Journey of the heart(3)

Chapter 45: Shifting Currents

The weeks after their day at the park brought a newfound balance to Mya's life. She felt more focused, more in control of juggling work and family. But just as things seemed to be smoothing out, life had a way of throwing in the unexpected.

It was a Wednesday morning when everything began to shift. Mya had just finished a meeting with Melody and was headed home early to spend time with Zaria. The sun was shining, her café project was moving along smoothly, and everything felt like it was on the right track. Until her phone rang.

She looked down to see Jaylen's name on the screen. A smile spread across her face as she answered, expecting to hear his usual deep voice asking how her day was going. But instead, she was met with silence for a moment—then a voice she didn't recognize.

"Is this Mya?"

Her heart skipped a beat. "Yes, this is Mya. Who is this?"

"My name's Officer Rodriguez. Your husband, Jaylen, was involved in a minor altercation earlier today. He's fine, but we're going to need you to come down to the station."

Mya's breath caught in her throat. "Wait—what? What happened?"

The officer hesitated. "There was an incident at one of his properties. It looks like a dispute with one of his business partners. It got a little heated, and we were called to the scene. Again, nothing serious, but we need you here to get everything sorted out."

Mya felt her stomach drop. Jaylen never talked about anything going wrong with his real estate business, but this? She never expected a call like this. "I'll be right there," she said quickly, already heading for the door.

When Mya arrived at the station, her nerves were on edge. She was led into a small waiting area where she found Jaylen sitting with a calm expression on his face, his arms crossed over his chest like nothing had happened.

"Jaylen," Mya called out as she approached him.

He stood up immediately, his face softening as he saw her. "Mya, it's all good. Just a misunderstanding. You didn't have to rush down here."

Mya felt a wave of relief wash over her, but it was quickly followed by frustration. "Jay, what's going on? Why didn't you tell me about this?"

Jaylen sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's nothin' serious. One of my partners got hot over a deal that's fallin' through. Things got out of hand, and the police got involved. But it's handled now."

Mya looked at him, searching his eyes for more. "Handled how? You never mentioned any problems with your business."

He avoided her gaze for a second before finally meeting her eyes. "I didn't wanna worry you. We've had some complications on a few projects, but it's all under control. I didn't think it was worth stressing you out."

Mya crossed her arms, feeling torn between relief that Jaylen was okay and frustration that he'd kept something like this from her. "Jaylen, you can't keep things like this from me. We're a team, remember? I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

Jaylen exhaled slowly, stepping closer to her. "I know, Mya. I'm sorry. I just didn't wanna bring more pressure onto you with everything you're already dealin' with."

Before Mya could respond, Officer Rodriguez walked over, nodding toward them. "You're both free to go. Like I said, it's a minor issue, but we just need to keep things civil between all parties involved moving forward."

Jaylen thanked the officer, and they left the station in silence. Once outside, Mya turned to him. "Jaylen, what aren't you telling me?"

He stopped, his expression hardening slightly as he ran a hand through his hair. "There's more goin' on than I let you know. Some of the people I've been dealin' with in the real estate game... they ain't exactly playing fair. I thought I could handle it on my own, but now I'm startin' to see it's bigger than I thought."

Mya's heart sank. "What do you mean? Are you in trouble?"

Jaylen looked away, his jaw clenched. "It ain't trouble yet. But these people... they don't just walk away from deals. I didn't wanna drag you into this, Mya, but now that I'm seeing how things are goin', I'm not sure if I can keep it from you anymore."

Mya took a deep breath, trying to process everything. "Jaylen, we've always faced things together. I don't want you protecting me from this—I want us to figure it out together. Whatever's going on, we'll handle it. But I need you to be honest with me from here on out."

Jaylen nodded, his eyes softening as he pulled her into his arms. "You're right. I shoulda told you sooner. I promise, from now on, no more secrets. We'll handle this together."

Mya leaned into him, her head resting on his chest. She could hear the steady beat of his heart, grounding her as her mind raced with everything that had just happened. Whatever Jaylen was involved in, whatever trouble was brewing in his business, she knew one thing for sure—they would face it together. Because that's what they did.

Back at home that evening, after Zaria had been put to bed, Mya sat on the couch, her mind still spinning. Jaylen joined her, sitting close but quiet. There was a tension between them that hadn't been there before, an unspoken worry about what lay ahead.

"You think it's gonna get worse?" Mya asked softly, her eyes searching his.

Jaylen hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. It might. But I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure we're good. I won't let this touch you or Zaria."

Mya reached out, taking his hand. "We'll get through this. We always do."

Jaylen squeezed her hand, giving her a small smile. "Yeah, we will."

As they sat there in the quiet of their apartment, Mya knew their lives were about to get a lot more complicated. But with Jaylen by her side, she was ready to face whatever came their way.