MJ
I dial Sonia's number again, my heart hammering in my chest. Why didn't I think this is where Sonia found them?
A gnawing feeling in my gut tells me she’s gone to see Lynn. If she has, I’m screwed. How didn’t I see this coming?
My hands tremble as I press the call button once more. This time, it connects.
“Is it true?” Her voice cracks, brittle like thin ice about to shatter.
I drop to the floor, my legs refusing to hold me up. “What—”
“Don’t you dare,” she cuts me off, her voice cold and sharp. She’s never spoken to me like this, not even when I hurt her before.
“Sonia—” I choke, the lump in my throat swelling, threatening to suffocate me.
“So it’s true,” she says, her tone trembling with disbelief and fury. “How could you? Why would you even—”
Tears roll down my face, one after another. “I was—”
“Who is Kian to you?”
The noise of traffic hums faintly through the line. It’s nighttime. She’s walking somewhere, and the thought of her out there, vulnerable, sends panic surging through me. “Where are you? Let me come get you,” I plead.
“Answer my question!” she screams.
Her pain is palpable, a dagger twisting in my chest. I knew this truth would destroy us, but I never imagined it would feel this devastating.
“My brother,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.
The line goes dead.
A guttural scream bursts from my throat, raw and uncontainable. My fingers clutch the chain she gave me. The thought of losing her is unbearable.
I grab my keys, stumbling out the door. I have to find her. I have to explain.
The walk to the car is a blur, my vision clouded by tears.
Where are you, baby?
I call and call, minutes stretching into hours. It’s 10 a.m., and there’s still no sign of her. I’ve dialed everyone I can think of. Nothing.
Then, I see her.
She’s sitting on a park bench, her head bowed, her body shaking. My heart shatters at the sight of her.
“Sonia,” I call softly as I approach, not wanting to startle her.
She looks up, her tear-streaked face a portrait of devastation. She’s a shell of herself, and I know I’m the one who did this to her.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, dropping to my knees in front of her.
“Why?” she croaks, her voice hoarse from crying.
“I couldn’t bear it,” I say, resting my head against her bowed one. “I couldn’t bear to see my brother love someone else when he couldn’t even love me—his own sister.”
A choked sound escapes her lips as she covers her mouth. “Why would you do that to me?”
“Because I’m selfish,” I admit, my voice breaking. “I’m reckless and stupid. I just wanted to hurt him.”
“And me,” she says, her voice trembling with anger. Her red, swollen eyes bore into mine. “You didn’t even know me.” She shoves me away. “I was in love with your brother! He was my first love. He took my virginity, for God’s sake!”
I sit on the ground, unable to look at her.
“Do you know what that did to me?” she continues, her voice rising.
I shake my head, ashamed.
“It made me feel worthless. Just like I feel right now.”
“Sonia,” I whisper, crawling toward her feet.
“I trusted you,” she says, her voice trembling. “And you’ve been lying to me this whole time.”
“No,” I protest weakly.
“Do you even love me?” she asks, her lips trembling.
“Yes,” I say desperately. “I love you. I love you so much.”
“How am I supposed to believe you?”
She wipes her tears away angrily, but I can feel her slipping away.
“It’s me. I’m MJ. The girl you fell in love with.”
“And the girl who has made my life a living hell time and time again,” she snaps. “When Kora told me you’d ruin me, I didn’t believe her.” Her voice cracks as she shakes her head. “But now, I see she was right.”
She gestures to the sky. “You’ve successfully ruined me, MJ Kamau. I hope it was worth it. Just like everyone else in my life, you’ve made me feel worthless. But you? You did it best.”
She claps bitterly, her gaze fixed on the stars. “I hate the day I met you.”
“Sonia! Sonia!”
I call her name over and over, but she’s gone. Like a passing storm, leaving me in this deserted world.
I stumble back to my car, my head resting on the steering wheel. What will I do without her? She was my anchor, and now I’m adrift.
A sharp knock on the window snaps me out of my haze. The guard glares at me. “You can’t park here,” he barks.
I nod numbly, rolling up the window and driving away, aimless. Somehow, I end up at the old house. The gates creak open, and I step into the darkness.
The glow of my father’s study light guides me. I push the door open, and he looks up, startled.
“What are you doing here?” he asks, standing.
I back away from his touch and slide to the floor.
“Are you okay?” he asks, sitting beside me.
“She left me,” I sob, hiccuping uncontrollably.
“The girl?”
I nod, and he pulls me into his arms.
“What’s wrong with me?” I cry.
“Nothing.”
“Then why doesn’t anyone stay?”
He purses his lips, his gaze full of concern.
“You don’t like me either,” I mutter, the pain of years spilling out.
“I love you. You’re my daughter,” he says, cupping my face.
“Then why don’t you act like my father?”
His hold on me tightens. “Because you don’t let me.”
“No—”
“You don’t talk to me,” he interrupts. “When I try, you push me away. I know you think I failed you and your mother, but I did everything I could.”
I shake my head, unwilling to believe it.
“I imported doctors. I funded research. Her cancer was terminal, MJ. There was nothing I could do.”
I rest my head against his chest, the steady beat of his heart soothing the storm in my mind.
When I wake up, I’m in my bed, sunlight filtering through the curtains.
I grab my phone and dial Sonia’s number again.
It’s turned off.
Will she ever forgive me?
YOU ARE READING
The Sweetest Fruit ( Tomboy 🏳️🌈Love Story )
Romance[18+] Sports College Romance. Cover art by@emilycatewrites
