocky right now.. but I still need a date for my exhibit tonight.."

Stunned, yet amused by her request made me chuckle. Not a sweet, subtle one. More so of a darkened one, letting her know I wasn't with her BS right now. Especially, with it being this early in the morning.

"How dare you?... How dare you suggest something like that to me, eh?"

That statement alone left her behind, bewildered with my response. It's obvious that she wasn't expecting that.  "You expect me to go to an exhibit, where my wife... My wife has pictures of her all over the place, that were photographed by the person she cheated with? Plus, I know for a fact that they're gonna be there, aren't they?"

Her silence is as a good enough answer already. Not in the mood, I moved my body elsewhere, trying to avoiding this chaos at hand.

But..

Knowing her, she followed behind me..
"Jo-Vaughn.. How many times do I have to explain, I didn't-"

"I wish you would say you didn't cheat on me with that muhfucka'.. I guess him having his lips all over you was just showing you appreciation for shooting with him!"

"It's not like that! It's complicated, okay. Jo-Vaughn.. baby, I'm trying my hardest to gain you back. I know I hurt you something terrible, but baby you gotta understand," she tried. She tried to make things better. She tried to do right by me. She tried to be the woman I desired her to be.. All when it was beyond the deadline..

I'll admit I was indecisive.. I didn't even know if I wanted this divorce.. I just didn't know..

"J... please.. Just let me explain everything, because there's more that you need to know.."

I was afraid to turn around.. Not only afraid of what she was going to say, but afraid of what events might occur from the hands and mental of yours truly.. I still change my sight though.

From the African aura to my dearly beloved..

"What?... What are you talking about?.."

Crystallized water slid down her cheeks as I slowly embraced myself for what was to come..

"It wasn't just him.. And I-"

This could've been worse than I expected.. Shit, it was..

"Carmyn.."

I edged closer to her. With all the self-control in my body and the lesson of "Never Put Your Hands On a Woman", I stood at a view.. But that didn't stop me from asking her, when our eyes connected..

"What did you do?.."

~

a/n: So, I saw the Joey wave and said "Aye, why not?" But I gave y'all a twist and something different like I always do ;)