Life With The Men I Love: Lies, Love and Pain

Chapter 31

*** TREY ***

It had been one exhausting week, but worth it. For the first time, I got to spend a birthday with my daughter, and the joy on her face when she walked into her carnival-themed party was unforgettable. In that moment, she made me forget about all the drama with her mother. Speaking of India, she'd chosen to spend the morning with Dri and skip the party that evening. I thought that was perfect—I couldn't stand seeing her on a day that was supposed to be joyful, knowing she was in a toxic situation but refusing help because she "loved him." Running my hands down my face, I lay back, staring at the ceiling.

Knock, knock.

"Come in?" I called, feeling the bed dip as my sleepy-eyed Adrianna climbed up beside me.

"Daddy?" she murmured.

"Yeah, baby?"

"I'm hungry."

"What would you like for breakfast?"

"Pancakes," she yawned, rubbing her eyes.

"Alright, pancakes it is." As tired as I felt, I couldn't ignore her. Being a dad isn't a job you get to clock out of. I kissed her forehead, got out of bed, and headed downstairs to make breakfast for us both.

Later that day, when I opened the door, there stood India. "Hey," she said with a small smile.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Thought you'd send someone else to pick her up."

"She's my child; I can pick her up if I want. So, how was the party?"

"It was great, India." I tried to keep it short and turn away to call Dri, but she reached out and grabbed my arm. I pulled away, and her smile faded.

"Tremaine, wait. I want to talk to you."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Well, I have plenty to say."

"I'm sure you do." I rolled my eyes.

She sighed. "The other day wasn't as bad as it seemed."

"Really? That man hitting you wasn't as bad as it seemed?"

"He doesn't hit me," she replied, looking away.

"I saw the bruises."

"He had bruises too. We just had an accident."

"So, you're saying Gloria lied?"

"I'm saying Grey and I had a small argument. This whole thing just got blown way out of proportion."

"You're lying to yourself, India. I don't even know who you are anymore. All I know is that I don't want my daughter around that."

"Around what? Dri doesn't see anything because there's nothing to see!"

"Dri!" I called up the stairs. "Your mom's here!"

"Trey, wait. Let's just talk—"

"There's nothing to talk about."

Just then, Dri came bouncing down the stairs. "Mommy!" She ran to hug India. "My birthday party was awesome, thank you, Mommy!"

"You're welcome, baby," India smiled, kissing her on the forehead.

"You should've come, Mommy," Dri said.

"Next time, baby," India replied, glancing over at me. "Your daddy deserved that time with you more than I did."

"Alright, baby, I'll see you next week," I cut in, kneeling down in front of her.

"Okay, Daddy. Thanks again for my party."

"You're welcome, sweetheart." I smiled, opening the door for them and watching as they drove away.

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XoXo Lilly 😘